UPDATE: Kurono Tokyo announces the 青磁:SEIJI

Click here for the new allocation update/announcement.

If you think that acquiring a Kurono Tokyo is getting easier, think again. Kurono Tokyo just announced a 388-piece release, but with a catch: Men can’t get it.

Before we discuss the ordering process, I’ll quickly go through the details of the watch.

The watch specification is the same as the previous Toki or Mori as it’s the same watch. Just a note that the thickness has been heavily debated to be around 10.5mm including sapphire rather than the 7mm by paper.

Price is USD$1,793 excluding taxes.

This release is unique because this is the second time that Hajime will use a solid lacquer dial, but the colour was not just chosen from swatches but also mixed by hand by Hajime.

Due to the community feedback overnight, Kurono Tokyo has changed the allocation process for the SEIJI. Total pieces are up to 500 and available for all, prioritising female customers on both previous customer and public allocation. See the infographic below for more information.

You can continue reading to get more information about the previous allocation.

How do I order one? (Previous allocation)

Now comes the tricky part, acquiring one.

The rules to acquire this are different from the usual releases, with 70% of the allocation for existing customers. The remaining will be open to the public.

• 2021 KURONO Contributors: 10%
• Existing watch customers: 50%
• Existing accessory customers: 10%

All the customers will get to nominate one female to purchase the watch and they will be given a higher allocation priority. The female can be a girlfriend, wife, mom or anybody that is a female. To ensure the nominated person is a female, the nomination must include the person’s SNS account such as Instagram, Twitter or Line.

To avoid flipping and speculating prices, Hajime set out a different set of rules.

1. Warranty or service claims will be denied within the first six months of receiving SEIJI by anyone other than the nominator or nominee.
2. Warranty for any SEIJI discovered on the resale market within the first six months will be voided.

Hajime has also reiterated the allocation conditions in more detail.

1. All nominees or applicants must be female. Male nominees will be denied.
2. All nominees or applicants must provide a valid social network service (SNS) account such as Instagram, Twitter or Line, for verification purposes
3. Duplicated entries with the same customer account and details will be denied to ensure that each customer is entitled to only ONE entry.

Expression of interests form for the contributors, and existing customers will be sent out on August 26. Public sales will start on September 3.

Thoughts

I believe Hajime’s aim of this release is to promote diversity and accessibility. Diversification through appreciation of more women in our lives and makes designs more accessible for a broader range of audiences.

This release will not come free from criticism. Customers will be split into two sides, those who will appreciate the message of this release and those who will say this is not a good business idea. Regardless of which side you’re on, you can’t disagree that this is a beautiful watch, and Hajime is one of a kind.

You can learn more about the Kurono Tokyo Seiji and allocation process here.