Originally moving into watchmaking in 2008 after studying automotive design, Jiro Katayama, a Tokyo-based watchmaker and designer, draws his inspiration from the realm of industrial world where his career originally started. Incorporating automotive design details and an industrialized steampunk aesthetic, Katayama’s timepieces, offered in limited runs only in Japan through his brand Otsuka Lotec, are some of the most visually distinctive and unique watches within the modern realm of indie watchmaking. Winning the recent Challenge Watch Prize in 2024’s GPHG awards with the No. 6, the watch that we have here is the Otsuka Lotec No. 5. Introduced in late 2024 as Otsuka Lotec’s newst model and officially in production in 2025, this watch features a unique 40.5mm brushed stainless steel construction with large lug hoods that flow down to short lugs, and up to a thin bezel that surrounds what is a wonderfully unique satellite hour display that builds on Otsuka Lotec’s reputation as a watchmaker exploring different types of time display. As with their other watches, the No. 5 is a wonderfully utilitarian watch that combines a rich sense of design with a fun take on a unique method of displaying the time to create a truly exceptional timepiece that is without equal in today’s watch market.

While Otsuka Lotec might be a Japan-exclusive brand, their unique approach to watchmaking and unusual designs have earned them plenty of plaudits around the globe, and so now their offerings are intensely sought-after, leading to all of their watches becoming instant hits, and rightfully so.