Yuyake Nami Washi 夕焼け波 - Ltd Ed 60Pcs
Hitori Nexus
A Shared Breath of Art and Time
Marking the brand’s fifth year, the Nexus collection arrives as a gentle refinement of our journey, gathering past lessons into an intentional language of form and atmosphere. Following the Hanaasagi and Shirakawa releases, Hitori continues this path toward the one-of-a-kind Yuyake Nami Washi "夕焼け波," a collaboration with artist Freckled Apple that features two original canvases hand-painted onto soft Unryu paper. This partnership unfolded over nearly a year of patient intent—from the first sketches to the final brushstrokes—where the "Sunset Waves" were distilled into a dial that preserves their shifting light and weightless movement. Within the Nexus design, practical components become quietly expressive; a flat sapphire crystal ensures immediate clarity, allowing the natural fibers and the way the colors breathe to appear without distortion. Because each of the 60 limited-edition dials is cut directly from the original canvas, every timepiece carries a genuine, singular fragment of the masterpiece where mechanical excellence meets the calm rhythm of the waves.
As a final gesture of authenticity, each watch is accompanied by an original print personally signed by Freckled Apple. Produced using archival-grade materials and calibrated color processes, the print preserves the depth, warmth, and subtle tonal shifts of the artwork exactly as it was first envisioned. What emerges is not merely a timepiece, but a wearable sanctuary where every surface carries intention—not to chase boundaries for their own sake, but to create meaning through form and feeling in the spirit that guides Hitori. This rare balance of traditional craft and horological precision ensures that the work itself is preserved and worn, holding a singular moment from the artist's brush for the collector to keep.
Sunset Waves Diptych, Reimagined for the Wrist
Developed over nearly a year of patient intent, the Nexus series features two commissioned "Sunset Waves" paintings by Freckled Apple, each distilled into a dial that preserves the shifting light of an oceanic horizon. The first explores a restrained pink light, diffused like washed silk to invite a stillness of memory and quiet introspection, while the second centers on a high-saturation amber that grounds the moment with radiant warmth and resolve. These works find their heart on traditional Unryu washi paper, where the artist’s strokes flow alongside drifting kozo fibers like soft currents in the sky. Beneath a flat sapphire crystal, the natural transparency and gentle glow of the 雲竜紙 allow light to filter through the texture like dawn through morning mist, giving the artwork an unforced, wabi-sabi rhythm that feels as though the waves are still moving within the paper itself.
This journey from the earliest sketches to the final assembly remained rooted in the tactile reality of the artist's brush, far beyond the reach of digital reproduction. After Freckled Apple sealed the original diptych with a protective coating, every sheet was carefully measured and hand-cut into individual dials, ensuring that each timepiece carries a genuine, physical fragment of the original masterpiece. This act of curation transforms the watch into a wearable sanctuary where the "Sunset Waves" are not merely interpreted, but physically preserved. What emerges is a rare balance where mechanical excellence meets the quiet intensity of true mastery—a limited series where every surface carries intention, offering the collector a singular connection to a fleeting moment of beauty captured by the brush and the enduring spirit of Hitori.
THE BIRTH OF YUYAKE NAMI WASHI DIAL
The unique dial serves as the collection’s soul, where a delicate lacquer glaze breathes depth into the drifting fibers of the Unryu paper. In a beautiful act of fragmentation, each dial is cut directly from Freckled Apple’s original canvas, ensuring that no two are ever the same; every timepiece holds a singular, sacred coordinate of the artist’s vision. This natural texture lends the surface a living quality, allowing the artwork to shift with the light—evoking the stillness of a sunset while preserving the raw, emotional pulse of the artist’s hand. It is a quiet harmony where the fleeting beauty of a brushstroke meets the refined, enduring spirit of Hitori.
Once these fragments are chosen, they begin a meticulous pilgrimage through Hitori’s traditional enamel craft. Hand-brushed and tempered by fire, each dial undergoes repeated cycles of glazing and polishing until it achieves a soft, porcelain-like glow that feels both ancient and new. Every edge and aperture is inspected with an artisan’s devotion before the final firing, sealing the one-of-a-kind textures beneath a flawless, resilient veil. Completed by the precise marriage of hands and frame, the final dial is more than a watch—it is a traceable piece of a greater masterpiece, a singular fragment of a sunset built to endure through time.
