Here’s Why Collectors Are Going Crazy for Naoya Hida’s New Watches

When you meet with Japanese watchmaker, Naoya Hida, what is immediately apparent is not just his genius as an independent watchmaker but his natural and, dare we say easygoing approach, to a love of details. He can easily clock your watch from a mile away and tell you the year it was made and its history to astonishing accuracy. He knows granular facts and the interconnecting intricacies of the business of horology as well. But it never comes off as pretentious. Instead, it wreaks of genuine and charming enthusiasm. The vibe inherently carries through to his creations, which is why he is quickly becoming a must-have for those in the know.

This week he launched three new timepieces: the NH Type 3B-3 with a moon phase, the NH Type 5A-1 square-shaped time-only watch, and the NH Type 6A perpetual calendar. What is immediately striking about all three—and what has become Hida’s claim to fame—is their signature silver dials and deep hand-engraved numerals. The dials are typically executed in German silver, but to herald the arrival of his first serious complication watch in the Type 6A, he chose sterling silver for the first time. The effect, however, is no less striking across models.

The engraving, however, is particularly extraordinary and those that already know Naoya Hida will recognize it instantly. Each hand-engraved numeral and marking is the work of Keisuke Kano, who has been honing his craft, which began in jewelry, for 20 years. One dial of the Type 3B-3 can take him over a day to execute, while the Type 6A perpetual calendar can take up to five days since even the subdials are hand-executed to such mind-boggling accuracy one would think the brand was making it up if you hadn’t seen Kano at work. He exclusively works for Naoya Hida, but laughs when asked if many brands try to get him to work for them. The answer: a resounding, yes.

It’s these painstaking intricacies that have come to define Naoya Hida watches. So precise is the execution that upon closer inspection of the Type 6A, that you will notice a small faint hint of black between the subdials at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock and the edge of the dial because Hida-san still wanted the subdials to top off the Roman numeral beneath that would otherwise be left off in the hands of a less scrupulous maker. The dedication to perfectionism is aptly Japanese, but while some also see a minimalist aesthetic, also inherent to the country, it’s rather traditional but with a twist.

Other subtle elements that nod to going the extra mile? A moon phase with a lapis-lazuli rather than aventurine night sky, which Naoya Hida watchmaker, Kosuke Fujita, says is so difficult to work with they can only do a handful of them. Take a closer look at the moon and you’ll notice an idiosyncratic face rather than the more literal or simple moons from Swiss counterparts. The bonus is that each face is different in each model. Or take the acrylic crystal, updated from sapphire, on the new Type 5A-1, for which a special mold was created to execute it just so clients could appreciate a more vintage feel and the ever-so-slight difference in the way the light hits the dial. Even the case shape was a challenge. Fujita says despite the fact that rectangular cases are dominated by Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hida still wanted to try his hand at it. Judging by the fact that a second execution has already arrived, it was a success.

If you want to snag one, it won’t be easy but at least you won’t have to languish on a decades-long waitlist like some of Hida’s contemporaries. That’s because all allocations are through a lottery on Naoya Hida or The Armoury. The application page on Naoya Hida will be live until 9 PM EST tonight or 10 AM JST on the 22nd. An application lottery through The Armoury will run from today through June 15th. Will you be one of the chose ones?

Credit: robbreport.com