Shohei Ohtani Receives Seiko Star Time: A Watch That Can Track One Million Hours

For 10 years now, baseball legend Shohei Ohtani has repped Seiko as an ambassador, beginning domestically and evolving to a global-scale partnership. The relationship between the two predates Ohtani’s signing with the Dodgers and kicked off when the star pitcher’s rise was becoming meteoric after winning both the Japan Series and Pacific League MVP in 2016. Now, this duo represents one of the lengthiest continuous partnerships between Seiko and an athlete. Just this week, Seiko made a big move, celebrating a decade of collaboration with Ohtani, presenting the record-breaking player with a one-of-a-kind watch that was in development for over three years: the Seiko Star Time. 

Key Details 

As the brand details it, the creative spark of the project was ignited with a simple question by Shohei: “How much more time do I have in my baseball career?” Given that many of Ohtani’s collaborations with the brand have centered around the Astron GPS Solar line, it is only logical that Seiko would turn to the stars for inspiration. 

At first glance, one can easily tell that this isn’t your everyday wristwatch. And its guiding concept is as ambitious as its dial layout is futuristic. The goal? A mechanical way of tracking time cumulatively, rather than being limited to a singular 24-hour day. Collectively, the Seiko Star Time can track up to one million hours – that’s more than a whopping 114 years. 

How It Works 

To accomplish this feat of mechanical timekeeping, the Seiko Star Time’s dial utilizes a combination of five concentric disks that traverse through time independently. Starting at the centermost disk, we’ve got the typical 24-hour time scale. Just outside of that is the 1,000-hour range, followed by 1,000 hours, 10,000 hours, 100,000 hours, and 1,000,000 hours. It’s time on a scale that, for a mere mortal like me, is difficult to comprehend but is inspired by the slow yet meaningful movement of stars in the night sky. Similarly, while the outermost disk's rotation is almost invisible to the naked eye from moment to moment, it is nonetheless tracking its course. 

A complete revolution of each disk is marked with a center diamond-setting. This detail is somewhat surprising in its bling factor, but symbolically, it is intended to serve as a North Star of sorts and, as the brand tells it, a firm and unwavering goal to strive for. As a fun, easter egg detail in the center 24-hour disk, the red pointer takes the form of Ohtani’s jersey number 17. 

Watch Specs

Despite its mechanical novelty, the diameter of the Seiko Star Time is surprisingly efficient at 41.8mm, with the futuristically shaped case in high-intensity titanium. But, each of those concentric disks is a lot thicker than the run-of-the-mill hour disk, and the entire dial is topped with a boxed sapphire crystal, so the case profile is somewhat on the dramatic side in comparison at 17.4mm, but the brand has employed a unique case structure (only used in this model, thus far) to achieve this height. As another tie-in to the star motif, the sides of the titanium are engraved with lines that follow the curved case and are intended to mimic their motion across the sky. The crown also has a blue sapphire cabochon that complements the overall blue colors used throughout.

It’s important to note that this watch is a complete one-off, designed exclusively for Ohtani, and will not be available for purchase by the watch-loving public. As such, the silicone strap that the Star Time is paired with is tailored to the player’s exact wrist measurements. Additionally, Seiko has not detailed any proprietary movement details on this one. A bit of a bummer, but I guess it's fair to keep some trade secrets to yourself in a one-of-one situation. 

Final Thoughts

Since, at the moment, Ohtani himself and other Seiko insiders are the only ones who have been able to witness the watch with their own eyes, it might be fitting to quote the man himself on his impression of the Star Time: “I wanted to wear something that reflects the time I’ve put in so far and how much further I can go. Seeing the watch in person, it’s exactly as I had imagined, and I think it’s truly wonderful.” 

For more information, visit the brand’s website here.