Seiko Unveils Its Most Advanced Mechanical Watch Ever

Watches, as we know them, are a constant reminder that time is linear, but they obscure the fact that it is also infinite.

Almost all watch and clock dials track the current day, and many give you a specific location in time, ranging from a day of the month to a perpetual calendar. But none give you a grand view of your place within a lifetime or longer, counting how far you’ve come and how much farther you have left to go.

Except this one.

Seiko

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Shohei Ohtani tasked Seiko’s design team with creating a constant reminder of that broad temporal context for him to wear on his wrist. If anyone outside the brand could command such an ambitious goal, it’s Ohtani.

The world’s greatest baseball player is from Japan, a country that reveres “America’s Pastime” more than any other, even America. A Michael Jordan in the 1990s-level of fame earned him an unheard-of sponsorship as the face of Seiko.

Along with a common homeland, the watchmaker and the athlete share an unwavering drive for perfection, pursued one step at a time. That determination is manifested in the Star Time, a watch that tracks one million hours on a single dial.

Seiko

The agreed-upon metaphorical inspiration is the movement of the stars across the night sky. You don’t notice the movement in real time, but viewed by the hour, by the day and by the year, fantastic motion is revealed.

Building the watch, which Ohtani helped conceive and design every step of the way, required a completely new mechanical movement and dial.

One million hours

The Star Time dial consists of five stacked discs, with the center acting as a 24-hour watch dial that tells the time like any other. With each full turn of the center one-day disc, the next successive disc moves once in a 1,000-hour, or 42-day rotation.

Seiko

Each successive disc moves once with a full rotation of the adjacent inner disc. Moving outward, the next tracks 10,000 hours, followed by 100,000 hours and finally, 1,000,000 hours.

It was Ohtani’s idea to add the diamonds to represent stars. The center diamond is a metaphor for the North Star, famous for remaining stationary in the night sky as all others move around it.

According to Seiko’s press release, the dial motif stands for “an unwavering goal whose position never changes. It expresses Shohei Ohtani’s determination to move forward without hesitation, steadfastly pursuing that goal.”

One-of-one

It was important to Ohatni that the Star Time be comfortable enough to wear every day. The 42mm-wide by 17mm-tall case is made of Seiko’s High-Intensity Titanium, topped with a blue ceramic bezel holding a box sapphire crystal.

It is equipped with a fitted silicone strap secured with a High-Intensity Titanium folding clasp, specifically fitted for Ohanti’s wrist. The watch is even waterproof to 100m.

Seiko

Unfortunately, Seiko did not disclose any details about the movement’s mechanical makeup, likely because it is packed with brand-new developments that may come to market in other projects down the road.

Another thing Seiko did not disclose about the Star Time is its price, as it is not for sale. Only one was made, and it was gifted to Ohanti.

Right now, the single Star Time watch is counting away towards its 114-year endpoint with unwavering pursuit.

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