The Story of Our First Watch — Odaka

The Story of Our First Watch — Odaka

Five Colors Born from the Landscape of Odaka

— Why a watch can be green like broccoli, or red like chili peppers —

Hello.
My name is Masayasu Hiraoka, founder of Fukushima Watch Company.

In the previous stories,
I shared how I arrived in Odaka, Fukushima,
and why I chose this town as the place to make watches.

In this chapter,
I would like to introduce our very first watch—
Odaka—
and the colors that were born from this land’s scenery and path toward recovery.

Color Came Before Design

When designing a wristwatch,
most makers begin with the case shape or dial layout.

For Odaka, it was the opposite.

This watch began with color.

Because the town of Odaka itself
carried an overwhelming story told through color.

Not merely beautiful tones of nature,
but colors shaped by people reclaiming their lives—
colors of strength and quiet determination.

Five Colors Born from Odaka’s Landscape

The first Odaka collection featured five colors,
each inspired by local agriculture and scenery in Minamisoma.

  • Seaweed black
  • Blueberry blue
  • Broccoli green
  • Chestnut brown
  • Chili Pepper red

Both dial and strap reflect the climate and life of this land.

Among these,
I would like to share the stories behind two colors in particular:
Broccoli Green and Chili Pepper Red.

Broccoli green

European Fields and the Strength of the Soil

Soon after arriving in Odaka,
one sight captured my heart.

Endless fields of broccoli,
stretching quietly across the land.

They reminded me of rural Europe—
calm, expansive, and dignified.

Photo: A vast broccoli field.
In the stillness, life and work quietly continue.

 

From the broccoli itself,
I felt something more than beauty.

A strength rooted deep in the earth.

Green shoots emerging from soil
that had been cultivated once again after the disaster.

Not a flashy color,
but one that reveals rich depth and shadows depending on the light.

A color with intention.

“I want to engrave this strength into a watch.”

That is how Broccoli green was chosen.

It represents the quiet breath
of daily life returning to Odaka.

Photo: Odaka / Broccoli green

Chili pepper red

A New Color of Determination Born After the Disaster

Another color essential to Odaka’s story is Chili Pepper Red.

Chili peppers were not traditionally grown here.

They became a new crop
only after the earthquake and nuclear accident.

During the years of evacuation,
wild animals entered abandoned fields,
destroying vegetables farmers had carefully grown.

But there was one thing they did not eat.

Chili peppers.

Seeing this, a local resident, Mr. Hirohata, had an idea:

“If animals won’t eat them,
perhaps this can become Odaka’s new specialty.”

Thus began the Odaka Chili Pepper Project.

Photo:The Odaka Chili Pepper Project, from cultivation to finished products
https://shop.odaka01.com/about

What started as a small effort
grew into a project involving nearly 100 residents—
a symbol of revitalization in a town once reduced to zero.

This red is not just red.

It is the color of determination—
a town choosing to build its future again with its own hands.

Photo: Odaka / Chili pepper red

A Pocket-Watch-Inspired Form

With these colors and stories in mind,
the question became:
what form should hold them?

The answer was a shape inspired by classic pocket watches—
warm, gentle, and timeless.

Size and Form

  • 36mm case diameter
    A deliberately compact, unisex size
  • 13.5mm thickness
    Rounded and substantial, with a soft presence

The result is a form
that feels as though a pocket watch
has been carefully adapted for the wrist.

Dial and Movement

Dial

  • Classic Breguet numerals
  • A combination of spade and leaf hands

Balancing nostalgia with modern clarity.

Movement

At its heart beats a Japanese automatic movement,
MIYOTA Cal. 82S5.

Chosen for reliability, accuracy,
and long-term serviceability—
because this watch is meant to be worn for years.

Why We Named It “Odaka”

We named our first watch simply Odaka.

No elaborate branding.
No marketing embellishment.

This watch was born from this land’s story.

We wanted the name to say exactly that—
nothing more, nothing less.

Watchmaking as Translation

Looking back,
our approach to watchmaking could be described as
translating a place.

  • Broccoli Green — the strength of daily life returning
  • Chili Pepper Red — renewal and resolve

Transforming the stories of land and people
into something that lives on the wrist,
measuring time.

That is the origin of Fukushima Watch Company—
and the reason we make watches.

The Story Continues on Your Wrist

Photo courtesy of TiCTAC

 

The price of Odaka is ¥66,000 (tax included).

We wanted as many people as possible
to experience the joy of mechanical watches—
whether it is your first,
or one more piece in a growing collection.

If the story behind Odaka resonates with you,
we invite you to explore it
at our retail partners or online store.

As a watch you can wear every day, without pretense.

If it continues to mark time quietly beside your life,
nothing would make us happier as its makers.

Explore Odaka

Fukushima is home to seas, mountains, and lakes—
each place carrying its own rhythm of time and story.

Going forward,
Fukushima Watch Company will continue creating watches
inspired by towns across the prefecture, one by one.

Through watches,
the landscapes and stories of Fukushima—
still unknown to many—
will continue marking time on someone’s wrist.

Watch the movement of Fukushima.

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