TAKATA Lemnos - since 1947

The story of the company TAKATA Lemnos Inc. begins in 1947 in Shirogane-machi, Takaoka, with the making of brass altar fittings for Buddhist shrines. In 1963, the company moved to the town of Takaoka, where it remains established. We are pleased to offer the brand at Maison Godillot.

A shift towards clock making

Over the next 20 years, the company began producing clock frames for Seiko (then Seikosha Co., Ltd.). In 1986, Lemnos started to fully make its own clocks. Three years later, Lemnos received its first Good Design Award.

The origin of the name Lemnos

The name Lemnos was chosen by the company’s founder, Hiroshi Takata, after the island where Hephaestus, the god of craftsmen in Greek mythology, lived.

“A clock is not only to tell us the time, it is also a masterpiece of craft and design. It shapes the space. It is not a passing fashion, it is timeless.”

A response to the challenges of the 1990s

Faced with counterfeiting issues in the late 1990s, Lemnos moved away from the casting process and began developing new techniques and materials. Among these innovations were wooden frames and bent plywood to create unique models.

Collaboration with renowned designers

At a design award ceremony in Toyama, Mr. Takata met Akira Yamamoto, the current designer and close collaborator of the famous Riki Watanabe. This meeting led to the creation of the iconic RIKI clock, now Lemnos’s hallmark.