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This week, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed generational superstar Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal—the largest in professional sports history. And for his first-ever press conference at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, the Japanese icon strapped on a most excellent timepiece.
While many would celebrate the better part of a billion bucks with some iced-out monstrosity, Ohtani sprung instead for a Grand Seiko ref. SBGM221—an automatic, 39.5mm GMT that costs less than $5,000. Having grown up in Japan and begun his baseball career there, the choice certainly seems to reflect pride in his heritage—though there’s plenty to love about this watch beyond that connection.
Grand Seiko, of course, has been crafting incredible, high-end timepieces in Japan since 1960. While Seiko is known for its affordable wares, G.S. covers the upper end of the market, with watches retailing for between a few thousand bucks up to several hundred thousand. (An even higher-end, vaguely secretive Seiko marque, Credor, builds exceptionally fine timepieces out of precious metals.)
Housed in a stainless steel case, the SBGM221 is a gem in a catalog full of beautiful pieces. Boasting a box-shaped sapphire crystal and Zaratsu-polished lugs—a Grand Seiko hallmark—it has the look of a classic GS model from the mid-20th century, but upsized for more modern tastes. (Though, thankfully, not overly so—it still clocks in below 40mm.) Its ivory dial with applied indices, an inner 24-hour track in black, and beautifully polished dauphine hands is simple and elegant, while its blue, arrow-shaped GMT hand makes checking the time in a second time zone a cinch.
The Rolex GMT-Master is, of course, the golden standard for dual-time watches. But its heavy steel case and matching bracelet conveys a particular utilitarian aesthetic; the SBGM221’s look, on the other hand, is much dressier, especially with its included brown crocodile leather strap. Powering it, meanwhile, is a Grand Seiko 9S66 automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve and +5 to -3 seconds per day of accuracy—a top-notch in-house caliber. The watch’s designer, Nobuhiro Kosugi, received the Contemporary Master Craftsman designation from the Japanese government.
Sure, Ohtani can conceivably afford any watch he pleases—all of them, even. But buttoning up his crisp new Dodgers jersey with a Grand Seiko GMT strapped to his wrist, he absolutely looked like a billion bucks. (Or $700 million, anyway.)
Tom Brady’s Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon. Ref. 5002R
What do you wear to a hotel opening in Vegas when you’ve just about exhausted the supply of watches that the majority of mere mortals can only dream about? This watch: the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002R. Once the most complicated timepieces ever built by Patek, the 5002 was also the maison’s first double-faced wristwatch. Incredibly, it features 12 different complications and manages to cram them all into a 42.8mm-wide case: You get a perpetual calendar with retrograde date; a mean solar time indicator; day, month, and leap year hands; a moon phase indicator; sidereal time; a sky chart; and more. Brady opted for the rose gold version on black leather, and we must say: It may be the perfect Vegas watch.
Timothée Chalamet’s Cartier Panthère
Timothée Chalamet knows a thing or two about the appeal of a barely-there watch. Such is the case with his 23mm Panthère—ostensibly a ladies’ model, this quartz-powered version makes for a perfect accessory on a confident man. And while the Panthère is often spotted in precious metals such as yellow gold, Chalamet’s stainless steel reference with a blue spinel crown turns this feline timekeeper into an excellent, everyday watch. Available in several sizes, the Panthère has always appealed to the most stylish among us—think Paltrow, Brosnan, and Richards—and Chalamet is no exception.
Keegan Michael-Key’s Rolex Milgauss ref. 116400GV
Keegan Michael-Key picked an excellent, casual choice for the Los Angeles premiere of Wonka this week—a Rolex Milgauss ref. 116400GV. Housed in a 40mm stainless steel case, this contemporary take on Rolex’s famously anti-magnetic watch includes a rare feature: a green sapphire crystal that’s unique to the model family. With its striking, lightning-shaped orange seconds hand, it’s a piece that can be easily identified across the room. And though it’s not the most likely choice for a film premier given its sporty, “I-build-nuclear-reactors-for-a-living” design remit, it looks fetching when paired with a black-and-white knit polo and worn with a bit of LA sprezzatura.
Miles Teller’s Chopard L.U.C XPS
Chopard’s watch game is increasingly strong these days. The brand’s Alpine Eagle is steadily gaining traction among watch guys everywhere, and its dressier pieces are beautifully built with impressive movement technology (its L.U.C. 1860 was a huge winner this year). Miles Teller seems to agree. The Top Gun: Maverick star threw on an L.U.C XPS in white gold with a black dial at a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony honoring Zac Efron this week. Measuring 40mm and powered by a beautifully finished automatic movement with a micro-rotor, it’s only 7.2mm thick, making it the perfect choice for pairing with a black suit like the one worn by Teller. COSC-certified and featuring dual, coaxial barrels, it’s also an impressive feat of watchmaking.
