Minase
Minase Masterpiece 44 mm Meteorite 18k
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 · Masterpiece
Minase Masterpiece 44 mm Meteorite 18k
Reference 11698OR.71
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Minase
- Collection
- Masterpiece
- Model
- Minase Masterpiece 44 mm Meteorite 18k
- Reference number
- 11698OR.71
- Year / era
- 2005 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- Spring Drive
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 32B — Spring Drive
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2005 – 2019
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Minase Masterpiece 44 mm Meteorite 18k sits within Minase's Masterpiece line, introduced in 2005. It carries the house codes established since 2005 — 18k white gold case, meteorite dial and spring drive — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
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.
More Masterpiece
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Minase Masterpiece 41 mm Mother-of-pearl 18k
Ref. 24579OR.21
Minase Masterpiece 38 mm Mother-of-pearl Sapphire
Ref. 49348OR.39
Minase Masterpiece 37 mm Meteorite Stainless
Ref. 38039ST.97