Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 Review: The Best Japanese Chronograph

Jilliano Romano
1 day ago
6 min read

No one needs a chronograph, much less a mechanical automatic one. But, if you wanted one, and you wanted it to be unique, less famous than a chronograph that went to space, or you just wanted something a bit dressier, then let it be the Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012.

Kuoe is a Japanese microbrand that was created during the early days of Covid-19, and it has since become a powerhouse in the watch industry with multiple branches opening across Japan and Korea. I have personally visited their flagship store in Kyoto shortly after their grand opening, and I was honestly blown away by the terrific service. At least at the time that I visited, every staff member was able to do their job in both Japanese and English, and each person was knowledgeable about the watches on display. That may seem easy, but speaking as someone who has to regularly discuss watches in both Japanese and English, it’s not that simple to find someone who wants to do that for several days a week.

Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 on the wrist Photo by Jilliano The Watch Brief

On top of that, Kuoe - as a brand - has established and maintained a consistent design language across all of their models. The founder, Kenji Uchimura, was inspired by vintage mechanical watches dating back to the 1940s - specifically the British field watches that would later be known as the Dirty Dozen watches. You can really see this in the Old Smith 90-002 Bronze, which I previously reviewed, but even their dressier models like the Royal Smith line, the sub-40mm case dimensions and simple, legible dial layouts are all seemingly inspired by mid-20th century design.

I have now handled and / or reviewed a total of four different Kuoe watches, and while I have adored each one to varying degrees, I think this is - hands down - the best of the best that Kuoe has created thus far.

Design is Everything

The Royal Smith 90-012, which is their 12th model and their first automatic chronograph, is perhaps their most ambitious watch from both a design perspective, as well as a technical perspective.

The dial is essentially split into three layers with a railroad minute track on the chapter-ring, followed by a grainy textured level with applied Breguet numerals, and at its center, a brushed metal dial surface with the brand name. Compared to their minimalistic models, this is downright maximalist in the sheer number of different elements at play. In addition to all of that, the bi-compax subdials cut into both the grainy texture, as well as the brushed surface, and it is framed with a smooth polished metal before going into a guilloche pattern. The subdial at the 9 o’clock is a thirty-minute totalizer, while the subdial at the 3 o’clock shows a sixty-second running seconds.

Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 on top of box photo by Jilliano the Watch Brief

Finally, at six o’clock right above the “Japan Made” sign, you will see a framed date window. Like the polished metal around the subdials, as well as the handset and numerals and case, it is all stainless steel, but the dial that I selected is a gorgeous salmon pink. What I love about this dial the most is that because of the different layers and textures, the shade of salmon-pink is never really the same, especially when you have the sun shining down on its excellent AR-coated domed sapphire crystal. The flat link bracelet is good, but the polished center-link really doesn’t look as good in the pictures. On the wrist, I barely noticed it, but it basically catches every possible spec of dust, every fingerprint, and worst of all, every scratch. The pushers are sturdy, and I definitely prefer this flatter and wider configuration over the thin-stemmed pusher that many other chronographs have.

The Royal Smith 90-012 comes with a decent German leather strap, but just like with the Kuoe Royal Smith 90-010 which I reviewed two weeks ago, I really prefer this watch on the bracelet. It heightens the premium feeling, in my opinion, and it offsets one of my nitpicks about this watch.

Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 on top of wood photo by Jilliano the Watch Brief

The Best Movement for the Kuoe Royal Smith

I have said numerous times that if a mechanical chronograph movement is too expensive to manufacture, or if it results in having to compromise on anything, then you might as well go for mecaquartz. This is why I loved my Seiko Speedtimer, and why I eventually replaced it with the mecaquartz Vario Empire Chronograph. So, you could say that I had a few worries before receiving Kuoe’s first chronograph.

I have had the privilege to get hands-on experience with the 3861 Omega Speedmaster, IWC Pilot Chronograph, Breitling Navitimer, and a few watches featuring a Valjeux and Seagull chronograph movements. While I have nothing against Valjeux or Seagull, I have unfortunately been on the other end of QC issues when it came to those movements. Even the IWC Pilot Chronograph that I got to photograph apparently had a defective movement. It’s safe to say that the chronograph, which is one of the most complicated movements you could have for a watch, is quite susceptible to these defects.

Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 caseback by Jilliano the Watch Brief

Kuoe selected the NE86A movement, which is manufactured in Japan by Seiko, and it’s strange that I really only know one other brand (Traska) that uses this movement. In fact, even Seiko rarely produces mechanical chronographs nowadays. What makes it even more strange is that the NE86A movement in this Kuoe watch performed beautifully, and it shocked me by how great it was.

The movement added to the thickness of the watch (the watch is 14.3mm thick), but it didn’t actually make the watch feel bigger. With a case size of 37mm, it sat perfectly on my 6.25 inch wrist, and I actually think that the added thickness simply improved its overall wrist presence. While this thickness will most likely disqualify it from being a proper dress watch, I really think that it would be perfect in dressier settings, as well as casual outings.

I do hope that Kuoe eventually releases a version of this watch with a mecaquartz movement just to cater to the enthusiasts who truly want a slimmer version, but for me, this movement was a dream, and I genuinely preferred it over many of the other chronograph movements that I have handled.

Not So Royal Things

Naturally, no watch is perfect, and this chronograph is no exception. The thickness is a problem. For me, it wasn’t, but after showing it to a few other collector friends, two of them said they would definitely not be buying it unless Kuoe figured out a way to slim it down.

Technically, Kuoe could opt for a flat sapphire crystal, which would probably drop it from 14.3mm to 14mm, but is that even noticeable?

While I preferred the bracelet over the leather strap, the bracelet was probably the part I liked the least. Let me preface this next part by reiterating that this watch was a loaner, and it is actually a review model, so it is in - no way - perfect. That being said, the specific model I handled had frankly terrible screw-pins. It made adjusting the bracelet a nightmare, as the screws were actually slightly bent. There was also one screw pin that literally snapped in half while I was wearing the watch. Thankfully, this happened while I was - ironically - adjusting the bracelet of a different watch at work, so the Kuoe simply slid off my wrist and landed on my desk mat with nary a sound. Still, I shudder to think about what would have happened if the screw-pink had snapped while I was walking.

The microadjust was fine. Not great. Not terrible. Just fine. Considering Kuoe’s main competitor (outside of other microbrands) is Seiko and Grand Seiko, I think having an adequate or “just fine” micro-adjust clasp is already an achievement.

The Best in the World?

Not quite. Although I loved wearing this watch during the loan period, I do think that - at times - it felt a bit top heavy, and so it will have to remain content in being the best Japanese chronograph. That’s right. I stand by it.

When I think about the other mechanical chronographs made in Japan, there is truly nothing quite like this watch. Kuoe should not only be proud, they should be downright giddy with what they’ve done with this watch.