In 1963, Kyowa Co Ltd was founded. It soon became known for making high-quality tools, a field in which precision is of paramount importance. The company gained a reputation for its drilling and metal cutting, attracting the attention of the watch industry. Later, it would employ its talents to make watch cases, winding crowns and bracelets. Moreover, the brand became adept at polishing cases, attracting not only mainstream watch brands but prestigious firms as well.
Aware that it possessed the requisite skills to make its own watches, Kyowa established a subsidiary brand, Minase, in 2005. This Japanese watch company is based in a mountainous region of the country where winters are harsh and prolonged.
Minase employs a sandwich-type construction method, a ‘case in case structure’. This imbues each model with a unique style, quite distinct from rival brands in Germany and Switzerland. The cases are subject to ‘Sallaz’ polishing and the intricately formed bracelets are made of numerous components, allowing easy disassembly should repair or maintenance be required.
Subscribing to the Swiss model of établissage, Minase procure high quality Swiss movements and combine them with its own cases, dials and bracelets, delivering extraordinary quality and notable value.