Some watches impress instantly, while others reveal themselves slowly. The Tsunami by Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka looks disarmingly simple, especially at first glance: a compact, time-only watch with classical proportions, a sort of high-end Japanese Calatrava, as sleek and discreet as it can be. Spend time with it, and it opens up, becoming a perfect expression of independent watchmaking , shaped by one man’s vision, his discipline and, to some extent, his refusal to follow convention. This latest iteration of the Tsunami, the Édition Blanche, is a refined take on the model launched around 2013 and is a personal, almost philosophical expression of what a perfect time-only mechanical watch should be. Not Asaoka’s most complex watch, but arguably his most representative. The maker Hajime Asaoka is a self-taught watchmaker, now a member of the AHCI, with a background in product design. He developed his craft through the application of basic principles, books, machines, and iteration.…