arita premium-X - Japanese Porcelain Dial Wristwatch

arita premium-X
Arita porcelain on the dial, the crown and the back. Automatic, made in Japan.

Most watches with a porcelain dial stop at the dial. The premium-X carries Arita porcelain all the way around, so the craft is there whichever side you look at.

The dial
The dial is made at Shin-gama, a kiln that has been firing in Arita since 1830. Arita is where Japanese porcelain began, about 400 years ago. Each numeral is painted by hand in deep indigo, and every dial is glazed and fired one at a time, so no two are alike.

The crown
Where most watches have plain steel, the premium-X sets a small disc of white Arita porcelain into the crown, painted with an indigo bull's-eye. It is the one piece of porcelain you see from the side, and it is painted and fired by hand like the rest.

The back
Turn the watch over and a ring of white Arita porcelain frames a sapphire window onto the automatic movement. On it, ears of rice are painted in indigo, with a single blue dragonfly among them. Porcelain shrinks as it fires, so shaping a thin ring that fits a watch case exactly takes a skilled hand, and not every piece survives the kiln. Like the dial, each caseback is painted by hand and fired on its own.

Why rice and a dragonfly
Rice has stood for abundance in Japan for as long as the country has had a name. And one of its oldest names, Akitsushima, means "the islands of the dragonfly." A dragonfly over ripening rice is the image of a Japanese autumn, and of a good year. It sits against your wrist, seen only by you.

Specifications

• Case: Stainless steel, 38mm diameter, 12.4mm thick
• Dial: Arita porcelain, hand-painted (Shin-gama)
• Caseback: Stainless steel with hand-painted Arita porcelain (rice ears and blue dragonfly) around a sapphire exhibition window
• Crown: Stainless steel with Arita porcelain, indigo bull's-eye motif
• Crystal: Domed sapphire with inner anti-reflective coating
• Movement: Japanese automatic with hand-winding, 22 jewels, 21,600 vph, Diashock
• Accuracy: +25 / -15 seconds per day
• Water resistance: 5 ATM
• Made in Japan

Strap Options

• Navy croc-embossed calf leather
• Burgundy English buffalo leather (SOMES Saddle)
• Camel French calf leather (SOMES Saddle)
• Stainless steel mesh with slide buckle

Made to order and shipped from Japan within 2 to 3 weeks. Free shipping, with all duties and taxes prepaid. 14-day returns and a one-year warranty.