Traditional artisanal techniques, set free from convention, deliver both beauty and strength
Introducing the MRG-B5000HT, available only in a limited edition of 500 pieces. Like every MR-G timepiece, this watch exudes sophistication and quality in every aspect of its design, from materials, to technological capabilities, to aesthetics. The time-honored Japanese tsuiki hammering technique is employed to create a striking pattern for the bezel and bracelet. Each watch is meticulously finished by tsuiki master Kazuya Watanabe. Marvel at the fine sensibilities alive in the crafted metal, a spirit of determination in every hammered mark. We spoke with Watanabe about the essence of his work and the inspiration he discovered by collaborating with MR-G.
Kazuya Watanabe
Born in 1978 in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture. After graduating from Nagaoka Institute of Design, Watanabe joined Gyokusendo, a long-established copperware workshop, where he trained in the traditional hammering technique known as tsuiki. In 2005, he became independent and founded his own atelier, Tankosha. In the course of pursuing his own sculptural expression while remaining rooted in tradition, Watanabe has received numerous accolades, including the Contemporary Crafts Prize. He now works primarily through solo exhibitions, marking 20 years of his artistic career in 2024.
Tsuiki is a traditional metal crafting technique to Japan. It involves hammering single sheets of metal thousands upon thousands of times to create particular forms. Originating in the Edo period (1603–1867) and used primarily to produce vessels such as kettles and tea caddies, the technique is known not only for its ability to create seamless three-dimensional forms, but also for the way each strike increases the strength of the original material. Each strike of the hammer represents a patient dialogue between craftsman and material, speaking flatness into form.
Tsuiki craftsman Kazuya Watanabe trained in the traditional craft in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, where it has been handed down for generations, before setting off on his own path in 2005. Over the nearly 20 years since, he has explored points of connection with fields including architecture and art, all while employing tsuiki-based hammering techniques.
“Originally, tsuiki was a technique used for making vessels and implements: kettles, tea caddies — items with a clearly defined purpose. But I had this idea that I’d like to try taking it a step further. That led me to take on the challenge of creating contemporary forms with the craft, still drawing on what I’ve learned from traditional techniques.”
This unfettered approach would eventually lead to the current collaboration between Watanabe and MR-G.
The part of the watch most susceptible to shock, the bezel, is made with DAT55G, a special alloy that is three times harder than pure titanium. Each features a unique pattern created individually by Watanabe. Tsuiki hammering applied to the extra-hard material yields a design that is powerful yet imbued with subtle intricacy.
Watanabe was commissioned to create hammered patterns on the bezel. The material is DAT55G, a high-performance titanium alloy befitting MR-G, the pinnacle of the G-SHOCK brand. Its hardness far exceeds that of metals like copper and stainless steel, which are commonly used in tsuiki work — and even surpasses titanium alloys typically found in high-end timepieces. Watanabe described it as an ultra-hard metal “close to the limit” of what is workable as a craft material.
“At first, to be honest, I was unsure if it would even be hammerable. An ordinary hammer or chisel, as used for working with metal or stone, wouldn’t make a dent — totally unfeasible. With titanium, scratches show up conspicuously, and striking with too much force can warp the material. If you don’t use just the right amount of force, the patterning won’t come out with a uniform appearance. All these factors demand a degree of precision that leaves no room for error, including how sharp the chisel blade is, the hammering angle, the depth.”
Watanabe focused on how best to combine crafting intuition with industrial precision. Success would mean balancing the beauty born from the natural irregularity of handwork with the exacting precision required in producing a high-end timepiece. He continued to explore a range of approaches in a process of repeated trial and error, persisting in the face of this seemingly impossible dilemma.
“Creating the hammered pattern for MR-G required a slightly different approach from what I would typically do.”
His efforts began with creating prototypes. He explored the ideal hammered pattern and shared the envisioned finished look. But because no two patterns ever turn out exactly the same by hand, as he continued to hammer, his sense of the work would subtly waver.
“The further I proceeded with the work, the less clear things would become in certain ways. The more you hammer, the more the blade tip of the chisel gets chipped away, little by little. A change of 0.1 or 0.2 mm affects the way the hammering sounds and feels.”
