Tokyo’s Perregaux Cafe: Where Vintage Watches Meet Fine Wine

One evening last autumn, while exploring Tokyo’s Kagurazaka area in search of a place to enjoy a glass of wine before dinner, I came across the Perregaux cafe. Its inviting outdoor seating and French-style chalkboard menu immediately drew me in. Soon, I discovered this establishment also specializes in the sale and repair of vintage watches — a rare pairing.

Having covered watches and frequented cafes for many years, I had never encountered a venue that combined these two passions. The owner, Kunio Sado, 70, believes his cafe is likely the only one of its kind worldwide.

The cafe’s name pays tribute to François Perregaux, a 19th-century Swiss watchmaker renowned for introducing the first Swiss wristwatches to Japan, according to Mr. Sado.

Inside the intimate, 20-seat cafe, jazz music sets a relaxed mood. Among the decor is a Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos table clock from the 1960s, which Mr. Sado keeps as a personal piece and does not offer for sale. He describes the interior design as inspired by his travels and personal experiences.

Mr. Sado’s fascination with horology began in the 1970s. Over the years, while managing air traffic control for Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, he amassed a collection of 700 to 800 timepieces. Many of these watches are now available for purchase at his cafe.