Talking Watches: With Yoshihide Isogai – Former President Of Shellman Watches In Tokyo
This article was originally published on Hodinkee.jp. It has been translated from Japanese.
Talking Watches, our video series where enthusiasts, celebrities, and collectors talk with the Hodinkee editorial team about watches, is back with a new original Japanese episode for the first time in a long while. This time, our guest is Yoshihide Isogai, who is well-known to Japanese vintage watch enthusiasts. He is the man who built Shellman, founded by his brother Kenbun, into one of the world’s leading vintage watch dealers. He’s also known for introducing Philippe Dufour to Japan and sparking the boom in independent watchmakers. He’s a legend in the Japanese watch world. All of the watches he showed us in this episode are amazing masterpieces that could fit in a museum.
Mr. Isogai was originally a trading company employee dealing in robots and other products. He joined Shellman, which was founded by his two older brothers, in the mid-stages of the company, and in the video he talks passionately about what led him to step into the world of vintage watches. He also shares some interesting anecdotes about his encounters with independent watchmakers and the behind-the-scenes stories of making original watches.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3428 (With Cal. 27-460)
When you think of a vintage Patek Philippe Calatrava with an enamel dial, you probably jump to the ref. 2526 first. Born in 1953, the ref. 2526 is one of Patek Philippe’s first references equipped with the in-house automatic movement cal. 12-600AT. It’s a masterpiece designed to prevent deterioration caused by moisture and aging due to sunlight by using an enamel dial to maintain its beauty semi-permanently. This example is the next-generation ref. 3428 equipped with cal. 27-460.
The ref. 2526 is famous, but the ref. 3428 was produced in smaller numbers and is even rarer. At first glance, the ref. 3428 and ref. 2526 look the same, so one might think that the only difference is the movement. However, due to this difference (cal.12-600AT is 5.4mm thick, while cal.27-460 is 4.6mm thick), the ref. 3428 has a thinner case than its predecessor.
Mr. Isogai’s ref. 3428 has no scratches or cracks on the enamel dial, and the case is in excellent condition, with the edges still intact and the soft curves unique to its case. What attracted Mr. Isogai to the 3428? You’ll have to watch the video for that.
Patek Philippe Ref. 1593 Hour Glass
This watch is an 18K rose gold model of the ref. 1593, one of Patek Philippe’s flared case models. If the ref. 96 is the representative of the Calatrava, then the ref. 1593 is the flared equivalent. It features a case that curves up and down, and is also called the “Hourglass” because its case shape is reminiscent of an hourglass.
Models with angular cases like the Hour Glass often have sharp edges, but they have been polished to the point that they no longer have their original shape or have been rounded off. However, Isogai’s watch retains the original details, such as the lugs, which were originally slightly chamfered. In addition, because the crystal has a strong curved shape, it’s often chipped by impact or replaced with a plastic one later, but this one still features its original crystal. Everything from the case to the crystal, dial, and hands is original and in excellent condition.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3445
Mr. Isogai says that the ref. 3445 is his favorite model along with the 3428. This model is equipped with the Cal. 27-460M with a date display, a popular and practical Patek.
The first highlight of this watch is the dial. Many of the ref. 3445s on the market have dot minute indexes on the outer periphery of the dial, in the so-called pearl drop style, but this watch has an early-type dial, with minute indexes printed as thin bars. The early models were only produced for a short period between 1960 and 1961, and another characteristic of the early models is the use of a specially designed crown with a “qp” top, called a “PP crown.”
This PP crown is used in models equipped with the first in-house automatic movement, cal.12-600AT, and the early cal.27-460, but was often replaced when watches were serviced, making it hard to find on vintage Calatravas like this.
Rolex Ref. 4220 Oyster Speedking
This is a Rolex ref. 4220 Oyster Speedking. Vintage Rolexes have a wide variety of dial and hand designs. Among them, the Speedking is a relatively common model, but this example stands out for its condition.
All of Mr. Isogai’s collection is in excellent condition, but this one’s among the best. It’s all original and in mint condition, with the original expansion rivet bracelet, crown, and crystal. Of course, it’s scratched from age, but the case does not appear to have been polished, and the dial is in excellent condition, too.
Svend Andersen Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar (Henry Birks)
This is a minute repeater perpetual calendar (or more accurately, a perpetual calendar moonphase minute repeater) made by Svend Andersen, the famous independent watchmaker. The movement repurposes a vintage minute repeater caliber and adds a perpetual calendar module with a retrograde date indicator that Andersen developed himself. This is said to be one of the earliest pieces he made.
