Beans & Bezels Beans & Bezels B&B
Disclaimer: this video/review was not sponsored by MMI or any other entity. MMI will be sending me a production unit when these watches start to ship. This is a review of two prototype units.
MMI x Awagami Four Seasons Series ‘Winter’: https://www.mmiwatches.com/collections/awagami-factory-x-mmi-watches-four-seasons-%E6%98%A5-%E5%A4%8F-%E7%A7%8B-%E5%86%AC
Video
Review
When it comes to paper dials, or Washi dials as they’re referred to in Japanese, the first brand that comes to mind is Citizen. They’ve built a reputation for embracing traditional Japanese Washi and dyeing techniques, creating some truly stunning dials in the process. Over the years, Citizen has perfected this craft, but their watches featuring these intricate dials typically start at around $2,000, well into premium territory. That’s why I was genuinely excited to see MMI, a relatively young micro-brand, take on the challenge of bringing Washi dials to a broader audience. In collaboration with the Awagami Factory, MMI created a series of four watches based on Unryu Washi, a swirling fiber paper that brings texture and depth to the dial.
These form the aptly (but slightly unoriginal) named Four Seasons collection: watches that blend traditional Japanese artistry with a surprisingly sporty and versatile design. Priced at around $410 USD, they offer what is, to the best of my knowledge, one of the most accessible ways to experience a genuine Washi dial. Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Winter edition, featuring a soft light blue Unryu Washi dial that tries to capture the cool, serene beauty of the season.
Let’s check it out!
Case
I measured the case to be 39mm in diameter, 46.25mm from lug tip to lug tip, and 12mm in overall thickness including the sapphire crystal and case-back. The case is made entirely of stainless steel, and the overall design is a pretty generic style of fixed bezel sports watch. The build quality and finishing, however, is excellent and exceeds that of any mass manufactured watch from bigger Swiss or Japanese brands in this price range.
The mid case is well proportioned, well designed, and ends with a pair of gently curved down lugs that wrap around the wrist nicely. The case combines a generous amount of brushed and polishing finishing styles, with a lovely polished bevel running along the sides of the lugs. The lug width is an easily accessible 20mm, allowing for plenty of third party strap options. In my review, I put it on a 20mm Navy Blue Delugs Sailcloth Strap for a couple of shots.
At the 3 o’clock, you have an easy to grip 6.6mm push-pull crown that has tactile knurling and a generously lumed logo at the top. I love the fact that lumed crowns are becoming more and more popular among micro-brands, and that this style is making their way to higher end luxury brands too.
Flipping the watch over, you have a relatively flat screwed down case-back with a sapphire exhibition window that gives you a look at the Miyota 9039 movement powering the watch. While the watch does not have a screwed down crown, the overall 100m of water resistance makes it an entirely acceptable package for an everyday sports watch that you can take into the pool stress-free.
Overall, MMI have done an excellent job with the build quality and finishing of this watch. Given all the micro-brand watches I’ve been reviewing of late, it appears that the standard for case manufacturing and finishing in this affordable (micro-brand) segment of the watch industry has gotten exponentially good lately, with these brands putting out watches that look and feel far superior to what most of the entry level Swiss and Japanese brands are able to do even at higher prices. I just hope these micro-brands take more risks with more unique and provocative designs, like MMI did with their Cuttlechron watch.
Dial
The Awagami paper dial on the Winter is stunning, and MMI has done a great job taking a concept from a higher tier of watchmaking and delivering it at a much lower price point without making significant sacrifices to the overall execution. Similar to how Citizen and Grand Seiko execute their dials, the base of the dial contains the primary motif, which is the Unryu Washi colored paper from the Awagami Factory.
A transparent sapphire or plastic layer is placed above the Washi layer, upon which the dial’s components are printed. There is an outer minute track printed in black, with lumed circular pips at every 5 minute increment. The quality of printing is good, and the transparent layer plays with light beautifully, casting a shadow of the outer minute track on the Washi layer below it. Similarly, the dial has printed triangles and numerals for the hour markers, pad printed with thick lume application that is rare to see on a dial like this. The quality control on the dial is quite impressive, even for an early stage prototype.
The entire dial structure, i.e the brass physical layer above the movement, the Washi layer above it, and the transparent layer above that, are fastened together by means of four screws, with a pair on either side of the dial at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions respectively. While brands like Citizen, Grand Seiko and MING are able to execute these multi-level transparent dials without the use of supporting or alignment screws, this idea can be seen on a lot of watches from Christopher Ward, Studio Underdog and even some very high end haute horology pieces. I would prefer the screws didn’t exist, but I don’t mind them if they don’t stick out too much.
