Otsuka Lotec No. 6; Mechanical Retrograde

Model: Otsuka Lotec No. 6

Year: 2024

Features:

Ambition. A beautiful example of auteurial design, made by a man with unparalleled drive. For many years, Jiro Katayama worked in the automotive industry designing cars. After purchasing a metalworking lathe and practising with it by shaping circular watch cases, he became fascinated with the idea of building a watch from scratch. He spent the next four years teaching himself (via YouTube and Google) how to fabricate the various parts needed to build a watch using nothing but his trusty lathe. This "low technology" approach eventually gave rise to the company name; Lotec.

Theme. The double retrograde hour and minute hand complication finds itself on a rhodium-plated “speedometer” dial that was clearly inspired by Katayama’s automotive background. A “small seconds” disc slowly turns at the bottom of the dial, and dial feet have been discarded in lieu of dial screws. Combined with the screw-in case and fully brushed finish, one immediately grasps Katayama’s design principles.

Rarity. Initially, production output was very limited - after all, it was still just Katayama working on each part by himself in his Otsuka workshop. Fortunately, Hajime Asaoka (yes, the Hajime Asaoka of Kurono Tokyo fame) let Katayama borrow three of his employees, allowing production to increase to from little over a dozen per year to nearly 80. Nevertheless, acquiring one remains no small feat. A lottery takes place every few months and is only open to people with a Japanese credit card and Japanese address, with the lucky winners getting to buy one of his watches. 

The Case. 316L steel with a richly brushed finished, and case screws that are actual screws (instead of pushed through bolts simply designed to look like screws, as on the AP Royal Oak) complete the mechanical look. A beautifully shaped crystal is solid sapphire.

The Movement. The movement started life as a Miyota 9015, but as you might have realised a Miyota 9015 looks and works very differently. Katayama designed and hand-makes all of the parts for the the double retrograde and second disc complication you see on this watch. The Miyota movement is used as a base movement to which an in-house ratcheting retrograde system (among other things) have been added.

Condition: Brand new in the original box with all of the papers. Unworn.

Dimensions:

• Case Width: 42mm
• Case Thickness: 11.5mm
• Lug to Lug: 45.0mm