What kind of watch does Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary director of Studio Ghibli and master of animated films, wear?

What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? Celebrity Watch Hunting is a serial column that takes a snapshot of celebrities from around the world and introduces them in their everyday lives. This time, we'll be looking at the watches worn by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, a master of animation films, as well as a giant mechanical clock designed by Miyazaki himself!

Hayao Miyazaki

　Hayao Miyazaki is a master of Japanese animation. In 1978, at the age of 37, he directed "Future Boy Conan," NHK's first entirely original Japanese animated film. He made his directorial debut the following year with "Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro." Since then, he has produced a string of classics, including "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), "Castle in the Sky" (1986), "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), and "Porco Rosso" (1992). His "Princess Mononoke" (1997) was the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time at the time, and he further surpassed that record with "Spirited Away" (2001), marking a significant milestone in the world of animation.

　Furthermore, its popularity and acclaim has spread all over the world. The number of awards it has received overseas is too numerous to count. The watch we are introducing today reflects one of its achievements.

　There is a photo of Hayao Miyazaki smiling in front of his atelier near Studio Ghibli in Koganei, Tokyo. It was taken during the beautiful season of fresh greenery, just before the release of "The Wind Rises" in 2013. He is wearing an apron reminiscent of a working man, and on his left wrist is a large, rectangular watch. This is likely a Jaeger-LeCoultre Big Reverso.

　The Venice International Film Festival is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. Jaeger-LeCoultre is a watchmaker that has supported the festival for 15 years. The partnership began in 2005. That same year, Hayao Miyazaki was awarded the festival's Honorary Golden Lion in recognition of his significant contributions to the film industry. To celebrate, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented Miyazaki with this watch.

　Jaeger-LeCoultre is a traditional watch manufacturer founded in 1833 in the Vallée de Joux, located at the southern end of the Swiss Jura Mountains. Currently, the factory is home to around 180 artisans with various skills who combine their skills to produce watches. One of the company's most well-known masterpieces is the Reverso, launched in 1931. It is a square wristwatch featuring an Art Deco-style inverted case that makes use of the golden ratio. The watch that Hayao Miyazaki held in his hands was the Big Reverso, which is slightly larger than the classic model and features a small seconds hand.

Jaeger-LeCoultre "Big Reverso"

　The movement used is the manually wound, square Caliber 822. It's slim, measuring just 2.94mm thick, and features a classic gear train structure. The fourth wheel, which drives the second hand, is located at 6 o'clock, with the balance and barrel wheel positioned slightly diagonally across from the central second wheel. The Caliber 822 is renowned as a masterpiece, and one of the reasons for this is its highly versatile design. This is evidenced by the fact that it has been adapted for use in many important luxury watches other than those made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. For example, A. Lange & Söhne added a gear train to the Caliber 822 and significantly shifted the position of the small seconds, resulting in the creation of the original "Lange 1," one of the brand's first collections following its revival.

　Jaeger-LeCoultre gifted Hayao Miyazaki this iconic model, which is an important part of the company's history. Miyazaki has been seen wearing this model frequently since then. He likely liked the watch's ease of use, such as its slim case that doesn't get in the way of his work and its dial design with simple, easy-to-read displays.

"NTV Big Clock" designed by Hayao Miyazaki

　Around the same time he acquired the Reverso, Hayao Miyazaki was also working on a design outside of film. It was a gigantic mechanical clock on the wall of Nippon Television Tower in Minato Ward, Tokyo. Its exterior dimensions are approximately 12 meters high, 18 meters wide, and 3 meters deep, covering an area roughly equivalent to 332 tatami mats. Nippon Television commissioned Studio Ghibli to design this clock when it was building its new headquarters. It took six years to complete in 2006 (the construction was carried out by Nomura Co., Ltd., a company specializing in mechanical clocks). Miyazaki designed the clock using a total of 1228 copper plates, hammered one by one, to create the clock, based on the concept of "a machine, yet somehow also a living thing." In Miyazaki's work, even machines and tools are sometimes depicted as if they have been given life. This mysterious design evokes this. Perhaps because the planning period for this film coincided with the production of "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), some of its scales can be seen. The mechanical dolls, which come to life at a set time each day, are set with a clock face in the middle, with the "Blacksmith Family" on the right and the "Bell Ringer Family" on the left. The way they instantly transport the viewer to the world of Studio Ghibli is truly impressive.