Japanese watch manufactory producing mechanical luxury watches by hand, fewer than 500 pieces per year.
Minase
Akita Prefecture (Japan)New on Amplifa
About Minase
Minase is a Japanese watch manufactory from Akita Prefecture that produces mechanical luxury wristwatches by hand. Annual production is fewer than 500 watches. The cases and bracelets are made predominantly from stainless steel, alongside models in gold; leather and rubber straps as well as packaging made of Kiri wood complete the product range. A distinctive process is the Sallaz, or Zaratsu, polish, which gives steel parts a perfectly smooth surface; polishing a Divido on the steel bracelet involves up to 479 work steps and more than 15 hours. Dials are handmade, including Yusai dials with natural pigments and dials decorated with Shibo Urushi lacquer. All watches carry the HiZ label and combine the patented case-in-case construction with the patented MORE concept, which enables repeated disassembly of case and bracelet. The movements are Swiss mechanical calibres.
- Site
- Akita Prefecture, Japan
- Processes
- Sallaz polishing (Zaratsu), Watch assembly (mechanical wristwatches, handwork), Urushi lacquering / Shibo Urushi dial decoration (hand-painted, natural pigments), Dial production (handmade Yusai dials), Patented case-in-case construction / MORE concept (disassemblable case and bracelet structure), Sallaz/Zaratsu polishing, Handmade dials (Yusai, Shibo Urushi), Watch personalisation
- Materials
- Stahl, Gold, Urushi-Lack, Leder, Gummi, Kiri-Holz, Stainless steel, Urushi lacquer
- Certificates
- HiZ label (Sallaz, Case in Case, MORE)
- Founded
- 2005
- Industries
- Luxury watches
- 01
Case and bracelet production (steel, gold)
- 02
Sallaz/Zaratsu polishing of steel parts
- 03
Handmade dials (Yusai, Shibo Urushi)
- 04
Assembly of the mechanical watch (handwork)
- 05
Personalisation and distribution via webshop and retailers
Materials and Processes
Stainless steel
Main material for cases, bracelets and dial indices, refined by Sallaz polishing.
Gold
Material for individual models of the gold collection.
Urushi lacquer
Natural resin lacquer for hand-painted Shibo Urushi dials.
Leather
Material for straps with folding clasp.
Rubber
Material for straps of selected models.
Kiri wood
Material of the traditional presentation boxes.
Location
Akita Prefecture
JPWatch manufactory (production and assembly)
- Lot size
- One-off pieces up to fewer than 500 watches/year
- Materials
- Stainless steel, gold, urushi lacquer, leather, rubber, kiri wood
- Sallaz polishing machines
Watch Collections
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sallaz polishing (Zaratsu)Surface | – | – | – | – | Stahl |
| Watch assembly (mechanical wristwatches, handwork)Assembly | – | – | – | 1 – 500 per year | Stahl, Gold, Leder, Gummi, Urushi-Lack, Kiri-Holz |
| Urushi lacquering / Shibo Urushi dial decoration (hand-painted, natural pigments)Surface | – | – | – | – | Urushi-Lack |
| Dial production (handmade Yusai dials)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Urushi-Lack, natürliche Pigmente |
| Patented case-in-case construction / MORE concept (disassemblable case and bracelet structure)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Stahl |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sallaz polishing machine | Sallaz | – | – | – | Akita, Japan |
Additional services
Quality and HiZ Label
The HiZ label certifies that every watch was produced with Sallaz polishing, the patented case-in-case construction and the MORE concept. The elaborate final polishing comprises up to 479 work steps for models on the steel bracelet.
| Evidence | Akita Prefecture |
|---|---|
| HiZ label (Sallaz, Case in Case, MORE) |
History
- 2005
Foundation; recruitment and training of employees from the region according to the monozukuri principle