Mr. Isogai acquired this watch more than 30 years ago and said that at the time, it could be had for around $24,000 to $26,000. At that time, a Patek Philippe’s ref. 96 (Calatrava) could be found for $1,700, the 3428 for $3,600, and the ref. 3450 (perpetual calendar) for around $6,000. Even the perpetual calendar chronograph ref. 2499 could be purchased for around $20,000. Isogai said he remembers it as a very expensive purchase for the time, and now it’s one of his favorites.
There are two additional details of note. First, the dial does not have the signature of Svend Andersen or his brand Andersen Genève, but instead, “Henry Birks” on the outer circumference of the dial at six o’clock. Henry Birks is a luxury jeweler founded in Montreal, Canada.
The second is that while Andersen Genève also produces a model with the same functions as this watch, it has a number of different details. In the case of Andersen Genève’s minute repeater perpetual calendar, the leap year display is provided on the month subdial at the three o’clock position on the dial, but this watch does not have one. Furthermore, the minute repeater slide lever is usually located near the caseback on the 9 o’clock side of the case where the calendar adjustment button is located, but in this watch, it’s found on the 3 o’clock side of the case, and the crown is also located at 1:30 instead of 3 o’clock. These differences seem to be due to the base caliber used.
Svend Andersen Smallest Calendar Watch (Unique Piece)
This is also one of Svend Andersen’s creations, and as its name suggests, it is known as the watch that was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989 as the world’s smallest calendar watch (at the time). The case is 24mm long, 10mm wide, and 7.5mm high, with an 18K yellow gold middle case and white gold lugs. The calendar module is only 1.4mm thick. According to an article reporting this feat at the time, the calendar mechanism is made up of six gears, each of the three springs is 0.06mm thick, the main plate is 0.4mm thick, and the dial is 0.3mm thick, revealing the amazing structure of the calendar mechanism being added in the space of only 0.7mm between the main plate and the dial. Because the movement is so small, the winding crown is attached to the back of the case.
This movement is made by European Watch and Clock Company Inc. (EWC). According to Isogai, the caliber was a special order by Cartier but never fully cased into a watch until Andersen acquired and revived it. This is a unique piece that Isogai fell in love with from the first time he saw the movement on display in Andersen’s workshop. and asked Andersen to give it to him. Isogai worked with Andersen to design and case the watch. Isogai says that the excitement and thrill he felt at the time of making this watch became the starting point for his later original Shellman production watches.
In fact, Svend Andersen later produced several of these small calendar watches using the remaining movements. After selling four of them through Beyer Chronometrie, Switzerland’s oldest watch and jewelry store in Zurich, Andersen was approached by Theodor Beyer (the previous president of the store), who wanted one for an exhibit at the Beyer Watch Museum, and Andersen reassembled the disassembled prototype. Theodor Beyer passed away before receiving it, but in 2013, his son René Beyer donated it to the museum (check out our Talking Watches with René here).
Shellman Original Grand Complication Classic
This is a bracelet model of Shellman’s original Grand Complication Classic, which Mr. Isogai worked on while he was president. The complex mechanisms of the perpetual calendar, moon phase, minute repeater, and split-second chronograph are realized by using a quartz movement. When this watch was completed in 1996, the practical idea of making a grand complication watch like a work of art with a quartz movement and using all the functions freely, including the calendar, was innovative (it was said that mechanical grand complication watches were far from practical, as it was common for the calendar not to be synchronized after the power reserve ran out).
This attempt was highly praised worldwide, and in 1997, the year after its release, it was designated as a permanent exhibit at the International Museum of Watchmaking in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. After seeing vintage grand comps, Isogai explains in the video why he decided to create this quartz movement model. Nowadays, it’s becoming more common for Japanese shops and small independent brands to make watches and receive international acclaim, but there is no doubt that Isogai was a pioneer in unique domestic watchmaking that does not rely on major international companies.
Shellman Original World Time Minute Repeater Cloisonné Dial
This is also one of Shellman’s original watches, a World Time Minute Repeater with a cloisonné dial made in 2002. It is even more detailed than the Grand Complication Classic, and while it has a quartz movement, it uses a cloisonné dial. Although cloisonné dials are popular among watch enthusiasts, they are delicate and easily broken, making them unsuitable for practical use. This Shellman World Time Minute Repeater was made with the desire to enjoy cloisonné in everyday life, both beautiful and unbreakable. In addition to this blue enamel dial, Shellman made a brown enamel later. This watch has also been certified as a permanent exhibit at the International Watch Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Our Talking Watches only shows a small part of Isogai’s collection, and we were able to see many other wonderful watches from his collection. But hopefully, this selection illustrates his wide range in taste, from vintage Patek to modern watches that he had a hand in creating.
Hodinkee
