New Calendrier Small Batch Release (SBR)

The Defining Elements

• Applied Arabic indices and a higher-gloss saxe blue dial finish distinguish the Calendrier SBR from the 2025 Shiraai, according to KURONO TOKYO.
• Priced at US$2,380 excluding VAT and duties, global online ordering opens Thursday, 24 September 2026 at 11:00 PM JST (6:00 PM GST for Dubai).
• The release is classified as a Small Batch Release (SBR), using unallocated movements and components, and will not be repeated.
• Designer Hajime Asaoka traces the watch’s origin to a personal passion project: saxe blue was a strong contender for the original Calendrier’s salmon pink anniversary dial, but was set aside at the time.
• Expected deliveries begin from end-October 2026 onwards, with orders placed exclusively through KURONO TOKYO’s official website.

An Off-Calendar Release Rooted in Personal Conviction

The 2026 Calendrier Small Batch Release arrives outside KURONO TOKYO‘s standard release calendar, born directly from designer Hajime Asaoka’s prolonged attachment to a colour he could not set aside. As the brand states, saxe blue had been under serious consideration for the previous Calendrier model before Asaoka ultimately committed to salmon pink for what was a special anniversary edition. The blue was shelved, but never entirely forgotten. What has emerged in 2026 is the direct consequence of that unresolved creative preference.

Asaoka is quoted by KURONO TOKYO explaining that he could “never quite get the saxe blue out of his mind,” and that the Calendrier SBR began as “purely a personal passion project.” For a brand built on the vision of a single independent watchmaker, that kind of creative transparency is consistent with how KURONO TOKYO has communicated its work since its early releases. The SBR format itself formalises this approach, giving the studio a framework for producing pieces outside the main collection without committing to the larger production runs of a standard catalogue model.

Unlike KURONO TOKYO’s regular releases, which are announced and allocated in advance, Small Batch Releases draw on unallocated movements and components already held by the workshop. The brand is explicit that production numbers are limited and the Calendrier SBR will not be repeated, placing it firmly in the category of one-time opportunities rather than an ongoing reference. For collectors tracking the brand’s output in the Gulf and wider GCC, this is the kind of finite window that closes without a second chance.

The Saxe Blue Dial and Its Applied Arabic Indices

The most immediately striking departure from the 2025 Shiraai is the dial’s higher-gloss saxe blue finish. Where the Shiraai carried its blue in a softer register, the Calendrier SBR’s surface treatment intensifies the colour, creating a more saturated presence on the wrist. KURONO TOKYO notes this as a deliberate point of differentiation, with the two watches occupying distinctly different characters despite sharing a common colour territory.

Beyond the finish, the applied Arabic indices represent a meaningful structural change to the dial layout. Applied indices, set proud of the dial surface, add depth and dimensionality that printed alternatives cannot achieve, and the Arabic numeral form sits in keeping with KURONO TOKYO’s broader commitment to legibility and traditional Japanese watchmaking sensibilities. Up close, the combination of the high-gloss blue field and the three-dimensional numerals gives the dial a visual weight that photographs of the watch only partially convey.

Ordering Details and Global Access

Global ordering opens on Thursday, 24 September 2026 at 11:00 PM Japan Standard Time. For collectors based in Dubai and across the UAE, this translates to 6:00 PM Gulf Standard Time on the same Thursday, an accessible early-evening window. The brand has also confirmed a London opening at 3:00 PM BST and a New York window at 10:00 AM EDT, reflecting a deliberate effort to make the release fair across time zones rather than concentrated in one geography.

The Calendrier SBR is priced at US$2,380 excluding VAT and duties. Orders are placed directly through KURONO TOKYO’s online platform, with expected deliveries beginning from the end of October 2026. The brand’s online-direct model, without retailer intermediaries, has been central to how it manages access and allocation. For the Gulf region, that means ordering is straightforward via the global site, though buyers should account for applicable local import duties at the time of purchase. The official campaign film provides further context on the watch’s origins and finish.

Why It Matters

The Calendrier SBR is significant for Gulf collectors because it arrives via a globally simultaneous online release with a Dubai-specific time listed, signalling that KURONO TOKYO considers the GCC among its core markets. At US$2,380, the watch sits at an accessible point within the independent watchmaking segment, and the finite, non-repeating nature of the SBR format makes early awareness genuinely valuable. For anyone following Japanese independent watchmaking, this release offers a concrete example of how a small studio can act on creative instinct without the constraints of a conventional product roadmap.

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