Most of the microbrand watches I write about are trying to give you more. More water resistance, more lume, more case. Kuoe is one of the few brands going the other way. The Kyoto-based company makes 35mm watches (yes, 35mm) that look like they were pulled out of a London antique shop, which happens to be where the idea for the brand came from.
If you have seen the name come up on Reddit or spotted one in a retailer's case and wondered whether Kuoe watches are actually any good, here is everything you need to know about the brand and its top models.
Who Is Behind Kuoe?
Kuoe was founded in Kyoto in 2020 by Kenji Uchimura. As the story goes, he was a university student studying in London when he walked into a shop selling antique watches. The hand-wound pieces from the 1940s through the 1970s were what drew him in. What stuck with him was that decades later they still kept good time.
After graduating, he spent a few years working for a watch company in Kyoto before going out on his own. The first Kuoe, the Old Smith 90-001, launched in 2020. The second, the Old Smith 90-002, raised 13 million yen on the Japanese crowdfunding site Makuake and put the brand on the map. As someone who left a career as a litigator to write about watches, I have a soft spot for that kind of story.
Where Are Kuoe Watches Made?
Kuoe watches are assembled in Kyoto by the brand's own watchmakers, and the movements are Japanese across the board. You will find Seiko-made NH movements in the entry-level Old Smith, Miyota calibers in most of the Royal Smith line, and a Seiko NE86A in the chronograph. I think that is worth pointing out. At these prices, plenty of brands assemble somewhere else and do not say much about it.
Kuoe also runs three stores of its own, two in Kyoto and one in Omotesando in Tokyo. That is not something most Japanese watch brands of this size can say (let alone one that is only six years old).
The Field Watch: Old Smith 90-002
Case Size: 35mm or 38mm, Thickness: 12.35mm, Lug-to-Lug: 42mm (35mm version), Movement: Seiko NH38 Automatic, Power Reserve: 41 Hours, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Price: $645 USD
This is the watch most people picture when they think of Kuoe, and it is the one I would start with. The Old Smith 90-002 is a field watch inspired by British military watches from the 1940s through the 1970s. You get thick Arabic numerals, a matte, grainy dial and lume in an Old Radium color that makes the whole thing look decades older than it is.
It comes in 35mm or 38mm. I own a Hamilton Khaki Field Murph 38, and 38mm is right about where I like a field watch on my 6.75 inch wrist. With that being said, the 35mm is the one that makes a Kuoe a Kuoe. Either way you get a domed sapphire crystal, a screw-down crown and 100 meters of water resistance, which is more than I expect at this price. There is also a bronze version for those of you who like a watch that will patina over time.
The Old Smith 90-002 retails for $645 USD on Kuoe's website, or $690 USD in bronze. The steel version comes in ivory, black and green.
The Dressier One: Old Smith 90-007
Case Size: 35mm, Movement: Miyota 82S5 Automatic, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Price: $670 USD
If the 90-002 is the Kuoe you wear on the weekend, the Old Smith 90-007 is the one you wear to dinner. It is a 35mm small seconds watch inspired by designs from the 1930s, and it runs on a Miyota 82S5 automatic.
The detail I like most is the minute hand, which is curved at the tip to follow the dome of the crystal. That is how it was done on watches several decades ago, and you almost never see it on anything new (certainly not at this price). There is a version with blued steel hands as well. In my opinion, it is one of the better looking dress watches under $1,000 out there.
The Old Smith 90-007 starts at $670 USD on a leather strap and $705 USD on a bracelet. The blued hands add $30 USD.
The Premium Line: Royal Smith
Case Size: 35mm or 39mm, Movement: Miyota 9000 Series Automatic, Crystal: Sapphire, Caseback: Exhibition, Price: $830 USD
Royal Smith is where Kuoe puts its better movements and its most detailed dials. The best known is the Royal Smith 90-006, which has a three-dimensional waffle dial, a Miyota 9000 series automatic and an exhibition caseback, in either 35mm or 39mm. There are versions with Breguet-style numerals too, which I would take every day of the week.
The line goes well beyond that one watch. The 90-008 has a 34mm cushion case with hand-applied Breguet numerals (who else is making a 34mm cushion case right now?). The 90-010 is a triple calendar showing the day, date and month, and a mechanical triple calendar at this price is not something I see very often. The newest is the 90-006 80 hrs, which is among the first watches to use Miyota's new Cal. 9085 with roughly 80 hours of power reserve. If you like small watches, this is about as much choice as you will find from one brand.
The Royal Smith 90-006 retails for $830 USD, or $890 USD with Breguet numerals. The 90-008 is $850 USD, the 90-010 starts at $1,050 USD and the 90-006 80 hrs is $1,150 USD.
