The Life of a Watch Enthusiast: Masayasu Yonemura "My current favorite brand is Parmigiani Fleurier"

Masayasu Yonemura, owner and chef of Kyoto's Shinmonzen Yonemura, captivates gourmets from Japan and abroad with his versatile style, using a wide variety of ingredients and techniques. He is not only a master chef, but also a businessman with a practical business sense and a refined taste with an exceptional aesthetic sense. He began collecting watches after going independent and has now been collecting them for 30 years. The "Yonemuraism" is evident in his collection, which was assembled out of curiosity, and the process and evolution of his collection reveals his true character as he continues to hone his aesthetic sense.

"I don't wear a watch while cooking. I choose what I like so I can enjoy my holidays."

　The streets of Kyoto are woven with the atmosphere of the past and present. Masayasu Yonemura is the owner and chef of Shinmonzen Yonemura, located in one corner of the city. The restaurant is known for its original cuisine that transcends genres and is popular with many gourmets. Yonemura became an independent chef in 1993 and has expanded his business not only in Kyoto but also in Tokyo. He has received numerous stars in the Michelin Guide and is also renowned as a culinary supervisor. In 2019, Yonemura opened his Shinmonzen restaurant to realize his own vision.

　When we visited his home, we found the living room bathed in soft light and filled with a variety of modern art and antique furnishings from Japan and abroad. A wide variety of exquisite pieces neatly arranged in one space, revealing Yonemura's exceptional aesthetic sense. It was a rare opportunity to see a chef's watch collection in his own home. Chefs who handle water and ingredients often take off their watches, so there are few opportunities to see their favorite timepieces. Yonemura himself says that watches are items for enjoying on holidays.

　On this day, Yonemura, dressed in his off-duty look in a vivid blue hoodie, was wearing the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Hémisphères Retrograde, his current favorite brand. This unique travel watch features three subdials arranged according to the golden ratio and a large retrograde hand that displays the date.

"When Parmigiani Fleurier first arrived in Japan, I didn't know much about the brand. But I became interested in it through a certain person's influence, and I started to gather information about the brand and its watches, and I gradually became addicted. But it's not a cheap purchase. It took me a long time to decide on my first watch. The first one I bought was a Tonda GT Chronograph."

　The person in question was Takeshi Matsuyama, a writer and lyricist who is renowned in the watch industry as the "King of Watches." Matsuyama is a gourmet from Kyoto City and a long-time regular customer at Yonemura. Even back when Parmigiani Fleurier was not yet well known in Japan, Matsuyama had been passionately telling Yonemura about the brand's appeal.

"By the way..." Yonemura said after a while, remembering something and disappearing into the next room. When he emerged, he was holding a stack of magazines in his arms, including several years' worth of back issues of our magazine, "Chronos Japan." He found the May 2021 issue (issue no. 94) and told us, to our surprise, "When I saw the cover and the Tonda GT Chronograph in the cover story, I thought, 'This is great,' and decided to buy it."

"The next Parmigiani Fleurier I want is the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. I'm not looking for a rattrapante, but I like the idea of ​​having an extra hand in a certain place."

　I asked Yonemura about his criteria for choosing a watch.

"I like interesting watches, but I'm not looking for complicated mechanisms. People often recommend perpetual calendars, but I'm not interested in the complicated settings. That's why I've decided to stick with annual calendars. I like something I can wear quickly on my days off, which may be once or twice a week."

　"For me, watches are an extension of fashion," Yonemura says clearly. However, when he finds a model that catches his eye, he thoroughly researches it, including the mechanism, before purchasing it. He continues with a laugh:

"If I like something, I gather a ton of information about it. At its worst, I'll look at it from morning until night. If this "I want it so badly" urge continues for more than a month, I'll buy it."

　The collection case is lined with the best watches that have passed Yonemura's patient screening. Among the diverse lineup are many from FP Journe and Patek Philippe. The former include the Automatic Reserve, Chronomètre Souverain, and Elegant. Yonemura's heart was captured by their refined finish, which combines individuality and practicality. The latter include the Nautilus Chronograph, Nautilus Annual Calendar Moon Phase, and Calatrava Pilot Travel Time. He says, "When I was in my 30s, I thought of them as 'old man' brands, but I finally understand their coolness."

　Comfort is essential, and there are many sporty bracelet models. The Royal Oak's 40th anniversary model, the Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin, was also purchased at the Audemars Piguet Ginza boutique. Yonemura prefers case sizes around 37mm in diameter. From Richard Mille, she chose the smaller ladies' model, the RM 037.

　As mentioned earlier, Yonemura thoroughly gathers information before buying a watch, but he also makes impulse purchases at times. Examples include the Hublot Big Bang e and the Bell & Ross BR03-92 Black Camo. These impulse-purchased models often have features not found in regular watches, so it takes time to get used to the controls and readability. However, this also brings about many fresh insights, and as a result, he seems to like them and continue to use them.

　Yonemura's love of watches began at the age of 30 when he became independent as a chef. Since then, he has replaced his watch roughly every 10 years. He says he is currently in his third "change of season." The 10-year period is not a cycle that is specific to him, but is based on major trends in design in general. This sharp perspective is typical of Yonemura.

　When asked about the changes in his collection from one period to the next, he revealed that in his first period he collected many Panerai and Alain Silberstein watches, known for their colorful hands and crowns, as well as avant-garde watches such as early Roger Dubuis watches, which produced the "Homage" and "Sympathy" models. In his second period, he settled on refined designs such as the Patek Philippe "Calatrava" and Rolex "Oyster Perpetual Submariner" and "Oyster Perpetual Day-Date." While he has already gotten rid of most of his Rolexes, he still frequently wears his "Oyster Perpetual Explorer" in a Chrome Hearts case, which is easy to wear like a bracelet. He also acquired a Breguet "Classique" during this second period, which remains in his collection today. The Classic is a classic dress watch purchased for suits, but adding the distinctive touch of diamonds was a good choice for him.

　Finally, when we asked Yonemura what brands he is currently interested in, he first mentioned Moritz Grossmann. "I'd love to see those hands in person sometime." He also mentioned other unique brands such as Laurent Ferrier and H. Moser & Cie. When it comes to models he wants, the list is endless. "I'm not an investor, so I just collect what I like." Perhaps Yonemura's outstanding sensibility is backed up by his awareness of not being biased towards his tastes and his exquisite sense of balance in incorporating new things.