An angular and faceted hand set hovers over this dial, with a design that is a bit more familiar for a sporty watch, with large plots that are generously filled with lume. The hands are high polished, but the facets and lumed sections help with legibility in any kind of lighting. The seconds hand is also lumed, which is typically not seen in a watch like this. The overall finishing is good, and the legibility of the watch is excellent.
Taking a closer look at the paper dial beneath it, it certainly does add an organic and dynamic sense of depth to the watch. The irregularity of the pattern is refreshing, and the variations in colors and textures make it a very engaging experience. And the fact that the base layer is entirely Japanese Washi means that no two pieces are going to be alike, and every dial is going to have its own character based on the segment used.
Lume
The MMI Awagami Winter has surprisingly good lume, considering the topmost dial layer is sapphire or some other transparent material, without much room for applied indices. The hour markers and numerals appear to be pad-printed with a thick application of lume, and the circular pips on the outer track also appear to be generously lumed. The hands follow a more traditional lume design, with cutouts filled with a dense layer of lume on the hour, minute, and seconds hands.
I compared the lume performance of this watch with the MMI Cuttlechron, as well as with other watches in a similar price range, like the Traska Summiteer 38 and the Revelot Terra. These watches belong to an entirely different category of highly legible sports watches with 3D blocks of ceramic lume, and yet the MMI Awagami does a pretty good job of keeping up, even if it’s a lot less bright and doesn’t last as long.
Movement
This watch is powered by the Miyota 9039 movement, a solid choice in the sub-$1000 range, most notable for its slim profile. The 9039 is thinner than many comparable movements from Sellita, ETA, and Seiko, which gives the watch designer a bit more room to experiment with multi-layered dials like this one without adding too much to the overall case thickness. It has a reputation for durability and reasonable accuracy, making it a dependable choice for everyday wear. Known for ease of service, and cost-effective replacement options if needed, the 9039 is an affordable and practical movement for long-term use.
Personally, I prefer the 9015 and 9039 movements from Miyota to the ETA 2824 or the Sellita SW200, even taking into account the louder rotors on these. While I didn’t measure the prototypes’ accuracy with a timegrapher, it appeared to be running within a single-digit daily deviation. In terms of value, MMI’s choice of the Miyota 9039 fits the watch well within its price category, and I couldn’t think of a better movement choice. I did notice a strand of fiber under the crystal, but given that this is an early prototype, I think that is easy to overlook.
On The Wrist
This watch has sporty proportions that fit perfectly within the somewhat vaguely defined genre of the ‘Go Anywhere Do Anything’ watch. The 39mm diameter and 46.25mm lug to lug width feel a lot like the previous generation of Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 watches, albeit slightly thicker at 12mm in height. But the watch is well balanced on wrist with a flat case-back and lugs that gently curve around the wrist.
The design and execution of the end links and bracelet is quite impressive for the price. The 5-link bracelet has a neatly executed end link design, and manufacturing tolerances that result in a perfect fit with the case. The end links are precisely measured to not extend beyond the 46.25mm lug tip to lug tip distance, and the links articulate well with a good amount of breathability.
The finishing across the case, bracelet and clasp is uniform and homogeneous, which is often quite rare to see in micro-brand watches of this price. The clasp features a generous amount of tool-free micro-adjustment, and I was able to dial in a perfect fit everyday while reviewing this piece. The overall wear-ability is terrific, and I think the 39mm diameter together with the compact lug to lug width will allow this watch to be suitable for a very wide range of wrist sizes.
Wrapping Up
Priced at a little over $400 USD, the MMI Awagami Winter is an excellent watch overall. The build quality and finishing of the case and bracelet are terrific: easily a step above any Seiko you can find in this price range. The adjustable clasp deserves a second mention and adds to the overall “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” design identity of this piece.
But the real star of the show is the Washi dial. It’s quite unusual to find a watch with one of these dials at this price point, and I think MMI and the Awagami Factory have done an excellent job bringing the world of paper dials to the more affordable watch community, and they’ve done it without cutting corners in any way. If you’re attracted to the styling of a Washi dial in a slightly sporty everyday watch, and you’re not looking to spend thousands of dollars on a high-end Citizen, this is an easy watch to recommend.
