About TAKANO
Headquarters
In 1938, the name of the company was renamed from “TAKANO
METAL GOODS FACTORY” as a predecessor company
established in 1899.
In the beginning, the company only produced wall clocks and
table clocks, but in 1957, they started manufacturing
wristwatches under the TAKANO brand.
- 1899:
- TAKANO METAL GOODS FACTORY Establised
- 1938:
- Renamed to Takano Seimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd.
- 1957:
- Launched the first watch under the TAKANO brand, the “200 series”
- 1962:
- The SAN-AI Group, led by Riken Optical Co., Ltd. (present Ricoh), took over Takano Seimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd., marking the end of the TAKANO brand
"TAKANO" was short-lived, but it was quite epoch-making.
For example, at the headquarters factory in Nagoya, precision automatic lathe machines made in Switzerland, as well as vertical drilling and milling machines, were maintained, and the factory itself had constant temperature and humidity, which was advanced at the time.
In October 1958, Prince Takamatsu, along with the then Governor of Aichi Prefecture, visited the headquarters factory.
The pamphlet from that time featured photos of Prince
Takamatsu’s factory tour, along with articles
explaining the machinery, reflecting the enthusiasm
and dedication of the period.
TAKANO History
Aiming to become a world-class luxury watch brand!
This is the concept that TAKANO upheld in watchmaking.
TAKANO's first model, the “200 series”, was introduced in 1957.
This model is affectionately known as the “Laco-type.”
The movement is a refined version of a DOROWE-manufactured caliber previously used by the German company Laco. Under the technical guidance of Richard W. Slaw, Chief Watchmaker at the American watch company, Hamilton, it was expertly modified to enhance its reliability.
Since 1954, Takano Seimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd. had been responsible for assembling watches for Laco.
The year after the establishment of the TAKANO brand, the company issued the “TAKANO REPORT”, a booklet for customers.
In the first issue, the following was written as TAKANO’s aspirations for becoming a world-class brand:
We are firmly convinced that TAKANO’s watches have brought to life what traditional watchmakers have long dreamed of. We are striving to create an era that challenges the belief that luxury watches can only come from Switzerland. With a global vision, we aim to always be at the forefront and, with your support, we will continue to work hard to meet your expectations.
The “Opal”, introduced in 1959, was the smallest Japan-made watch of
its time, having a highly precise, high-end movement with a Breguet
overcoil hairspring.
A photo of the writer Sawako Ariyoshi wearing this
watch while writing is also featured in the TAKANO REPORT.
However, TAKANO suffered massive damage due to the Ise-wan Typhoon in 1959.
Despite such circumstances, the completion of a new product was announced: the "Chateau", which was released the following year.
The name Chateau was chosen in reference to the “Nagoya Castle,” which had been rebuilt to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the city’s establishment. The word “castle” was replaced with the French term, which evokes a sense of elegance. Unlike the “Laco-type,” the Chateau was equipped with the TAKANO’s fully in-house developed and manufactured self-winding caliber 541. The movement had a thickness of just 3.5mm, making it the world’s thinnest center-seconds movement with a co-axial design between the second and fourth wheels at the time. The initial model had 23 jewels, and later variations were introduced, such as the more mass-producible 21 jewels caliber 531 and the smaller caliber 533 designed for square watches. Thus, the Chateau already had a variety of models in its first year of production.
In 1961, the Chateau Deluxe was introduced, featuring intricate finishing on its movement. In the same year, the Chateau Nouvel was released, which later inspired the name of the new TAKANO's first model revived by Hajime Asaoka in 2024. The caliber 541N, which powered the Chateau Nouvel, was equipped with the latest shock-absorbing mechanism at the time, the Kif-Flector.
The Chateau Calendar was introduced in February 1962 as the final model under the TAKANO brand name. True to its name, it was the first model in the collection to feature a date display. However, less than two months after its release, it disappeared from the market.
On April 1st of the same year, the management of Takano Seimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd. was transferred to Riken Optical Co., Ltd., marking the end of the TAKANO brand. Kiyoshi Ichimura, the founder of Riken Optical Co., Ltd., was urged by repeated requests from the Chukyo business community and various organizations, along with a strong appeal from former Minister of International Trade and Industry Eisaku Sato, to take on the restructuring of Takano Seimitsu Kogyo Co., Ltd., which was facing severe financial difficulties, and he made the decision to continue watchmaking and undertake the company’s revival.