The Chronograph: Royal Smith 90-012
Case Size: 37mm, Movement: Seiko NE86A Automatic Chronograph, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Price: $2,050 USD
Kuoe's first automatic chronograph is also its most ambitious watch. The Royal Smith 90-012 uses Seiko's NE86A, a column wheel chronograph movement you do not often find in a microbrand, inside a 37mm case. The dial is built in three layers with a different finish on each, and it comes in five colors: green, grey, panda, salmon pink and navy. It also has a quick micro-adjust clasp, a detail I wish more brands would include.
At $2,050 USD it is by far the most expensive Kuoe, and it is up against a very different set of chronographs than the rest of the lineup. But a 37mm automatic chronograph with a column wheel movement is a rare thing at any price.
The Dive Watch: Sombrero 90-011
Case Size: 38mm, Movement: Miyota 9039 Automatic, Water Resistance: 200m, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Price: $1,050 USD
Named after the Sombrero Galaxy, the Sombrero 90-011 is Kuoe's first dive watch. It is a 38mm compressor-style diver, meaning the timing bezel sits inside the case under the crystal and is turned by a second crown. It is rated to 200 meters, runs on a Miyota 9039 and has a linen textured dial in salmon pink, gradient navy, green, black or silver.
My one hesitation is the bezel. I think every dive watch bezel should be unidirectional, and an inner bezel is not. To Kuoe's credit, both crowns screw down so the bezel cannot be knocked out of place by mistake, which goes most of the way to solving the problem. (I do not dive, so take that for what it is worth.)
The Sombrero 90-011 retails for $1,050 USD, a step above most of the dive watches under $1,000 I usually recommend, but you are getting a 200 meter compressor-style case for the money.
The Small One: Holborn 90-003
Movement: Miyota 1L45 Quartz, Crystal: Domed Sapphire, Price: $425 USD
The Holborn is Kuoe's women's watch and the only quartz model in the current lineup. It has applied indices, sword hands and a small seconds at six o'clock, which you rarely see on a watch this size. At $425 USD it is also the least expensive way into the brand.
Are Kuoe Watches Good?
The short answer is yes, as long as you know what you are buying.
On paper there is a lot to like. Every automatic Kuoe comes with a sapphire crystal, a Japanese movement and a case assembled in Kyoto. The designs are vintage-inspired in the way I like, which is to say you cannot point to the one specific watch they borrowed from.
There are a few things I would want you to know going in. First, the size. A 35mm watch wears small by today's standards, and if you are used to a 40mm or 42mm watch it will take some getting used to (the 38mm and 39mm options are the safer bet). Second, the Seiko NH movement in the Old Smith is a workhorse, not a precision instrument. Kuoe rates it at -20 to +40 seconds per day, which is typical for that caliber. Third, the warranty is one year, where two has become the norm.
Under $1,000, my everyday pick is still the Maen Manhattan 37, but that is an integrated bracelet sports watch. If what you want is a watch that looks like it was made in 1945 but comes with a new movement and a warranty, there are not many brands doing it at this price. All-in-all, I think Kuoe is a great value proposition for someone who wants something small, classic and a little different.
How Much Do Kuoe Watches Cost?
Kuoe watches cost between $425 USD and $2,050 USD when you buy directly from the brand, with about half the lineup coming in under $1,000 USD. Here is how it breaks down:
Holborn 90-003: $425 USD
Old Smith 90-002: $645 USD ($690 USD in bronze)
Old Smith 90-007: $670 USD
Royal Smith 90-006: $830 USD
Royal Smith 90-008: $850 USD
Sombrero 90-011: $1,050 USD
Royal Smith 90-010: $1,050 USD
Royal Smith 90-006 80 hrs: $1,150 USD
Royal Smith 90-012: $2,050 USD
Bracelets run an extra $125 USD to $150 USD and Kuoe will engrave the caseback for $46 USD.
Where should you buy one? If you are in the United States you have two options, and they cost about the same. You can order directly from Kuoe in Kyoto, where the price shown at checkout already includes the import charges for your delivery location (the prices above are what the site shows to a US address). Or you can buy from a US retailer. Teddy Baldassarre, Windup Watch Shop, Long Island Watch and Canoe Club all carry the brand (among others) at essentially the same prices, and Windup actually had the Old Smith 90-002 for $600 USD when I checked, which is less than Kuoe charges to ship one here. Either way, a US retailer means faster shipping and easier returns. And if you ever find yourself in Kyoto or Tokyo, Kuoe has three of its own stores where you can try everything on, which is not something many microbrands can say.
