2024 Kuoe Old Smith 90-002 Automatic Black Dial 35mm
Ref: OLD SMITH / 90-002
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : Manufacturer's Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original KUOE box, swing tags and paperwork. The watch comes paired with quick-release 18mm brown leather straps secured with a signed pin buckle. The watch is from January 2024 and is sold in worn, but fair condition, as you can see and comes with its Manufacturer's Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fbaTn559v2yMhxaBDLO3RHiwlPmQwkTl?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 30:21 - https://youtu.be/0R_K7b-bqUU
The Watch
Here we have a 2024 Kuoe Old Smith 90-002 Automatic Black Dial whose design is inspired by the British military watches of the 1940s up to the 1970s with its emphasis on legibility. The polished 35mm stainless steel case gently curves over your wrist with tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 42mm and a case thickness of 12.5mm ensures a comfortable fit. On the right side is a signed slim coin-edged screw-down crown, a stepped polished bezel holds a domed crystal above a matte black grain textured dial, an outer minute track has markers coated in Old Radium Super-LumiNova surrounding large white Arabic numerals marking the hours, elegant sword hands infilled with lume are complemented by a lollipop sweeping second hand, at 12 o’clock we have the Kuoe Kyoto motif and at 6 o’clock “Mechanical” completes this vintage-inspired versatile field watch. On the reverse, there is a screw-down case back with the details of the watch etched around its edge and “Old Smith 90-002 Mechanical” in the centre, inside an automatic Seiko Cal. NH38, 24 jewels, beating at 21,600 beats per hour, the rugged workhorse movement has hacking seconds and hand winding for your convenience. The watch comes paired with quick-release 18mm brown leather straps secured with a signed pin buckle, and this watch is sold with its original KUOE box, swing tags and paperwork.
Personal Note
I have seen Kuoe all over Instagram and this is the first one I have had through my hands, for the money I am blown away, the build quality is fantastic and the design if obviously great being inspired by the early Smiths W10s and other watches of the same period. I would not hesitate to add this to your collection if you are interested, especially at this price!
The Brand
The inception of the KUOE brand and concept can be traced back to 2010 when Uchimura, a language student in London, stumbled upon a shop selling antique watches. It was there that he encountered a collection of hand-wound watches from the 1940s to the 1970s. Despite being antiques, the watches exuded a timeless warmth and charm that appealed to him. This encounter ignited Uchimura's passion for classic design, leading him to realise the universal appeal of timeless pieces. After gaining industry experience in Kyoto, a city renowned for its rich tradition, he finally established KUOE in 2020. The brand's debut model, Old Smith 90-001, was launched in April, marking the culmination of Uchimura's vision to reintroduce classic design into modern wristwatches.