Minase
Minase Five Windows 40 mm Blue Sapphire
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Minase · Five Windows
Minase Five Windows 40 mm Blue Sapphire
Reference 27105OR.44
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Minase
- Collection
- Five Windows
- Model
- Minase Five Windows 40 mm Blue Sapphire
- Reference number
- 27105OR.44
- Year / era
- 2005 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- High-accuracy quartz
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 66C — High-accuracy quartz
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, seconds, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2005 – 2012
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Minase Five Windows 40 mm Blue Sapphire sits within Minase's Five Windows line, introduced in 2005. It carries the house codes established since 2005 — sapphire crystal case case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and high-accuracy quartz — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Minase
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 2005
- Founder
- Kyowa Co. / Susumu Kitamura
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Tier
- Japanese
- Major collections
- Divido, Five Windows, Horizon, Masterpiece
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- Automatic, 24 jewels · Eco-Drive solar quartz · High-accuracy quartz · Spring Drive
- Notable watches
- Minase Divido (2000) · Minase Horizon (2001) · Minase Uruga (2002)
Brand history
Minase has spent more than 21 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Divido, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Kyowa Co. / Susumu Kitamura established Minase in 2005, working from Japan at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Minase calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
2005
Kyowa Co. / Susumu Kitamura founds Minase in Japan.
2024
Minase continues to produce Divido, Five Windows, Horizon and other icons in limited numbers.