REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

In January this year, when Oris brought several members
of the press to Taipei for the showcase of its upcoming
releases, the company’s regional director, Michael
Meier, hinted at an upcoming project with a Japanese
streetwear label that was “in the works”. Naturally, the
entire press group spent the next couple of days trying to
squeeze out more information from him, to the extent of
randomly throwing out Japanese streetwear brand names
just to see if we could hit the jackpot. No one got it right.
But we can now reveal that the brand in question is in fact
Momotaro, a Kojima-based denim maker, and a label that
surprised us all given its relative obscurity outside of the
denim-lovin’ community.
The word “Momotaro” stems from an ancient Japanese
folklore and literally means “Peach Taro”, or “Peach Boy”.
The original Edo-era story tells the tale of a child born to
an elderly couple who found a giant peach floating down
the river, ate it and regained their youth. This was a tale
of rejuvenation, or “kaishun-gata”, and since the brand
is birthed in the Okayama region, which is the birthplace
of Japanese denim, the Japan Blue Group that owns
Momotaro named it after that. As the group’s owner and
CEO, Hisao Manabe, says, “Our journey started from the
revival of Japan Blue color — Japanese traditional ancient
blue (natural indigo). We research and understand the
beauty of denim. We care for artisanal high quality and
apply even ultra-low-tech, very traditional manufacturing
methods. Our products are considered real and genuine,
and [are] acclaimed internationally.”
Momotaro uses very specific manufacturing methods
for its products. Its denim is made from Zimbabwean
cotton, one of the finest available and picked by hand, thus
reducing damage to the cotton, which is a pristine white and
excellent for dye absorption. Using indigo dye for which
Japanese denim is famed, and traditional shuttle loom
weaving to create raw selvedge denim, Momotaro’s artisans
then sew the cloth with vintage sewing machines that date
back to the early days of denim workwear, making this a
truly handcrafted product.
AN AFFINITY WITH ORIS
In that sense, Momotaro has plenty of shared analogs with
watchmaking, though like all renowned Japanese labels,
it takes the idea of handmade tradition to extremes. Its
touches are seen in the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Oris x
Momotaro Edition, a limited edition that is being unveiled
end April 2020. The watch is housed in a stainless-steel
case with a bronze bezel, and features a gradated, muted
green dial with vintage lume-coated markers and hands.
The strap, as you may have guessed, is crafted in raw
selvedge denim by Momotaro with a leather back, and the
brand’s signature double stripes on the top strap.
The watch comes in a denim watch pouch that doubles
as a travel case, again bearing Momotaro’s double stripes
on the front and Oris’ logo printed on the inside flap, as
well as a denim cardholder with the denim brand’s peach
flower logo printed on it. On the wrist, the 40mm sized
watch looks good both with a suit and a casual tee, and
the denim strap will naturally age along with the bronzed
bezel, which makes it a sublimely long-lived timepiece
that will change with the way you dress. It’s powered by the
733 caliber and, like other Divers Sixty-Five models, has a
100-meter water resistance.
Katsu Manabe, Hisao Manabe’s son, through whom
the project was developed, says, “Japanese craftsmanship
has a spirit of hospitality. That means our craftsmen
consider details with the end-user in mind. That’s the
secret to the quality of our jeans. This isn’t just a product
collaboration. Our spirit and culture and craftsmanship
really synchronised. I love the watch, and definitely want it!”
The gentleman has read our minds.
ORIS
DIVERS SIXTY-FIVE ORIS X MOMOTARO EDITION
MOVEMENT Self-winding Oris caliber 733; hours,
minutes and seconds; stop seconds; 38-hour power
reserve
CASE 40mm; stainless steel with bronze unidirectional
rotating bezel; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP Denim with pin buckle; comes with denim
watchtravelpouchandcardholder
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