Japan is a country that spans multiple worlds. It is simultaneously hyper-traditionalist with strong cultural heritage and impressive ancestral arts, and ultra-modern with a thriving e-sports scene and neon futurist aesthetic. It’s the difference between your Grand Seikos on one hand and Casio on the other. However, both sides are equally important to Japan’s identity and so it would be cool for a watch brand to reflect both at the same time. Enter the Namica Shirahama 2.
The Shirahama 2 is a watch that spans the gap between traditional and modern. Structurally it’s one of the most popular archetypes of watches that established its dominance in the mid-1900s, really coming into its own in the 1960s, the dive watch. It measures 40mm x 11.7mm in stainless steel with 200m water resistance. It features all the essential components of a diver with a unidirectional immersion timer bezel and large, oversize hour markers to remain legible even underwater. It’s also very bold with a hobnail grip and multi-facetted lugs and bracelet.
However, while the archetype and individual elements are rooted in traditional tool watch design, the style with which they are implemented feels modern and fresh. Take the Neo Tokyo edition for example with its vertically brushed, fumé purple dial that looks like it could be straight out the latest cyberpunk, triple-A video game. Especially with the redesigned hour markers in outline form.
There’s also the Cherry Blossom, available in two variants. The standard Cherry Blossom Candy is a bright and vibrant watch with a pink dial and light blue diving bezel with additional accents in yellow and green, oozing modern colour and excitement. However, the Cherry Blossom Kanji edition takes us back to the idea of a more traditional Japan with alternating hour markers being replaced by calligraphic kanji numerals.
The other two colourways, Neo Blizzard and Ultra Blue, are more traditional tool watch colour schemes in white and blue respectively, though they retain some fun highlights in accent colours like fuchsia and yellow. On the whole it’s an incredibly fun collection regardless of the model you prefer. They’re equally at home serving their dive watch duty on the wrist of a holiday-goer by the pool or adding a technical vibe to an urban, streetwear photoshoot under Tokyo’s neon lights. Speaking of light, the white portion of each of the bezels is lumed too so it shines in low light conditions.
Beneath the surface of the dial is the Miyota calibre 9039 premium automatic. A movement that’s well regarded for its slim proportions, which is how this dive watch stays at sub-12mm in thickness. It has a 42-hour power reserve and is an upgrade over the Seiko NH38A housed in the original Shirahama.
The Namica Shirahama 2 is launching on August 5th with a pre-order window of August 6 – 19 with delivery expected in December. It’s priced at between $529 (approx. £395) and $675 (approx. £500) depending whether you opt for the rubber strap or steel bracelet and when during the pre-order process you order, with the largest discounts strictly on launch day. I’ve always enjoyed Namica’s blending of Japanese styles and this watch exemplifies that the best.
Price and Specs:
$675 (approx. £500) - stainless steel bracelet
More details at Namica.
