Breaking News! M. Hirota & Söhne Returns with New "Legend Moonphase" Watch!

*This article was published at midnight on April 1, 2025, as an April Fool's joke. We apologize for any inconvenience.

M. Hirota & Söhne, founded by Masamasa Hirota in Kojimachi, Tokyo, has announced a new model for 2025: the "Legend Moon Phase." The moon phase disc at the 6 o'clock position, featuring a detailed depiction of Masamasa Hirota's face, exudes elegance yet a mystical aura. Product Manager Taketo Hosoda proposed the idea of ​​"imagining Hirota's face on the moon phase," and the timepiece was brought to life by Naoto Watanabe, designer and creative director of Chronos Japan.

M. Hirota & Zohne are back!

　The legend is reborn.

　In the past, many unique watchmakers competed fiercely in the Kojimachi area of ​​Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. With workshops scattered across an area of ​​just one square kilometer, this area was nicknamed "Japan's Glashütte," and even today, many luxury watch brands have their headquarters in Japan.

　The man who built this mecca for watches, Kojimachi, is the legendary watchmaker Masamasa Hirota. Hirota once visited Kojimachi when his company moved, and began manufacturing watches as a hobby alongside his work. With his unique sensibility and the perspective of a watch enthusiast, the many watches he created are said to have had a profound influence on watchmakers of his generation.

　However, as his passion shifted from watchmaking to collecting so-called zombie watches, the brand naturally faded away. Almost no archives remain from that time, and its existence is now only confirmed by a few hearsays left by watchmakers of his generation.

　However, the editorial team at Chronos Japan, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has succeeded in bringing this legendary watchmaker back to life in modern times.

　Based on the testimony of watchmakers who had contact with Hirota and the zombie watches that Hirota collected in later years, we profiled Hirota's tastes and used our brilliant imagination to imagine what kind of watch he would have created, and we were able to bring it back to life.

Overview of the Legend Moon Phase

　The greatest feature of the M. Hirota & Söhne Legend Moon Phase is its exquisite balance. The iconic case design and leaf hands will delight any otaku. And the "Hirota Face™" moon phase, featuring the legendary watchmaker, nestled in the center of the small seconds, will arouse a strong desire to own it.

　We are particularly passionate about the creation of HIROTA FACE™. After obtaining a photograph of a man believed to be the legendary watchmaker Masamasa Hirota through a certain channel, we scanned the photograph with the latest scanner and then printed it using the latest printing technology and the best inks.

　The dial is slate gray, which maximizes the sexiness of the Hirota Face™. It complements the gold (brass) indices and hands, giving the watch maximum appeal.

　The movement is the in-house developed and manufactured Cal. Hirota No. 1. While it has standard specifications of 26mm diameter and 5.8mm thickness, it is highly expandable and boasts high durability that is popular with otaku.

　Let's take a look at the finishing touches. The main plate has an original finish called "Kojimachi Perlage™" and the bridge has an original finish called "Côtes de Nérimas™." These two beautiful decorations give this ordinary movement a very strong personality.

　The Legend Moon Phase is available in two models: a 1K Hirota Gold™ case model with a slightly reduced gold content based on 18K White Gold, and an 18K Gold case model with a limited run of 1974 pieces.

　The estimated retail price for the 1K Hirota Gold™ case model is 1974 million yen (tax included), and the estimated retail price for the 18K Gold case model is 2016 million yen (tax included). Once the product is completed, it will go on sale at the M. Hirota & Söhne Boutique in Nerima.