Grand Seiko has continued building out its global partnership with Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, framing the collaboration around a shared philosophy the Japanese watchmaker says centers on incremental refinement rather than singular moments of brilliance, according to a feature published this week by Revolution Watch.
Grand Seiko first signed Ohtani as a brand ambassador during his 2018 MLB rookie season with the Los Angeles Angels, an early bet on a player whose full potential had not yet become apparent to the wider sports world. The relationship expanded significantly on March 12, when Grand Seiko announced Ohtani as its new global partner through what the company calls the “Grand Moments Project,” a collaboration the brand said centers on approaching each moment with sincerity and a deep respect for the value of time, with the initiative formally launching April 1.
“To carry forward a part of Grand Seiko’s heritage, shaped through decades of dedication, is something I deeply value,” Ohtani said in Grand Seiko’s official announcement of the partnership. “Feeling that legacy as I wear the watch brings me real joy, and it is my hope that we will continue this journey together.” He added that elevating the quality of each individual moment is important to him, a sentiment the brand has tied closely to its broader marketing message around the partnership.
Grand Seiko’s Revolution Watch feature traces the connection between Ohtani and the brand back to shared geography as much as shared philosophy. Ohtani was born in Oshu, in Iwate Prefecture, a mountainous region in northern Japan, the same prefecture that is home to Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, the workshop dedicated to assembling the brand’s mechanical watches. That studio, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, opened in 2020.
The partnership has produced several notable timepieces tied to specific milestones in Ohtani’s career. In 2021, Grand Seiko marked Ohtani’s American League MVP season by presenting him with the SLGH005, widely known among collectors as the “White Birch” for its dial design inspired by the birch forests surrounding the Shizukuishi studio. That watch went on to win the Men’s Watch Prize at that year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve, an award frequently described within the watch industry as the equivalent of the Academy Awards for watchmaking. When Ohtani signed his landmark 700 million dollar contract with the Dodgers in 2023, he was photographed wearing an understated Grand Seiko piece rather than a more overtly flashy timepiece, a moment that drew attention from watch enthusiasts at the time.
According to Revolution Watch, the White Birch has since evolved into an updated model, the SLGH031, which preserves its original design while incorporating Grand Seiko’s newer Evolution 9 bracelet and clasp. The brand has also introduced the SLGB003, which showcases its latest generation of Spring Drive technology, a hybrid movement system unique to Grand Seiko that combines mechanical and quartz elements.
The Revolution Watch feature framed the partnership as an example of shared values rather than a simple celebrity endorsement, drawing a parallel to the Japanese concept of kaizen, commonly translated as “continuous improvement,” which holds that lasting success comes through countless small refinements rather than dramatic overnight change. The piece noted that both Ohtani’s development as a two-way player, a feat not widely achieved in modern baseball since Babe Ruth gradually shifted away from pitching to focus on hitting, and Grand Seiko’s decades-long approach to refining its cases, dials and movements reflect that same underlying philosophy.
Ohtani has continued adding endorsement partnerships beyond Grand Seiko in recent months, including a modeling collaboration with the fashion brand Hugo Boss announced earlier this year, which the company said drew inspiration from baseball aesthetics and heritage design. Industry analysts have noted that Ohtani now commands more endorsement income than any other athlete in the world, a status that has coincided with his four unanimous American League and National League MVP awards and back-to-back World Series titles with the Dodgers.
Grand Seiko, founded more than six decades ago, has historically built its reputation primarily through craftsmanship rather than celebrity marketing, distinguishing its approach from Swiss luxury competitors such as Rolex and Omega, which have long relied on prominent athlete ambassadors as a central part of their brand strategy. Analysts covering the partnership, including Gear Patrol, have described Ohtani’s expanded role with Grand Seiko as a notable shift for the historically understated Japanese watchmaker as it seeks greater global visibility outside dedicated watch-collecting circles.
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