Kurono Tokyo has unveiled the 2026 Special Projects Malachite, a 37mm steel dress watch that brings a vivid green stone dial into Hajime Asaoka’s more accessible watch universe.
The release follows the brand’s earlier meteorite-dial Inseki and continues a clear direction for Special Projects, where material craft and controlled availability add another layer to Kurono’s familiar mid-century design language.
A 37mm polished case with dress watch proportions
The Malachite uses a polished 316L stainless steel case measuring 37mm across, 11.5mm thick including the box-shaped sapphire crystal, and approximately 45mm from lug to lug.
Its smooth surfaces, domed crown, solid steel caseback and compact footprint keep the watch close to the established Kurono Tokyo formula, with a restrained profile shared in spirit with models such as the Inseki and Grand Urushi Aoyama.
Water resistance is rated to 30 metres, which suits the watch’s dress-leaning character, though it also makes clear that this is a piece intended more for careful daily wear than heavy use.
Malachite takes the centre of the dial
The defining element is the natural malachite centre dial, chosen for its shifting green bands that move from darker forest tones to brighter emerald lines.
Each dial will have its own mineral pattern, and Hajime Asaoka personally inspects the pieces before final approval, marked by the vermillion seal associated with the project.
Rather than using stone across the entire dial, Kurono frames the malachite with a convex brass outer section finished in hand-mixed rokusho green pigment, a verdigris tone that nods to malachite’s copper base.
The outer track carries Kanji Zodiac indices, a detail rooted in East Asian systems for marking time and direction, while polished bent steel hands keep the display crisp against the layered greens.
A Miyota 90S5 inside the Special Projects model
The watch is powered by the Japan-made Miyota calibre 90S5, an automatic time-only movement with 24 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and around 40 hours of power reserve.
That choice is consistent with Kurono Tokyo’s positioning, where Asaoka’s design sensibility is paired with dependable production movements to keep pricing far below his handmade independent pieces.
The Malachite is fitted to a black calf leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching, a steel pin buckle, and 20mm lugs tapering to 16mm at the buckle.
Ordering details for the May 2026 release
The Kurono Tokyo Malachite 2026 Special Projects is priced at USD 1,850 before taxes and import duties.
Online ordering opens on Thursday, May 28, 2026, through two purchase windows at 11 AM JST and 11 PM JST, with orders limited to one watch per customer.
Kurono Tokyo will honour all orders placed within the two stated windows, with deliveries scheduled from the end of June 2026 onward.
The watch will also be available to preview at the brand’s boutiques in Aoyama and Shanghai, giving collectors a chance to see how the malachite pattern and rokusho outer dial work in person.
For buyers drawn to Asaoka’s proportions but looking for something more expressive than a classic silver or black dial, the Malachite looks like one of Kurono Tokyo’s most characterful Special Projects entries yet.
