Tokyo Time

Naoya Hida crafts timepieces that push the boundaries of traditional mechanical horology. Working from his atelier in Tokyo's Setagaya ward, Hida-san creates each piece with immaculate attention to detail, obsessively perfecting every component to create vintage-style watches coupled with cutting-edge technology

- Amrita Katara

Naoya Hida launched his independent watch brand in 2019. The resulting timepieces, inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics and blended with avant-garde mechanisms and designs, exhibit a combination of minimalist style and tech-savvy flair that’s reflective of contemporary Japan.

Hida-san tells Tatler about his journey from novice to pioneering watchmaker, and the challenges he has faced.

How did you decide to get into watchmaking?

I joined the watch business in 1990, working for Desco von Schulthess, a Swiss trading company. In Tokyo, [such] companies were the sole agents for Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and so on. I joined as a sales representative, dealing with department stores, watch retailers and so on. At that time, Japanese customers saw watches as a status symbol, which is why we mainly saw golden bracelets with diamond watches: very classic and old-generation. I was really frustrated by this, because I love mechanical watches; that’s why I joined the watch industry. This was not the kind of watch I wanted to sell.

I thought I should focus instead on vintage watches. In 1990, [I thought that the] vintage watch business was [more interesting] than that for modern watches but after studying the market, [I found it wasn’t the case]. Then suddenly the situation completely changed. In 1990, Günter Blümlein, a very talented watch leader, was recruited to manage the company. Jaeger-LeCoultre launched a new version of the Reverso and the Master Control complications. When I first saw the Master Control, I felt so excited: if these were the kind of watches that modern watches being created, then yes, I would love to stay.

Tell us about the decision to make your own watch.