Ōtsuka Lōtec bursts through the affordable barrier with the epic, tourbillon-equipped and chiming No. 9
Borna Bošnjak- The Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 becomes by far the most expensive watch by the young brand, but also the most complicated.
- Within the in-house-developed SSGT calibre (with some Unitas bits and bobs), Jiro Katayama squeezes in jumping hours, retrograde minutes, a tourbillon, and a chiming complication.
- Still exclusive to Japan, the No. 9 retails for nearly US$110,000.
Over the last few years, the popularity of Jiro Katayama’s Ōtsuka Lōtec has exploded. And despite the brand’s insistence on staying available in Japan only (partly due to incessant demand), the brutalist designs and ingenious-but-affordable mechanical solutions have made them a hot commodity. The new Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 does a very good job of continuing the design language ushered in by its predecessors (especially the recent No. 5 Kai), but adds several degrees of magnitude in complexity, now featuring a sonnerie au passage and a tourbillon. The result is a visual spectacle, though no longer in the same pricing echelon. You won’t see me complain, though.
As with any Ōtsuka Lōtec model thus far, the look is a combination of brutalist architecture and a touch of steampunk. The monochromatic colour scheme is broken up only by the golden accents of the totally unique gong that wraps its way around the entire rectangular construction, visible through the wraparound piece of sapphire. The case sits at 13mm at its tallest point, 30mm wide and 48mm lug-to-lug, but with the caseback gently curved to better fit the curvature of your wrist.
Most frequently, you’ll be looking at the two overlapping discs to tell the time. The disc in the top right is an instantaneous jumping hour, while the one mounted centrally tells the minutes. Naturally, not all is as it seems. For starters, that minute disc actually operates in a pseudo-retrograde fashion, with a hairspring snapping it back to zero at the top of every hour.
And how do you tell what time it is exactly? First of all, this is a chiming hour watch, so you’ll be able to judge the passing hours with a very industrial “ka-ching” (you can hear the sound in this video around the 00:25 mark). In addition, Ōtsuka Lōtec does put two tiny indents into the brushed bridge backing the discs, but the easier way is to look at the faint green hue behind the numbers. Not only does that make them easier to distinguish, but it’s actually a block of luminescent material that will backlight the correct numerals after dark. Most likely unique, most certainly nuts.
While the aforementioned features are all new and innovative, they’re of the calibre you’d expect from an Ōtsuka Lōtec. With the No. 9, however, they’re not the result of Katayama building some clever module and then mating it to a Miyota base. Instead, the Calibre SSGT is developed and assembled in-house, though borrowing some componentry from the ubiquitous Unitas calibre, most notably, the barrel. Having said that, I think most will be satisfied that this movement is unique enough to deserve the “in-house” denomination.
Regulated by a one-minute, free-sprung tourbillon, the SSGT once again includes those tiny, jewelled ball bearings by MinebeaMitsumi we saw in the No. 5 Kai, adding up to a total of 278 components. The large, pump pusher you see sticking out above the gong allows you to silence the chime, while the crown sticks out at an odd, 45-degree angle, making me wonder whether this is another Unitas carryover.
The final note on the movement is more of a plaudit on just how beautiful it looks. It doesn’t have any pompous, traditional finishing, but that doesn’t mean it’s not well-finished. From some of the live images that have popped up since the watch was announced, every polished surface is splendid, and the brushed componentry is equally soft and even. If anything, it just goes to show that a watch can be well-finished even if it isn’t in a traditional style.
Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 pricing and availability
The Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 9 is available exclusively in Japan, with as of yet undetermined production numbers. Price: JP¥16,000,000 (~US$108,130, ~A$163,700)
| Brand | Ōtsuka Lōtec |
| Model | No. 9 |
| Case Dimensions | 30mm (W) x 13mm (T) x 48mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Wraparound sapphire |
| Dial | Open |
| Lug Width | 26mm |
| Strap | Padded black leather, steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Calibre SSGT, in-house (with Unitas barrel), manual winding |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Functions |
Instantaneous jumping hours, retrograde disc minutes, power reserve, tourbillon, sonnerie au passage
|
| Availability | TBC, limited yearly production |
| Price | JP¥16,000,000 |