Naoya Hida 2024 releases play with shape, engraving, and semi-precious stone
Borna Bošnjak- The Japanese indie brand presents an all-new rectangular Type 5A inspired by the 1930s, with a curious, rectangular calibre.
- Semi-precious stone proves to be hot once again, with lapis gracing the moonphase disc of the Type 3B-1.
- Naoya Hida fully leans into artisanal craft with two 18k yellow gold variants of the Type 1, one of which is fully hand-engraved.
It’s that time again, when Japanese high-end independent Naoya Hida unveils its creations for the upcoming year. Last year, the brand presented its first-ever “sports” watch with the new 37mm Type 4 case, but is completely flipping the script for 2024-2025, going all-out Art Deco dressy. It’s not just new shapes, as we’re also seeing the brand further delve into their status as a high-end entity, with a stunning Type 1D with hand-engraved, scalloped sides in 18k yellow gold. Finally, the most complicated NH model also gets an update, and is the most subtly different in the new collection, adopting a moonphase disc made of lapis lazuli, with a hand-engraved golden moon set into it.
NH Type 5A
Let’s start with the most obvious, and to me personally, the most interesting novelty. The Type 5A is Naoya Hida’s first-ever rectangular watch, with its looks and dimensions clearly inspired by the Roaring Twenties. The tooth-like indices point at a sunken-in centre medallion carrying the branding, while a blued small seconds hand sits surrounded by a sloped, brushed seconds track. All the dial elements are made from grained German silver, which means they’ll develop a stunning patina as time goes on.
But we’ve seen German silver dials from Naoya Hida before, in fact, it’s kind of a brand signature, so it’s really the small 904L steel case that’s new here. And I do mean small – 26mm across and with a lug-to-lug of 43.5mm – fans of pre-war watchmaking will be enamoured by these dimensions. The top hat sapphire is also delectably retro, with faceted sides sloping down to the multi-stepped case. While the overall height of 9.1mm is excellent for a modern dress watch, I wonder whether the Type 5A will wear a tad tall considering the small dimensions.
And that brings us to the enigma of this new release – the “newly designed rectangular hand-wound movement Cal. 2524SS” – according to Naoya Hida. The brand is known to use highly modified Valjoux 7750/1 gear trains and components (not uncommon practice with artisanal watchmakers), but the 2524SS looks like it may have its roots in the Peseux 7001, though after closer inspection of the two movements side by side, and the positioning of the jewels, I can’t confirm whether this is true. In any case, the hand-wound movement nicely fills out the screw-on display caseback, though the decoration leaves something to be desired in my opinion, especially considering the nearly A$33,000 asking price.
| Brand | Naoya Hida |
| Model | NH Type 5A |
| Case Dimensions | 26mm (W) x 9.1mm (T) x 33mm (L) x 43.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 904L steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Box-shape sapphire front, sapphire back |
| Dial | German silver |
| Strap | Brown cordovan strap, 904L steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Cal. 2524SS, manual winding |
| Power Reserve | 38 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds |
| Availability | 10 pieces in 2024-2025 |
| Price | ¥3,300,000 (~A$32,200) |
NH Type 3B-1
Calatrava-style watches in two-tone have always been rare, though it’s a look that Naoya Hida employ often. The new Type 3B-1 sports a 904L steel main case, with warm contrasts of 18k rose gold on the bezel and handset. It’s the same 37mm x 10.7mm case Naoya Hida has been using for some time now, and so is the deeply grooved, inky black Roman numeral dial.
Hiding in a stylised cut-out at 6 o’clock is the new moonphase indicator, with a quirky looking hand-engraved moon in solid gold set against a lapis lazuli backdrop. The contrast of the German silver and lapis is wonderful, making the moonphase disc look like star-studded, though I am surprised the brand chose to go with a yellow gold moon instead of rose to match the case and hands. In any case, Naoya Hida’s most complicated watch is powered by the Cal. 3021LU, which uses the aforementioned modified 7750 base. You won’t see the snailed decoration of the movement here thanks to a closed caseback, but the large plate covers most of the interesting stuff, anyway.
| Brand | Naoya Hida |
| Model | NH Type 3B-1 |
| Case Dimensions | 37mm (D) x 10.7mm (T) |
| Case Material | 18 rose gold and 904L steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire front |
| Dial | German silver, lapis lazuli and 18k yellow gold moonphase |
| Strap | Jean Rousseau leather and alcantara, 904L steel pin buckle |
| Movement | Cal. 3021LU, ETA 7751 base, manual winding |
| Power Reserve | 45 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, moonphase |
| Availability | 5 pieces in 2024-2025 |
| Price | ¥4,180,000 (~A$40,800) |
NH Type 1D-2 and 1D-3
Finally, Naoya Hida is outfitting his first-ever design, the Type 1, in classic yellow gold. The Type 1 is the brand’s most recognisable design, thanks to its 1940s-inspired case aesthetic, well-appointed dial features such as the engraved numerals and three-dimensional handset, as well as the 9 o’clock small seconds indicator. This last quirk is a direct result of using Valjoux architecture, its 6-9-12 layout placing the small seconds in this unusual position.
A new case material isn’t the only novelty, however. Naoya Hida is choosing to showcase the know-how of Keisuke Kano, the brand’s in-house engraver, on the case flanks of the Type 1D-3. Naoya Hida’s production is already super-limited, but the new Type 1D-3 will be the most limited of the lot, counting only three pieces being produced over the next 12 months, adding more than A$20,000 to the asking price for the privilege of having Kano’s workmanship displayed on the case.
| Brand | Naoya Hida |
| Model | NH Type 1D-2 NH Type 1D-3 |
| Case Dimensions | 37mm (D) x 9.8mm (T) x 44mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 18k yellow gold, hand engraved (NH Type 1D-3 only) |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire front |
| Dial | German silver |
| Strap | Hand-stitched bridle leather, 18k yellow gold pin buckle |
| Movement | Cal. 3019SS, ETA 7750 base, manual winding |
| Power Reserve | 48 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds |
| Availability | 5 pieces in 2024-2025 (NH Type 1D-2) 3 pieces in 2024-2025 (NH Type 1D-3) |
| Price | ¥6,380,000 (NH Type 1D-2, ~A$62,300) ¥8,800,000 (NH Type 1D-3, ~A$85,900) |