The last few years have been good for enthusiasts of classically designed, complicated watches. Historically the purview of the exorbitantly wealthy, the complicated dress watch has become increasingly democratized in recent years, thanks in no small part to brands like Kurono Tokyo. That impactful role was rewarded with ardent fervor with new releases selling out near-instantaneously. Recently, secondhand availability and the introduction of various anti-flipping techniques have made getting your hand on one of Hajime Asaoka?s affordable creations far easier. But that sense of ease may well renege with the brand?s latest offering, the Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche ?Sensu N.O.S.?

The signature feature of the new Réserve de Marche (and the complication from which it borrows its name) is the power reserve indicator found between the nine and ten o?clock positions, a first for Kurono Tokyo. This function is made possible thanks to the new old stock Cal. 9134 movements from Citizen. True to form for Kurono Tokyo, that movement has been reworked here; not only to meet Kurono Tokyo?s internal timekeeping standards, but also to remove the movement?s date function, though the 24-hour secondary hour display at six o?clock remains.
What results is a classically beautiful, and undeniably well-executed take on a classic complication. Of course, given the inherent limitations created by the use of NOS movements, the Sensu N.O.S. will be ?very limited,? with the Cal. 9...