Otsuka Lotec

Otsuka Lotec Set of All Three No.5 No.6 and No.7.5

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 watches that we have here are three examples of the brands most sought-after models, their No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7.5. Introduced in late 2024 and officially in production in 2025, the No. 5 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. Winning the Challenge Watch Prize in 2024’s GPHG awards, the No. 6 has quickly become Otsuka Lotec’s most revered watch. Boasting a brushed stainless steel design with exposed screws, a stepped bezel, wire lugs, and a large monochromatic retrograde time display, the resulting timepiece is reminiscent of the pressure gauge on a car or a hygrometer. Launched in 2021 and iterated upon with some changes in 2023, the No. 7.5 features a unique 40mm brushed stainless steel construction with wire lugs that boasts a unique display inspired by vintage 3-lens turret 8mm cameras, as shown by its trio of lenses that sit above its hour, minutes, and seconds display. Boasting a jump-hour function, the No. 7.5 is a wonderfully utilitarian watch that combines a rich sense of design with a fun take on a unique source of inspiration to create something truly exceptional timepiece that is without equal in today’s watch market.