otsuka lotec’s watch no 8 comes with rotating disk
Otsuka Lotec releases No 8, a watch whose design is inspired by air pressure gauges, mixing consoles, futuristic looks, and metallic features. Designed by car designer turned independent watchmaker Jiro Katayama, the timepiece design comes with a rotating disk on the dial, which works as a jumping hour indicator. It moves faster than a standard hour hand and sits on one number, then at the top of each hour it snaps forward to the next one.
The right side of Otsuka Lotec’s watch No 8 has a scale that runs from 00 to 60, which the designer calls the Minute Fader. A lever moves along the scale, counting up from zero to 60 minutes, so when it reaches 60, it sweeps back to zero in one motion. This is a retrograde mechanism whose return is controlled by a flywheel, which slows the snap and makes it deliberate. At the moment the minute fader resets, the hour channel jumps forward by one. The two functions are linked and operate at the same time, once every 60 minutes.
all images courtesy of Otsuka Lotec
sapphire crystal covers the dial with anti-reflective coating
There’s also a seconds disk sits at the top of the dial of Otsuka Lotec’s watch No 8. It rotates in one direction without stopping, so it completes one full revolution every 90 seconds. That is not a standard interval because most second indicators complete a revolution every 60 seconds, and this 90-second cycle is a design decision from Jiro Katayama, showcasing the Minute Fader arm passing through the space between those two layers as it moves. A wraparound sapphire crystal covers the dial, which l has an anti-reflective and anti-fingerprint coating. Looking at the watch from the side, users can clearly see the fader arm pass between the dial layers.
The case is a stainless steel with a straight-grained satin finish. The overall thickness of Otsuka Lotec’s watch No 8 case is 10.8mm, which is the thinnest one iin the current lineup ofg the brand. The crown sits at the 4 o’clock position, so when setting the time, the crown must only move forward. Moving it backward damages the jumping mechanism. The caseback is solid, not transparent, so the clockwork mechanism inside isn’t seen from the outside. So far, the brand sells only to customers in Japan, through a lottery system, and there’s an exhibition of the model that runs from March 19th to March 23rd, 2026, at WITH HARAJUKU in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Otsuka Lotec releases No 8, a watch whose design is inspired by air pressure gauges and mixing consoles
the timepiece design comes with a rotating disk on the dial
the first rotating disk moves faster than a standard hour hand and sits on one number
a lever moves along the scale, counting up from zero to 60 minutes
side profile of the timepiece design
the case is a stainless steel with a straight-grained satin finish
project info:
name: No 8
brand: Otsuka Lotec | @jiro.katayama
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