Jiro Katayama on Creating Japan’s Coolest Indie Watch Brand
Jiro Katayama’s journey into watchmaking began with a spontaneous purchase of a small lathe in 2008, driven by a desire to create something tangible after years in automotive and product design. Lacking formal training, he taught himself through web research, dissecting images and videos of movements, and experimenting in his home workshop. His first creation, “No. 1,” was a brass case he machined himself, marking the start of a hands‑on, trial‑and‑error approach that emphasized material properties and design for assembly. This DIY ethos extended to all early components—cases, dials, lenses—crafted from readily available tools and supplies, reflecting a deep fascination with industrial aesthetics and vintage mechanical devices. The brand Otsuka Lotec has grown from this solitary workshop into a small, highly skilled operation that still prioritises personal vision and meticulous engineering. While collaborations with partners like Hajime Asaoka and Precision Watch Tokyo have expanded production capacity, Katayama continues to handle design, engineering, and prototyping in his own space, maintaining the core identity of creating watches that he finds genuinely cool. The collection draws inspiration from vintage cameras, industrial gauges, and other mechanical instruments, resulting in timepieces that resemble functional art rather than conventional watches. Although demand exceeds supply and international distribution remains limited, the brand is gradually scaling domestically, with future expansion considered one step at a time.
Buying Time Analysis: This interview highlights how Jiro Katayama’s hands‑on, DIY journey from automotive design to independent watchmaking embodies the spirit of Japanese indie craftsmanship, illustrating the cultural and creative significance of Otsuka Lotec’s industrial‑inspired timepieces.