To control this precise process, he uses a whetstone each time to fine-tune the chisel’s edge, working with constant attention to the tools’ condition. His challenge is to achieve a delicate balance — patterning that is “neither too uniform nor too chaotic.” Because even the slightest deviation in the hammered texture can disrupt the overall harmony of the assembled watch, the process is carried out with a constant sense of tension.
“I begin to see the meaning of each mark I’ve hammered in, only after everything is finally assembled. That’s why I still don’t feel that my work is truly finished. Every day, I ask myself whether this is really good enough.”
He constantly experiments with the finishing process and the sequence of hammering strokes with trial and error. Though everything may appear disordered at first glance, it is all connected by a singular, determined vision. Within the ring of each strike, lives the craftsman’s finely honed intuition and his precisely calibrated technique.
Watanabe tells us, “In essence, the final product of craft is really a form of ‘translation.’”
“Intangible things — like philosophy and spirituality — are really something we’ve borrowed from those who came before us. Because they have no form, they can’t be seen, and as time passes, even the words we use for them gradually grow outdated. But how can we make such things resonate with people today? I think that ‘form’ is the means to do that.”
To Watanabe, craft is the act of reinterpreting inherited values from a contemporary perspective and expressing them in materials, processes, and the finished products themselves.
“That’s why you can’t simply preserve tradition — you sometimes have to break it. With translation, there are times when a literal approach doesn’t really get the meaning across, right? In the same way, the mindset of changing something in order to communicate better is essential in craft today.”
Without doubt, this philosophy is also reflected in Watanabe’s collaboration with MR-G. Tradition and cutting-edge, craft and technology. When two seemingly opposing forces that share the same sense of “spirituality” come together, a new translation is born.
And within it, Watanabe’s uniquely challenging hammering style is unmistakably engraved.
MR-G stands for the pursuit of the pinnacle of quality in every aspect — materials, construction, and finishing. Integrating traditional Japanese techniques like this is far more than decorative styling. It is nothing less than an invitation to reconsider what craftsmanship truly means.
“If you don’t break with tradition, it simply won’t survive. If you keep doing the same thing over and over, eventually it comes to an end. That’s why I relate to the G-SHOCK commitment to reinventing itself in every age.”
The bezel of each one of these special MR-G timepieces is adorned with a relief pattern born of hundreds upon hundreds of Watanabe’s exacting hammer strikes. With each and every individual mark, the accomplished artisan has hammered out his unique philosophy of craftsmanship.
What exactly is strength? And what is beauty?
Answers to these questions, the constant pursuit of MR-G design, are intuitively apparent in the unique hammered patterns of this special limited-edition timepiece.
Pioneering an original tsuiki technique
Watanabe’s work involves meticulous processes of hammering patterns consisting of innumerable marks into the surface of metal material. Focusing his concentration on the sensation in his hands, he carefully adjusts the sharpness and condition of the tools he uses with considerable frequency, as well. After experimenting with clockwise and counterclockwise rotations, he eventually settled on counterclockwise to achieve stability and beauty in his patterning.
Refining the technique through trial and error, starting with the tool set
The striking degree of hardness that characterizes the DAT55G titanium alloy makes it simply unworkable with ordinary tools. This required Watanabe to make a range of adjustments to all aspects of his tools, from the chisel angle to the blade thickness, hammer weight, and handle length. His ingenuity resulted in what could be considered a DAT-55G-specialized tool set, enabling him to achieve optimal patterns in a sort of “dialogue” with this unique material.
Visions for the future, including forays into the field of art
Watanabe has created an art piece taking inspiration from the “flame-rimmed” pottery style of the prehistoric Jomon period. “The final work produced by artisanal crafting,” he tells us, “ought to correspond to ‘translations’ for the present era.” In his view, it all comes down to a matter of finding ways to convey intangible values via contemporary language and sensibilities, an effort to draw on tradition while applying his own forms of expression to convey those values in ways people can resonate with today. This, he feels, is the future of his craft.
Japanese Beauty: MRG-B5000 "Tsuiki" Limited Edition
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