The Inimitable Ikigai Kame

Article by Marc Levesque; photography by Brent Robillard

Reason for being

While writing for Worn & Wound, one of my responsibilities was to source and research small independent brands for my Micro-Brand Digest column. The goal was to publish this piece once a month, but in reality, it came out every 6 to 8 weeks. I would select five brands each time, with one of them specifically being Canadian, as that was my personal requirement. During my research, I came across a small Japanese brand called Ikigai.

Ikigai truly captured my attention and held it. The founder, Auscar Tan, embodies the essence of hope and joy. His watches reflect these qualities, which is evident in their design. The term “ikigai” (pronounced ee-key-guy) is a Japanese concept that combines two words: “iki,” meaning ‘alive’ or ‘life,’ and “Gai,” meaning ‘benefit’ or ‘worth.’ In essence, ikigai translates to a reason for being.

Turtle vs Samurai: Who Wins?

Their first model, the Maru 200m, was priced at $499 USD and offered impressive specifications for its price. It featured a copious amount of C3 and BGW9 SuperLuminova, including along the watch’s sides, adding decoration and flair. Our friend Bob Allaby created a video about this watch, which you can view here. That model is completely sold out. Auscar wanted to elevate his design for their second watch, and I believe he succeeded beyond expectations. He wasn’t even on the same scale anymore.

The Kame Dive watch featured several distinctive qualities. It had a striking hexagonal, scalloped solid steel bezel adorned with seven luminescent triangles. It was also fully graduated, with hash marks and numerals filled with luminous material. The dial showcased large, applied, delta-shaped markers, especially prominent at the cardinal points. It had an exotic crown, and the dial displayed a hexagonal pattern that changed appearance from different angles. However, the watch’s design was somewhat excessive, which ultimately led to it not achieving its funding goal on Kickstarter.

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Auscar returned to his design, refining his vision while toning it down to appeal to a broader audience. The result is a more refined and cohesive model that maintains his vision of being distinctly different while achieving his desire to appeal to a broader audience. Like the Maru, the new Kame is an impressive spec monster that genuinely redefines value for your money. Just as Formex has set a new standard for Swiss-made value, Ikigai, in my opinion, establishes a new benchmark for what is achievable from the Far East.

Key Features of the Ikigai Kame

Case and materials

The sea turtle inspires the design of his watch. The pattern on the dial’s center resembles a turtle’s shell, while the profile view reveals that the cutouts on the lugs resemble the turtle’s flippers, and the watch’s crown resembles its head. This connection is quite subtle but becomes particularly satisfying once you notice it. The case has a diameter of 40mm, a thickness of 12mm, and measures 47mm from lug tip to lug tip. This, in my opinion, is the perfect size for a dive watch. Each lug features a beautifully polished chamfer that resembles the lire lugs from Omega, but it does not taper down to the end link. Instead, the transition is seamless.

The screw-down case back features a deeply engraved scene of a picturesque Japanese mountainside, with a wave and a close-up of a sea turtle. I almost hear him say “totally tubular,” just like Crush from Finding Nemo. The engraving is truly exceptional. It appears as though the material has been removed, leaving the design in relief, which makes it very appealing. I would always prefer this kind of striking engraving over a display case back. Unless the watch is a Lange & Söhne, then again, what do you suppose one of their engravings would look like?

One interesting detail is the screw-down crown, which is positioned between two form-fitting crown guards. It measures just over 6mm in diameter and features an engraved Ikigai origami crane logo. However, that’s not all. They filled the logo with luminescent paint for the sheer joy of it. How cool is that? I didn’t realize it at first, but I gasped in surprise when I shined my UV torch on the watch. I still smile whenever I see it. All these screw-down features contribute to the watch’s water resistance, allowing it to function effectively at depths of up to 200 meters.

Another standout feature is the bezel, which is topped with sapphire and adorned with a color-matching insert. All the hash marks, numerals, and the triangle emit a glow. The bezel requires 120 clicks to complete a full rotation, has no backplay, and operates with solid precision. Additionally, the finishing on its teeth is exceptionally well done, surpassing any other bezel I have seen or handled at this price point.

