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This week, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed generational celebrity Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal—the most important in skilled sports activities historical past. And for his first-ever press convention at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, the Japanese icon strapped on a most wonderful timepiece.
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Whereas many would have a good time the higher a part of a billion bucks with some iced-out monstrosity, Ohtani sprung as an alternative for a Grand Seiko ref. SBGM221—an computerized, 39.5mm GMT that prices lower than $5,000. Having grown up in Japan and begun his baseball profession there, the selection definitely appears to mirror pleasure in his heritage—although there’s a lot to like about this watch past that connection.
Grand Seiko, after all, has been crafting unbelievable, high-end timepieces in Japan since 1960. Whereas Seiko is understood for its reasonably priced wares, G.S. covers the higher finish of the market, with watches retailing for between a number of thousand bucks as much as a number of hundred thousand. (An excellent higher-end, vaguely secretive Seiko marque, Credor, builds exceptionally nice timepieces out of valuable metals.)
Housed in a stainless-steel case, the SBGM221 is a gem in a catalog full of gorgeous items. Boasting a box-shaped sapphire crystal and Zaratsu-polished lugs—a Grand Seiko hallmark—it has the look of a traditional GS mannequin from the mid-Twentieth century, however upsized for extra trendy tastes. (Although, fortunately, not overly so—it nonetheless clocks in under 40mm.) Its ivory dial with utilized indices, an internal 24-hour observe in black, and superbly polished dauphine palms is easy and stylish, whereas its blue, arrow-shaped GMT hand makes checking the time in a second time zone a cinch.
The Rolex GMT-Grasp is, after all, the golden customary for dual-time watches. However its heavy metal case and matching bracelet conveys a selected utilitarian aesthetic; the SBGM221’s look, then again, is far dressier, particularly with its included brown crocodile leather-based strap. Powering it, in the meantime, is a Grand Seiko 9S66 computerized motion with a 72-hour energy reserve and +5 to -3 seconds per day of accuracy—a top-notch in-house caliber. The watch’s designer, Nobuhiro Kosugi, acquired the Up to date Grasp Craftsman designation from the Japanese authorities.
