What would you do in nine years? Some take them to build a career, some to change lives, and some to develop sophisticated objects. Jiro Katayama, a Japanese watchmaker, chose one path, the last one: devote nearly a decade to creating a watch capable of surprise. Looking at the result, I would say mission accomplished.

It’s called Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 and is the latest, visionary creation from the brand founded by Katayama. A timepiece that looks like something out of a steampunk laboratory where nothing is conventional. No classic hands, no reassuring bezels and no dial.

A deliberately industrial design

What immediately stands out is this particularly unusual design for a wristwatch, which is more reminiscent of a piece of sophisticated mechanics. Katayama studied industrial design and brought that aesthetic directly into watchmaking. In fact, the Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 is inspired by old Japanese power meters, reinterpreting them in a contemporary way in which every detail seems to go against the grain and defy fashion.

Does size matter?

Behind its steel case measuring 41.3 x 26.4 mm and just 10.35 mm thick lies a universe: 278 components that give rise to complications of the highest order. Jumping hours, self-winding minutes, tourbillon, power reserve indicator, and even a passing chime.

The time is visible through two transparent discs in the center of the dial, the upper one indicating the hours while the lower one indicates the minutes. The hour disc rotates around a central pivot supported by an unusual ball bearing with 2.5 mm diameter synthetic rubies, developed by the Japanese company MinebeaMitsumi. The same company supplied five bearings, including the tourbillon bearing positioned at 6 o’clock, which has been recognized as the world’s smallest at just 1.5 mm in diameter.

Small on the outside, big on the inside

The choice of sonic complications is not accidental, however, as Katayama ‘s intent was not only to recreate an industrial watch in design, but also acoustically. What is called a“passing chime” works by means of a hammer that stores energy for a full hour and releases it on striking, just once. The gong (visible on the left side of the dial) with a twisting shape, recreates a somber and different sound than the ones we are used to, which might remind us of that of factories at the end of the shift. On the lower left side we also find an on/off button.

Hence the explanation for nine years of development, aimed at creating a watch that would not only surprise aesthetically, but also technically by bringing a high level of complexity.

A whole new movement

The watch features a manual movement with a 40-hour power reserve, visible in the lower right-hand corner below the POWER inscription, where a small rod retracts as the winding decreases.

The caliber is SSGT, a seemingly random name but you know, in Japan nothing is left to chance. Do you know how sushi is served? That is, on layers of geta (the traditional wooden plate)? Lo and behold, in precisely the same way the complications were also arranged on different layers, hence the acronym “Su-Shi-Ge-Ta,” later shortened to Cal. SSGT . This movement beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour, regulated by the tourbillon at six o’clock.

Price and availability

In keeping with tradition, Ōtsuka Lōtec reserves its pieces for the Japanese market, making it almost impossible to purchase them elsewhere except on the secondary market. Excluding taxes, the starting price is $108,000, although we do not know the actual number of pieces produced.

Why do you think Ōtsuka Lōtecs are only available in Japan?

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