Fully made in Japan watches that features stunning watch dials that makes use of traditionally made Gold, Platinum, or Silver Leaf!
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Using one of the world’s most trusted traditional gold leaf foil, a one of a kind mechanical wristwatch
As we developed wristwatches, we felt that we could take beauty and design that is quintessentially Japanese, and create exquisite wristwatches, and thus the S-MEISTER brand was born.
S-MEISTER was created in 2000, and is a new derivation of the SONNE brand, a brand that has been a proud part of Japanese-made wristwatches for 20 years.
Using the amazing techniques and methods that have been nurtured and cultivated during the production of the SONNE brand, this brand also takes amazingly beautiful traditional Japanese handicraft techniques and craftsmanship and incorporates them, leading to some wonderfully stunning and refined mechanical timepieces.
The Entsuke Gold Leaf
Entsuke Gold Leaf is a technique of applying gold leaf using traditional methods and has been in use for more than 400 years. When it comes to gold leaf methods, there are two main styles, entsuke which is the traditional method, and the more recent tachikiri, which is a modern method. Entsuke relies on the skill of the craftsman, as well as the Japanese Paper that is used in the layering of the gold leaf, to create the gold leaf that is the thinnest possible layer that it can be. This production method of gold leaf was chosen as a national technique that needs to be preserved, and in 2020, this technique was included “the traditional techniques of traditional architectural craftsmanship to preserve wooden architecture”, which was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, which brings with it a lot of international attention.
Platinum Leaf
Platinum Leaf is made using a traditional method of flattening 100% platinum to make it as thin as possible. It is also known as platinum foil. Platinum is much harder than gold or silver, and so an extremely high level of skill is needed to make it. At present, only one person in Japan who has 70 years of experience hand producing platinum leaf is able to produce it, meaning that it is extremely rare. The colour is silver but has a more luxurious and weighty feel to it, and is characterised by having a magnificent lustre to it. Although it is an extremely thin metal leaf, it still gives the item it is applied to a unique atmosphere to it!
Silver Leaf
Silver leaf uses traditional techniques that have been passed down in Kanazawa for over 400 years, and is a very thin silver material that is produced by well trained craftsmen. Silver leaf can take on some rather exquisite colours and adds a particular shine to the leaf. There are many methods of adding colour to the leaf. You can colour the silver leaf by smoking it, and using various different unique methods. For this watch, we use silver leaf that has been coloured using hikibaku techniques, which are used for the colouring of Nishijin Silk belts and so on.
Traditional Kanazawa gold leaf has been used to design the watch’s dial. Gold leaf is about 1-2 ten thousandths of a millimetre, and is created using the methods described. The designs you find on the watch are unique and can’t be found elsewhere.
The dial’s of the watch are produced in Kanazawa, Japan. It is here that the traditional Kanazawahaku methods which are held in high esteem were founded. We want to give you a brief history of this technique.
The History of Gold Leaf
Gold leaf was used during the creation and furnishing of temples and shrines which were known to have great historical value, such as Kinkakuji (known for its gold design) and Nikko Toshogu (a shrine that was made in memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu), as well as in traditional Japanese handicrafts such as urushi lacquerware and ceramicware.
Of these uses, Kanazawa accounts for 98% of the gold leaf produced, and has been at the forefront of the development of gold leaf.
Kanazawa located in Ishikawa Prefecture, flourished under the Maeda Family of the Kaga Domain as a castle town, and over many years Kanazawahaku as well as Kaga Yuzen, Kutani ceramic ware as well as other traditional handicrafts and traditional performing arts such as Noh, has been passed down.
The region is located on the Sea of Japan, which sees a lot of rain, and then in winter is covered with snow. The high humidity is also beneficial in the creation of traditional gold leaf, and the techniques that are used have been passed down from generation to generation.
The process of creating gold leaf
(1)Mixing the Gold
As gold is too soft and difficult to spread when it is 99.99% pure, small amounts of copper and silver are added to the melting process, which helps to strengthen the metal.
The metals are heated to 1300°C and left to melt together for 10-15 minutes, and then they are poured into a mould to take shape.
(2)Stretching the metal
The metal once poured is then rolled and stretched into strips. This is done about 20 times, making the strip of metal about 2/100mm-3/100mm.
(3)Thinning Even More
The strips are then rolled out even more, until they fill the paper. They are then cut into parts of 12cm2 which are called aragane(荒金(あらがね)) This aragane is then cut into quarters and stretched to about 20cm, into something that is called. Koju (小重 (こじゅう)).
This koju is then cut further into quarters, and stretched further into something called ooju (大重(おおじゅう)). This is then placed and sandwiched between sheets of finishing paper to create uwazumi (上澄(うわずみ)). This uwazumi is about 3/1000 mm thin.
