IntroducingŌtsuka Lōtec Goes High Complication With The New 'No. 9'

If Instagram stories are any guide, this might be the most frequently shared and likely the most surprising new release of the year, as Jiro Katayama, founder of the Japanese-exclusive microbrand Ōtsuka Lōtec, announced the watch without much fanfare or pomp on Sunday. The brand is known for its difficult-to-obtain yet affordable and captivatingly "steampunk" releases. But this looked different, and there wasn't really any information provided by the brand. Within a few hours, the Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 was all over my feed. I got a lot of messages and saw a lot of comments of people picking away at studying the designs to try to understand what exactly was going on in what looked to be a highly complicated watch. There were still a lot of questions. Now, we have all the answers thanks to the help of our colleagues at Hodinkee Japan, who obtained photos and a press release.

The Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 has a lot going on, which isn't surprising for a watch in development for over nine years. Gone (in this model) are the affordable takes on interesting displays like starwheels, jump hours, and retrograde hours and minutes that won Ōtsuka Lōtec a "Challenge Prize" at GPHG 2024. Katayama has gone full tilt into higher complications here, combining a jump hour, "rewinding minutes," tourbillon, power reserve, and sonnerie au passage or "striking hours" into a stainless steel case measuring 41.3mm by 26.4mm with a thickness of 10.35mm. That's 278 components in a small package, and judging from the photos, it's impressive.

The first thing to understand is the design, which is intentionally industrial, as are all of Katayama's designs. We spoke to him last year and got the run-down on his background as an industrial designer-turned-garage-watchmaker, turned watchmaking star. The design here is inspired by old Japanese power meters, and a quick Google will make the similarities apparent. Katayama said, in the press release, "With № 9, I wanted to create a watch where every moving part under the sapphire crystal gives off the feeling of industrial machinery — its textures, vibrations, and sounds." 

The fact that the watch has a chiming effect is telegraphed through the little "sound" cutouts on the dial bridge. Beneath that, an industrial hammer draws power back through the course of an hour (like the Christopher Ward Bel Canto) and releases it at the same time the hour display jumps forward. This is a sonnerie au passage, so the hammer only strikes once, hitting a long, circuitous, and pipeline-shaped gong on the left side of the dial. There's also an On/Off button at the bottom right of the case. The brand calls the sound industrial, and judging by a brief video they sent along, they're right. It's not particularly crisp or romantic, but rather reminds me of a sound you'd hear at a factory to tell you your shift is over. You can see the path of the gong due to the box crystal, which emphasizes dimensionality by revealing the side of the case, while the power reserve indication is on the left side of the case. The power reserve is creative, with a rod that sticks out underneath the arrow that points to "POWER" and slowly retracts as power is released.

Then there's the time display, which has two transparent, overlapping discs which are backlit by two blocks of lume, giving you an understanding of how to quickly view the time day or night. The hour disc rotates on a central pivot secured by an unusual 2.5mm-diameter jeweled ball bearing made by Japanese company MinebeaMitsumi. That means the inside of the bearing features synthetic ruby jewels, increasing longevity. In one of the most adorably Japanese additions to the press kit, MinebeaMitsumi included their own press release espousing their appreciation for being included in the project. They provided five ball bearings in total, including for the pivot of the tourbillon at 6 o'clock, which is the world's smallest (according to the company and the Guinness Book of World Records) at 1.5mm in diameter.

The Cal. SSGT manual-wind movement has approximately 40 hours of power reserve, running at 18,000 bph, with regulation provided by a tourbillon at 6 o'clock on the dial. Some components, such as the barrel, are taken from the ETA/Unitas Cal. 6498. The name of the caliber is quintessentially and creatively Japanese. Just like sushi is layered on a sushi geta (wooden plate), the complications are similarly layered. They cut the words up into "Su-Shi-Ge-Ta" and shortened it to "Cal. SSGT."

For many, Ōtsuka Lōtec came onto their radar due to its affordable prices. Yes, the watches are very hard to get as they are generally only sold domestically in Japan, which means that secondary market prices have gone a bit nutty. They also (as of last year) only make 15 watches per month. But direct from the brand, watches like the No. 6 are less than $3,000. The No. 9 is an entirely different proposition. Without taxes, the watch is currently listed at 16,000,000 Japanese Yen.  At time of publication, that is about $108,000.

While the price tag has a lot of zeroes, even for Japanese yen, I'm pretty thrilled to see Katayama absolutely sending it full throttle into a new experiment. The watch isn't technically for sale yet and the brand doesn't have a set production number, only saying that it will be extremely limited. Still, in the same way Hajime Asoaka (who is now involved with Ōtsuka Lōtec) has two price points covered between his brand name and Kurono Tokyo, it's cool to see Katayama not limiting his creativity. It reminds me of the early days of Vianney Halter, a time many people wish we could go back to.

Masaharu Wada at Hodinkee Japan was kind enough to provide us live pictures but people were not allowed to try on the watch for size reference. I do think that the 26mm lug width is a bit extreme, but still not a deal breaker. On the other hand, I would have loved if the No. 9 featured a beautiful chime in the way Hazemann & Monnin's "School Watch" striking hour does. Combining steampunk aesthetics with high-quality sound would have twisted the experience of the watch into something more surprising. While it doesn't have anywhere near the finishing of Hazemann & Monnin (which isn't the point), the price difference of about $30,000 with added jump hour and tourbillon (and the general hype around Ōtsuka Lōtec) is probably enough for some to quickly jump on board if they can.

Brand: Ōtsuka Lōtec
Model: No. 9

Diameter: 41.3mm by 26.4mm
Thickness: 10.35mm
Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel
Dial Color: Skeletonized steel dial
Indexes: Digital jump hour and "rewinding minutes"
Lume: Luminous blocks (of unspecified material) under the hour and minute displays for backlit indication
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: 26mm lug-width calfskin strap

Caliber: Cal. SSGT
Functions: Instantaneous jump hour, "wandering" or "rewinding" minutes, tourbillon, power reserve, sonnerie au passage or striking hour
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 3Hz
Jewels: 30 jewels and 5 ball bearings
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Free-sprung balance, MinebeaMitsumi ruby ​​ball bearings in 2.5mm (special order), 1.5mm (world's smallest)

Price: 16,000,000 JPY (tax excluded) or approximately $108,000 at time of publication
Availability: Undecided as of now
Limited Edition: Undecided production number, only a small number per year

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