Kiwame Kubo Momiji: the little maple leaf works for me

I really like the little maple leaf on this Kiwame. Normally, putting a picture on a watch dial is a very efficient way to lose me, but this one is small, red like the surrounding dial and tucked into the recessed seconds display. It adds something to look at without turning the whole watch into merchandise.

The Kubo Momiji is reference KT304, and the red lacquer dial is what makes it work for me. The applied Arabic numerals have enough shape to look interesting against that glossy background, and the minute track gives the outer edge a proper finish. I like a simple watch when the individual choices feel deliberate. This has more going on than a plain dress dial, and I'd want to look at it again rather than forgetting it five seconds later.

A slightly awkward little seconds dial

The small-seconds display sits between four and five, with the leaf inside it. I can imagine that placement annoying someone who wants everything perfectly symmetrical. I'm usually sensitive to that too, but here I think it gives the watch its own face. The seconds hand moving over the leaf is also something I'd want to see in person. A photograph can't tell me whether that detail stays charming or starts looking fussy.

The steel case is 37 mm across and 45 mm lug to lug. Kiwame gives 9.3 mm for the case and 10.7 mm including the domed sapphire. Those are appealing numbers for this kind of watch. I don't need every watch to be 40 mm, and keeping the thickness sensible should help preserve the proportions. That's a reaction to the published dimensions, not a claim that I've tried it on.

Inside is the Miyota 82S5 automatic, with approximately 42 hours of reserve reported by MONOCHROME. There's an Italian calf-leather strap and 30 meters of water resistance. The movement doesn't turn this into some secret high-horology bargain. For me, the reason to pay attention is the dial and the complete design, and I'd want the finishing to support that once a real example is in front of me.

Check the preorder details carefully

MONOCHROME reports $630 before tax, checked November 4, 2026. The maker's storefront currently displays ¥84,700, so the dollar figure here is a reported price, not a verified US checkout total.

The English maker page says preorders open November 17 at 09:00 JST, with delivery in early January 2027. The retained Japanese wording gives a conflicting September date. I'm keeping that conflict visible rather than pretending the order terms are settled. November 2 specialist coverage identifies this new execution; the original brand announcement day remains unknown.

My rating is 102 out of 120 bezel clicks. The red, the numerals and the proportions are very much my thing. I'd want a daylight look at the lacquer and that recessed seconds display before considering an order.