Dial and crystal

The 31mm slightly domed sapphire crystal offers a clear view of the dial, with only slight distortion at extreme angles. I once read that the designers elevated the dial further up into the case to reduce the thickness of certain Tudor sports watches. This appears to be the case with the Ikigai Kame diver as well. The hands seem to sit flush with the crystal, which gives it a unique look—odd, but in a good way. This design choice enhances legibility significantly. Surrounding the dial is a thin rehaut, which features the brand name. Each letter replaces a hash mark between the zero and 5-minute markers, a clever design element I’ve never encountered before.

The dial features a flat outer ring with a gradient blue color, transitioning from dark blue at the edges to lighter blue towards the center. This ring has applied hour markers, with more significant markers positioned at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock and a double marker at 12 o’clock. At the dial’s center is a disc featuring a hexagonal pattern that shifts at angles. Above the pinion is the Ikigai logo, and in small print, the model name and depth rating are below it.

The large hour and minute hands each have three facets and are long enough to reach the rehaut track. The second hand is the only detail I’ve seen elsewhere. While it’s not bad, it does have a generic appearance, featuring a triangular lume tip. Considering that a watch at this price point has only one generic detail while the rest are uniquely designed for this timepiece is quite impressive. Like everywhere else, there is an abundance of BGW9 Superluminova. This is the most incredible light show I’ve seen in a long time.

Movement

The Ikigai Kame is powered by a high-quality Japanese Miyota 9039 movement, which has been regulated for accuracy. I have discussed Miyota’s 9-series movements multiple times, and in my opinion, they are the closest equivalent that the Japanese have to the ETA 2824 and Sellita SW200 series of automatic movements. This variant is designed solely for time display and does not include a date feature; therefore, it does not have a phantom date position on the crown stem. It operates at a frequency of 4 Hz, which amounts to 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of over 42 hours. Our review sample has been keeping excellent time within COSC standards.

Bracelet

I previously mentioned the seamless integration of the end links, and it’s important to highlight this detail again. Getting this right can be challenging; many smaller brands don’t even attempt it. The female end links are designed to fit a gap of 20mm, and the bracelet features triple-piece links with a chevron-like pattern, polished bevels on their edges, and single-sided screws for adjustment. In addition, the bracelet features one of the best and nicest looking toolless micro-adjusting clasps for a watch in this price range. It outperforms many that are twice its price. Oh, and there are even quick-removal spring bars!

Specs

Case	316L Stainless Steel 40mm Diameter 47mm Lug to Lug 20mm Lug width 12mm Thick Screw Down Case Back & Crown 200m Water Resistance
Dial & Crystal	Sapphire Crystal Sector Dial /w Hexagonal Texture & Gradient Colour Applied Index Dauphine-style Hands BGW9 Super-LumiNova
Movement	Miyota 9039 24 Jewels 28 800vph 42-Hour Power Rewerve
Strap	Stainless Steel /w Toolless Micro-adjust

Ikigai Kame

Final Thoughts and Pricing

If you look closely, you might find a kitchen sink hidden somewhere in this design. Every single detail has been carefully considered, modified, or custom-made. If I sound overly enthusiastic about this watch, it’s because I truly am. I am genuinely impressed. You can tell someone put a lot of passion and thought into this watch. It must have been challenging to change the original design and somehow take it up a notch in the process without any compromises.

I didn’t mention earlier that this version of the Ikigai Kame was self-funded rather than relying on Kickstarter again. This choice reflects Auscar Tan’s confidence in his latest creation, a confidence I believe is well-founded. I did mention the price point multiple times and discussed its value. What if I told you these were selling for $1,100 USD? That would certainly be impressive, especially considering everything I’ve outlined. However, that’s not the retail price; they are available for just $550 USD. That is an incredible deal!

I challenge anyone to find another watch that offers this level of detail, design cohesion, comfort, performance, luminescence, and style at this price point. Go ahead, take your time—I can wait. Still can’t find one, right? I genuinely believe that Ikigai has set a very high standard with this watch, and they deserve recognition for it. If you’re looking for an exceptional and affordable dive watch, your search ends here. Plus, if you sign up for their newsletter, you can receive an additional $20 USD off your purchase!

Now, please forgive me as I must go. I have a giggle date with my UV torch, this watch, and my closet.

About the author

Based in Montreal, Quebec, Marc has been an enthusiastic watch collector for well over three decades. Having witnessed and participated in the birth of the internet watch community, he has played a role on multiple watch forums and his articles have appeared on-line and in print since the late 1990s. Today his passion for all things horological is as pronounced as it has ever been, while he continues his never-ending search for watch next. You can follow him on Instagram.

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