Who is Freckled Apple?
The Freckled Apple is the studio of Apple, a self-taught artist from Penang whose work flourishes in the small and delicate. Her paintings, often no larger than a palm, are washed in soft light and gentle gradients that evoke open skies and the stillness of a distant horizon. Each piece is born of a patient hand, allowing texture and atmosphere to settle naturally into the surface through a process that values presence over pace.
Guided by a sincere intention to offer something quiet and uplifting, Apple’s art moves with a calm rhythm that mirrors her own outlook. This sensitivity to mood and material makes her collaboration with Hitori feel instinctive—a shared devotion to honest craft and the profound beauty found in the hands of independent makers.
The Nexus Frame for a Sunset Wave
The "Sunset Waves" find their sanctuary within the Nexus case, a vessel conceived as a bold departure for Hitori. Inspired by the modernist strength of Rem Koolhaas’s architectural masterpiece in Fukuoka, the two-piece modular case was born from over a year of patient refinement. It is a design of deliberate contrasts, wearing with a slender grace upon the wrist while projecting a formidable sculptural presence. From every vantage point, the case reveals sharp transitions and a rhythmic layering of surfaces, inviting the wearer to continuously rediscover its form. Like a wearable sculpture, the downward curving lugs and recessed grooves beneath the bezel echo the geometric soul of Nexus World, shifting the watch from a mere instrument of time into a testament of architectural intent.
Secured by the Tokudai Daiya crown, its oversized diamond cut grooves offering a tactile assurance of strength, the watch is completed by the Karumo bracelet. This multi link design draws its spirit from Karuta gote, the tile like armored sleeves of the samurai, blending ancient protection with contemporary fluidity. The name Karumo itself evokes a sense of perpetual motion, mirroring the way the bracelet drapes effortlessly against the skin. Within this frame, the "Sunset Waves" are not simply housed; they are enshrined in a sanctuary of steel and geometry where the raw emotion of the artist’s brush meets the disciplined lines of Hitori’s architectural vision.
39.5mm
Diameter
47.8mm
Lug-to-lug
10.6mm
Thickness
100m
Water Resistance
The Signed Soul of the Nexus
Turn the watch over to discover the hidden soul of the Nexus, where the screw-down case-back reveals a sapphire crystal tinted with the artist’s signature. This intimate detail transforms the timepiece into an extension of the original canvas, offering a window into the heart of the watch: the Japanese-made Miyota 9015. This premium, slender automatic movement is celebrated by enthusiasts for its architectural reliability, beating at a precise 28,800 vibrations per hour. It grants the watch a refined, low profile while rivaling Swiss standards in performance, featuring hacking seconds and a 41-hour power reserve—all orchestrated by the tactile assurance of the screw-down crown.
The visual centerpiece of the movement is an open-worked rotor, custom-crafted by Hitori in steel and finished with their signature logo. Each rotor possesses its own subtle, unique tone, ensuring that the individuality of the dial is mirrored in the mechanics beneath. Engraved upon each one is the phrase 「流れるままに」 (nagareru mama ni), a poetic reminder to "live as it flows." It is a quiet, contemplative nod to the present moment, imbuing the movement with a sense of calm that matches its rhythmic pulse—a testament to Hitori’s belief that true luxury lies in the details that stay with you.
A Note On Making
Each Nexus Yuyake Nami Washi is made in the same spirit as hand-crafted indigo cloth or fired pottery.
The washi dial and artworks are formed by hand, not printed for uniformity. Fibers shift, tones breathe, and textures settle in their own way. Because of this process, no two dials are ever identical. Subtle variations in grain, depth, and warmth are not imperfections, but the quiet marks of human touch.
Like wabi sabi objects, each Freckled Apple Washi dial carries its own character. What you receive will be uniquely yours, shaped by process, time, and chance.