Plus, a familiar face shows us the kind of watch you can buy after retiring as an all-time great.
Shohei Ohtani continues to prove that he might just be the biggest thing baseball has ever seen. And now he has a contract to prove it.
Last we – in the watch world anyway – heard from the two-way superstar (that means he’s one of the best pitchers and batters in the league, for those not sports-inclined), the Japanese-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 player was doing his thing with the Los Angeles Angels, racking up hits and an incredible pitching performance for the season. It was exactly what made Ohtani a star Seiko is glad to have as an ambassador. That’s why they launched a Japanese-market exclusive Seiko Prospex diver in his honor. But despite an unfortunate injury, there was even bigger news ahead for Ohtani.
This week, he upgraded, well, his contract, at least. Already a two-time MVP, Ohtani signed a massive $700 million, 10-year contract with a crosstown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, which by total number was the most valuable contract in sports history. And if you’re of the mind that Grand Seiko is the big brother of the Seiko family, then you could say he upgraded his watch too, because he looked to be rocking the Grand Seiko SBGJ217 as he donned the Dodgers’ blue, white, and red for the first time.
Ohtani hasn’t been the most prominent U.S. ambassador for the brand – he speaks some English but prefers to speak Japanese and let his interpreter do any translation – but it’s hard not to at least glance at his wrist during such a massive moment in sports history. I saw the photo of Ohtani’s announcement while hanging out with some Hodinkee colleagues, so I passed my phone to Danny Milton, and we zoomed and squinted. Other people had identified it as possibly an SBGM221, but I wasn’t convinced. Looking at six o’clock on the dial, I noticed three lines of text – the middle of which was longer – which narrowed it down to a High-Beat GMT. The case shape made it an “Elegance” collection watch, and the dial had long stick indices, none of which were doubled up. Combined with a white dial, I landed on the SBGJ217 as my best (educated) guess.
That wasn’t the only big Instagram watch-spotting moment of the evening. If you’re talking about all-time greats, Tom Brady knows a thing or two. He is no stranger to being a brand ambassador – he was with IWC for a long time – but all good things eventually come to an end, and Tom Brady is having a ball in retirement as a free agent.
Brady stepped out at the grand opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas wearing a Patek Philippe ref. 5002R “Sky Moon Tourbillon.” The watch features a tourbillon, of course, a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, and a reverse side with sidereal time, a sky chart, and the phase and orbit of the moon. Noted “WatchTok” content creator Mike Nouveau seems to have some inside information, saying the watch is a pièce unique. I haven’t been able to verify, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
Brady has rocked a Rolex “John Player Special” Paul Newman Daytona recently and a Patek ref. 3974 perpetual calendar minute repeater while throwing some footballs at a Miami gala. That makes it a sports watch now – don’t look at me, I don’t make the rules. Either way, Brady might have a few tips for how Ohtani could spend all his newfound money in retirement someday.
