The luxury watch market has matured significantly over the past decade. The driving force behind this has been the huge boom in luxury sports watches that began around 2015. Following this qualitative expansion, discerning watch enthusiasts are now shifting their interest from fashion to timepieces that will stand the test of time. So what kind of watches could become the horological heritage of the future? Special contributions by renowned journalists and interviews with experts shed light on the qualities of masterpieces that connect the past and the future.
Photographs by Takeshi Hoshi (estrellas)
Interview & Text by Hiroyuki Suzuki
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan), Hiroyuki Suzuki
[Article published in the July 2024 issue of Kronos Japan]
The creators of the future of watches: Naoya Hida & Co., founder
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1963, NAOYA HIDA worked in sales and marketing at several foreign trading companies from the 1990s, and served as the Japanese representative for FP Journe and Ralph Lauren Watches and Jewelry before going independent. In 2018, he founded NAOYA HIDA & Co. and began manufacturing watches bearing his name. The following year, in 2019, he released his first model, the "NH Type 1B."
Naoya Tobita launched his own eponymous watch brand in 2018. He is a representative of a new generation of independent watchmakers, controlling the creation of watches that he sees as ideal from a product manager's perspective. Having been with a renowned watch brand since the 1990s, where he worked on product development and product management for the Japanese market, he has also used his knowledge to train luxury watch sales staff. What kind of watches should we leave for the future? We began by asking him about the end of the luxury sports boom that has driven watch trends over the past decade.
The key for small-scale creators is to have a clear roadmap
"Was the luxury sports genre really such a huge market to begin with? It certainly went through booms, but I get the impression that it has returned to an appropriate capacity. In the days when water resistance was not yet high, diver's watches were the only waterproof watch option. The concept of waterproof dress watches did not exist. However, with the luxury sports boom of the past decade, the performance of cases has improved dramatically. Dress watches that can be used daily and small complications have also increased. For example, we are now seeing flashy promotions such as attaching rubber straps to dress watches. As the range of options has expanded, the luxury sports genre has returned to its original scale."
This is the company's first gold model, announced in 2024. The German silver dial is finished with the newly introduced silver friction (silver friction plating). The minute counter on the outer periphery of the dial is also made of 18KYG. Manual winding (Cal. 3019SS). 18 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 48 hours. 18KYG case (diameter 37mm, thickness 9.8mm). 638 million yen (sold out). (Inquiries) NH WATCH naoyahidawatch.com
Tobita points out that interesting signs are beginning to emerge in the vintage watch market, perhaps due to a rebound in the boom.
"Recently, gold neo-vintage watches—the definition of which is vague—thin, flimsy braided bracelets from Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, etc. from the 1980s and 90s seem to be popular. As someone who dealt in Audemars Piguet during my time with Japan Disco, I never imagined that Cobra watches would become so popular. Overseas dealers in particular seem to be collecting them with great enthusiasm."
The pieces that Tobita produces extract the essence of watches from the past, while converging them into "modern vintage." So, specifically, what watches did he use as inspiration?
"Though it doesn't get much attention, the quality of past Longines and Movado watches is amazing. Of course, I also take inspiration from Patek Philippe, Vacheron, and AP watches, but these two are by far the best. Also, there are surprisingly many variations of AP watches, even older than the neo-vintage ones I mentioned earlier. It's well known that there are a wide variety of old Vacheron watches, but there are also many AP watches. All of them are useful references."
If you could leave just one watch from the past to the future, what would it be? Tobita thought about this question for a while before naming a certain watch.
"Perhaps it was a Breguet from before the Chaumet era? It was equipped with a Peuseau 260 and the dial was made by Stern. This was our starting point, after all. I wondered if dials like this existed on anything other than pocket watches. So I asked the engraver Kano if he could engrave something like that, and he said, with microscopes now available, of course it's possible..."
This is one of the 300 to 400 vintage Breguet watches produced between the 1950s and 1970s. Records show that this particular watch was manufactured in 1954 and sold the following year, 1955. According to Tobita, the dial, which is reminiscent of a pocket watch, was made by Stern. The technique of flowing ink onto engraved indexes is similar to Tobita's watches.
Tobita had actually searched for this watch many times. However, the original case was not of very good quality, and many of the tempered blue Breguet hands had been remade, so he ended up giving up on the idea. At the same time, Tobita also points out the Jaeger-LeCoultre 920 series, which features ruby rollers, as another piece of his watch heritage.
The watches that Tobita makes are considered "modern vintage" and have garnered immense support from discerning watch enthusiasts. So what should watch makers be like in the future?
"Leaving aside the big brands, for a small brand like ours, the outcome will change depending on whether we are going to be a one-generation business or pass it on to the next generation, so that's something we need to think about from the beginning. We also need to decide from the beginning whether we want to continue making one idea or whether we want to make a variety of models. There should be a business model that suits each. We are a watch manufacturer, not independent watchmakers. And we want to continue making a variety of models."
Tobita says he already has the plans for the "NH Type 38" completed. Five years have passed since the first launch in 2019. The basic case development consists of five types, NH Type 1 to 5. To date, 14 different variation models have been produced. When the company was first founded, most models were one-offs, but in recent years, an increasing number of models have been reproduced. Even so, the fact that the finer details are refined with each production is perhaps one of the attractions unique to a small maison like this. The roadmap envisioned by Naoya Tobita, a modern-day master maker, seems to anticipate a future far beyond our imagination.
