The "Oceanus Manta," known for its pursuit of beautiful form within the Oceanus line, now welcomes the "OCW-S5000ME." This model features Maki-e, a traditional Japanese craft, applied to the bezel and dial to express the sparkle of water. It will be released on June 11, 2021, in a limited edition of 1,500 pieces worldwide.

Maki-e is a technique where fine brushes are used to draw pictures with lacquer, and before the lacquer hardens, gold or silver Maki-e powder is sprinkled on to create patterns. This first Maki-e model from Oceanus, utilizing this traditional Japanese craft to express exquisite beauty, will be released in a limited edition of 1,500 pieces worldwide.

The Maki-e production and supervision were handled by Yutaro Shimoide, a Kyoto Maki-e artist and Professor Emeritus at Kyoto Sangyo University. While retaining Oceanus's inherent elegance and urban styling, a new world of expression has been forged.

The motif is Shimoide's representative work, "Eternal Whisper," which expresses the sparkle of water. Shimoide himself meticulously applied platinum Maki-e by hand to the sapphire glass of the dial and bezel, integrating the beauty of traditional craftsmanship with Oceanus's affinity for the sea.

The Maki-e design delicately expresses the "sparkle of water" by applying platinum to a pattern called "Maki-bokashi Nukibori Namimon" (scattered shading, outlined wave pattern), where Maki-e powder is sprinkled in a gradient, intentionally leaving some areas unadorned.

While the conventional technique involves applying lacquer to the surface and then sprinkling Maki-e powder, a new method was developed to treat the back of the bezel and dial. This allows the beauty of Maki-e to be incorporated into a watch, which is not a traditional craft item.

By fixing Maki-e powder onto the back surface, which features a ripple pattern applied with transparent paint, and then layering transparent to black paint over it, a design that enhances the contours and sparkle of the Maki-e powder became possible. The mirror finish on the inner side of the bezel ring causes the sapphire glass to reflect, creating a beautifully three-dimensional effect.

In addition to standard radio wave reception, it also features smartphone link functionality using Bluetooth. By connecting with the dedicated app, world time can be easily and intuitively set for approximately 300 cities.