[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] Japanese watch brand Seiko has given Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani, who has served as its promotional model for 10 years, a one-of-a-kind special wristwatch.
According to Japanese media outlets including GQ Japan, Seiko unveiled the special model 'Seiko Star Time' that it created for Ohtani on the 3rd.
The watch is the only model in the world capable of displaying time spanning about 1 million hours, or roughly 114 years. Unlike ordinary watches, which focus on showing the current time, its key feature is that it records both the time accumulated so far and the time yet to come.
The project began development about three years ago after Ohtani said he wondered, "How much more time can I accumulate as a baseball player?"
To bring that idea to life, Seiko applied a proprietary design using five circular discs. Each disc shows cumulative time in units of 24 hours, 1,000 hours, 10,000 hours, 100,000 hours, and 1 million hours, while the center disc indicates the current time.
The company said it separately developed a dedicated case structure, movement, and new assembly method to keep the watch as thin as possible while stacking multiple discs.
Ohtani's input was also reflected in the design. Through repeated exchanges during development, the idea of placing diamonds on each disc was adopted, and the strap was also made from a custom silicone material tailored to Ohtani's wrist size.
At the presentation ceremony, Ohtani said, "Seeing the actual watch, it was exactly what I had imagined, and I think it is truly a wonderful piece."
Shinji Hattori, chairman and CEO of Seiko, said, "A wristwatch with such an outstanding cumulative time display function is a very meaningful challenge even on a global scale," adding, "I hope this watch will help Ohtani reflect on the time he has spent so far, while also inspiring dreams for the future that lies ahead."
Jang Jong-ho, Sportschosun, bellho@sportschosun.com
