This is another wonderful watch made by the master collector Takeshi "Ken" Sato in the middle of 2000. His aim was to create the Ultimate Military Chronograph, and he made it.
Takeshi Sato, is a well know collector of watches, with probably one of the best vintage collection of Rolex, Omega and Panerai in Japan.
His aim was to share his knowledge and his culture with other people that may not acquire such a rare and impossible to find watches.
He start to produce limited editions watches in a number of 100/200 pieces to sell in his workshop and over the web, there was few very interesting things that I have understand in Mr. Sato philosophy, first of all the japanese way to make the so called "homage".
Working as fashion designer for over 25 years I understand that for Japanese people making homage is a tribute: is something very important in order to respect the homaged item, brand or model.
Japanese people love to collect original and vintage clothes, especially military garments and vintage jeans form the "three mothers": Levi's, Wrangler, Lee.
They love to make perfect and evolved replicas of those vintage clothing and they made in the better way, nobody else in the world can make those replicas like the Japanese does.
I can suggest to you to see the fine work of "Real McCoy" manufacturer with his fine replicas of Army, Navy and workwear clothes, or to walk in Ueno Market, to see company like Burgus and many others, that can reproduce the perfect Blue Jeans, as the "three mothers" make in 1940.
With all of this knowledge to share it was normal that the same happen in horology.
And Mr. Sato have realized this. In the best made ever seen in the world.
He not only create homage of iconic and mysterious watch, which are only owned probably by two or three collectors in the world, like the Rolex 1690 produced for U.S. Navy in only two prototype, and sold by Antiquorum Auctioneers, but use the best and most actual technology available to produce them.
Introducing the Plasmir Milgraph, you can read below the specification that can overlooking most of the well known Swiss brand on the market:
• 316SUS Surgical steel case, non magnetic, made from a block of steel and thousand tons pressure machinery, hand made.
• 5-Lock crown (the most famous swiss diver in the world has twin-lock crown)
• 1000 (80.000A/m) Gauss antimagnetic protection with soft-iron in-case
• Plasmir™ dial (cut with *plasma* cutter: never seen in the world) with Super Luminova illumination as strong as "plasma"
• Seagull VS 1962 mechanical hand wound movement
• Hands with H3 tube illumination system as US ARMY specification
• Connolly leather strap: the same leather used in the Ferrari F1 car
Other watches are the Subpro Marine, that was inspired by the controversial Rolex 1690 produced for U.S. Navy, as above detailed.
In this model he have bring also inspiration form the 3-6-9 dial of the early Explorer design and fit a reliable automatic swiss movement in a antimagnetic case made in SUS316L and protected from magnetic filed over 80.000 A/m or 1000 Gauss! This is a privilege that only three Swiss brand in the world have now in catalog.
I own this watch, and aside of few other new and vintage quality Swiss brand... I can certificate the manufacturing is incredible at the top of specification.
Another incredible watch is the Zeromaster.
A fusion of the "Zerograph" and the "Master" watch, made in the end thirties, is also antimagnetic at 50.000A/m and had a rotating bezel to calculate the time in three time zones.
Those picture are © from the incredibly well made Alan's Vintage watches blog that I have visited in order to learn more about this model and that have guided me to acquisition of an example of the Zeromaster.
What is incredible is that lot of people, and most of them are collectors, call this watches fake!
They are totally missing the Japanese culture that I have described above, and they don't know nothing about the philosophy of Mr. Sato.
I am a collector of watches from over 12 years and I own Swiss, German, Japanese made watches... from the professional type to the military and astronautic type, most of them are rare and vintage, most of them are new: I am proud to put at the side of them the RXW Plasmir Milgraph, the Subpro Marine Evolution or the Zeromaster and I don't call them fake: I call them art.
Last, this is a very source of inspiration for Stock Number the military inspired collection that iI design, because they are fine example of the best material, the best manufacture, the best design... and the best price possible in his market level.
