TOKYO — Ryuichi Kawamura is not only famous as the lead singer of Luna Sea, one of Japan’s most popular rock bands. He is also a respected watch collector, regularly featured in the country’s watch-related media and events hosted by Tokyo’s tight-knit watch community, and has an Instagram account featuring the timepieces he wears every day.
Kawamura, 51, made his debut with the band when it was formed in 1986 in Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. It started out as visual kei — Japan’s answer to glam rock, with flamboyant costumes and hairstyles — but softened things in the 1990s and has now morphed into an edgy rock style, with the occasional animal print.
Like the band’s music style, Mr. Kawamura has evolved in the field of watches. “I enjoy all kinds of watches; there are no limits,” he said in a recent interview with Chrono Theory, a Tokyo boutique of independent watchmakers.
“At the beginning I focused on just a small part, only the best and most expensive,” he continued. “But along the way I got interested in the things that could become the best. It’s as if Cinderella finally turns into a princess; It’s the things on the road to becoming the best that I’m more interested in now.”
Mr. Kawamura said he was drawn to watches that could cost as little as 5,000 or 10,000 yen, the equivalent of $44 to $89. “I recently bought a Citizen Solar watch,”
he said. “It was only 5,000, but it’s such an interesting watch with a good design. It’s not just about the price.”
For high-end purchases, Mr. Kawamura often shops at the Hour Glass, a boutique in Tokyo’s Ginza district.
“He’s a superstar here,” said Atsushi Momoi, the store’s director, referring to both the singer’s public profile and his status in the store. “Mr. Kawamura has been a customer here since 2002, when the boutique was first established in Tokyo.” At the time, Mr. Momoi managed Mr. Kawamura’s purchases, including a Patek Philippe Minute Repeater, which was then difficult to obtain for Japanese.
“Over the past 20 years, his passion for watches has only grown,” said Mr. Momoi. “But lately his taste has broadened; he opened his eyes wider.”
In September, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of doing business in Japan, the boutique released the Ulysse Nardin Classico The Hour Glass Ginza 25th Anniversary Edition in a limited edition of 25 pieces. The timepiece features a 22K gold rotor on the caseback and a salmon pink dial finished with a radial guilloché for a 3D effect, as well as Breguet hands and numerals. Mr. Kawamura bought one, but had the original crocodile leather strap changed to a silver metal bracelet.
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Mr. Kawamura started collecting watches about 25 years ago when he received a 1940s Breitling Navitimer Chronomat Venus from one of his mentors, Hideki Saijo (known for his Japanese rendition of the Village People “YMCA”).
“That was the beginning. Then I started collecting watches,” says the singer. “Back then, people around me were always saying, ‘You have to have one good watch in your life.'”
His collection has expanded to more than one good watch, although he does not want to reveal how many he has now. (“I always say I only have eight watches in all,” he said. “If the number is too high, people might say, ‘Why do you need so many watches? What do you use them for?'”)
Mr. Kawamura brought 11 timepieces to the interview – and said he could not name a favorite from the roster, including a rare platinum that A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret bought while visiting the factory in Dresden, Germany; an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin in rose gold; a Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711 in rose gold; a platinum Patek Philippe Ref. 5140 Perpetual calendar and a limited edition Maurice Lacroix x Label Noir.
“Usually people only need one watch to wear, but after I got one, I started thinking about more because I want to be able to choose based on my lifestyle,” he said. “That’s why I can’t pick just one.”
Among his most treasured pieces are some custom Patek Philippes, such as the Grand Complications Ref. 5160 Moonphase perpetual calendar. “Only the white dial was available, but I asked Patek Philippe to modify it to a black dial,” he said. The white gold case is hand engraved with an intricate floral pattern and the back of the hunter case opens to reveal the timepiece. (Again, he adjusted the strap and changed it to a dark purple leather Jean Rousseau model with a contrasting silver stitch.)
When Mr. Kawamura wears a suit, he sometimes combines it with his Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Skeleton, which he bought in the 1990s. “When I first entered the store, I saw it and immediately loved it,” he said. “You can see the movement very clearly.” He fitted the watch with a Jean Rousseau gray leather strap with a red lining. “You can see the red looking out when I’m wearing it. There’s something playful about it,” he says.
Recently, Mr. Kawamura designed a watch: a Quai des Bergues Verse o’Clock model by Geneva-based brand Czapek, a project by a fellow collector known only as Chrono Peace and for sale at Chrono Theory in Tokyo.
The limited edition 10-piece (¥2.8 million) watch was engraved with Mr. Kawamura’s name on the caseback and featured fleur-de-lis white gold hands and a terracotta dial. “This was my first time designing a watch, so I was very nervous,” he said, “but the result is very good.”
Xavier de Roquemaurel, chief executive of Czapek, said in an email: “This timepiece illustrates Czapek’s art of creating unique, custom watches. We listened closely to Ryuichi’s ideas and strived to create a watch that his very personal style and music.”
Currently mr. Kawamura toured Japan with Luna Sea, which split in 2000 but reunited ten years later. Being a regular performer, he said he customized the Formex Essence Leggera automatic chronometer, which features a carbon fiber body and ceramic bezel and crown to suit his needs. “It’s extra light, especially for a mechanical watch; it weighs only 50 grams,” he said, showing the model with a cloth strap.
As for future projects, Mr Kawamura said he was in no rush to decide. “It’s kind of like watches: if you take your time and spend a lot of time making a watch, you can make a great watch. My music career too.”