(4)Thinning and cutting
From here, the 3/1000mm uwazumi is then worked on to make it 1/10000 to 2/10000 mm thin. This uwazumi is then cut into about 12 sheets. These sheets are known as koma (小間). This koma is then sandwiched individually between paper ready for foiling
(5)Before foiling
The paper containing the foil is piled and then made stable using leather, and then is hammered using a machine. After this has been done, the leaf is transferred to the main paper where it will be worked on, and then thinned to a thickness of 1/10000 mm. The quality of the washi paper that is used is extremely important in the process of making gold leaf. It can be said that the quality of the washi paper determines the quality of the gold leaf. The washi paper is soaked in the juice collected from burnt eggs or astringent persimmon juice known as kakishibu or ash to make it less likely to tear
(6)Placing the gold
After the gold leaf has been hammered, the quality is checked, and then each piece is placed into a hiromonchou or broadsheet book. The tools that are used are static-resistant bamboo chopsticks and a special tool called a tenguzume. As the leaf is now about 1/10000 mm thin, any wind or static can tear the gold leaf, making this maybe one of the most delicate parts of the process.
(7)Transferring the paper
The final step involves transferring the leaf to the hiromonchou book, and then cutting it into pieces. Gold Leaf comes in 4 sizes, 10.9cm2, 12.7cm2, 15.8cm2, and 21.2cm2. A bamboo frame is used to square up the gold leaf. Holding the leather plate in the left hand, the gold leaf is transferred using bamboo chopsticks. The gold leaf is then cut top to bottom, left to right on the frame. This finished leaf is then placed on the paper.
Mechanical watches that have been manufactured in Japan are done so using advanced and precise manufacturing methods.
Mechanical watches which are maintained correctly can be used for a rather long time.
Finished dials are sent to our company’s own atelier. Then the watches are tested for water resistance, and to make sure it is running correctly, and then goes through a strict quality control check before finally being sent to the customer.
The Raijin model utilises the entsuke gold leaf in its design. The design is made to represent a thunderbolt of Raijin, god of thunder. The wonderfully beautiful gold leaf brings a vivid shine to the dial, while also having precise minute details which have been handcrafted individually by the craftsmen, leading the watch dial being exquisitely bright and luxurious. The case in contrast is a subtle black, which helps to compliment the bright gold leaf. The strap is made from a hybrid calf leather and silicone, which makes it particularly resistant to sweat, great for use in the summer or in humid climates.
The Fujin model has a design that utilises platinum leaf. The design is meant to represent the flow of the wind from Fujin, god of wind, and is made to be a counterpart to the Raijin model which uses the entsuke gold foil. While the colour is a silver colour, when compared to that of silver leaf, it has a more dignified air to it, and is defined by its magnificent lustre. The talented craftsmen design each dial’s pattern by hand, meaning that each watch is extremely exclusive. The watch makes use of traditional platinum leaf foiling, but at the same time has a style that is similar to that of a sporty diver’s watch, and can also be worn casually without problem. The belt is made of a durable Cordura Nylon material.
The Miyabi watch is designed using silver leaf foil. The entirety of the dial is made using the luxurious silver leaf foil. It is a culmination of blues and purple silver leaf which come together to represent harmony. The case is a beautiful streamlined rounded case. The case is made from a silver stainless steel that can mix and match any style and situation. The strap is a navy blue strap made from hybrid leather that brings out the vivid colour of the face, and helps round this watch off as a brilliantly luxurious timepiece.
General Information
・ Manufactured In-House
・ 1 Year Manufacturer’s Warranty Included
・ Produced and Made in Japan
RAIJIN(雷神)
Product Number: SM-OGBK-G-KS
Dial: Gold Leaf
Case: SS (BK)
Strap: Calf Leather
Size: 41mm
Thickness:12mm
Lug width: 22mm
Strap Length:
Strap attached to top of the watch: Including buckle 9.3cm | Strap only 7.8cm
Strap attach to the bottom of the watch: 12cm
Movement: Seiko Epson YN71
FUJIN(風神)
Product Number: SM-DVBK-P-KS
Dial: Platinum Leaf
Case: SS (BK)
Strap: Cordura Nylon
Size: 42mm
Thickness:14mm
Lug width: 22mm
Strap Length:
Strap attached to top of the watch: Including buckle 9cm | Strap only 7.7cm
Strap attach to the bottom of the watch: 12cm
Movement: Seiko Epson YN71
MIYABI (雅)
Product Number: SM-RDSV-S-KS
Dial: Silver Leaf
Case: SS
Strap: Calf Leather
Size: 42mm
Thickness:11.5mm
Lug width: 22mm
Strap Length:
Strap attached to top of the watch: Including buckle 9.3cm | Strap only 8cm
Strap attach to the bottom of the watch: 12cm
Movement: Seiko Epson YN71
Junki Ura (浦 純貴)
I made the S-Meister brand, with a vision of making a mechanical watch that focuses on using Made in Japan parts.
After looking at various domestic and international watches, and working with a lot of international watch brands here in Japan, we raised the issue in house that maybe we could make a mechanical watch in house that focuses on the beauty that can only be found in Japan, and thus we started to work towards this project
When making a dial that has a small area but that utilises silver foil, a high level of technical ability and skill is needed, and with a wish to help protect the traditional art and methods of Kanazawahaku, we asked for the help of GOLDEN VALOR Co., a company that is continuously researching and developing Kanazawahaku into various products, and with their cooperation we created a variety of prototypes before arriving at a final design.
After we finalised the dial of the watch, we started to look at the balance between the case and crown, as well as the watch strap, and came to our final design.
We hope that through our brand S-MEISTER, you can experience traditional Japanese handicraft that has been represented through our mechanical watch, and we hope that it can help to create new values that match your lifestyle.
Thank you for your time and support!
The S-MEISTER Team
