Most of the time you know what you’re getting with Seiko. While the brand creates an almost staggering array of designs — from best-in-class divers, dial-forward dress watches and digital watches which run the gamut from run-of-the-mill to truly remarkable. For all the diversity in Seiko’s extensive catalogues, there are some common threads — value is a common thread, as is the sort of practicality that comes with producing watches on such a large commercial scale. Which is why the Seiko Star Time is so surprising and so remarkable.

The watch was made for Shohei Ohtani, the Major League Baseball player who has been a Seiko ambassador for 10 years. Now, making a watch for an ambassador isn’t remarkable, but what is unusual is making a unique piece for an ambassador, and that’s exactly what the Star Time is. But the remarkable doesn’t stop there. The design and function of this piece unique is unusual, to say the least. Inspired by Ohtani’s desire to have a watch that represented his long career in professional baseball, there’s a  philosophical question at the heart of the Star Time: “How much time do I have in my baseball career?” While the latter half of that question is exceptionally specific, the first premise is quite universal.

The custom made watch was presented to Shohei Ohtani by Seiko Watch Corporation Chairman, CEO, and CCO Shinji Hattori

Seiko Star Time custom made for Shohei Ohtani

Seiko’s practical response to this expansive question is to create a watch that can display elapsed time on a far-greater scale than normal — up to one million hours to be precise. This is achieved by virtue of having time displayed on five discs, which, once you get past the innermost 24-hour display, measure increasingly large numbers of hours. The first measures 1000 hours, the second 10,000, the third 100,000, and the final outermost disc measures 1,000,000 hours. Or, to put it another way, it would take 114 years for the dial discs to fully rotate.

Information about the calibre is sparse — but it’s a brand-new module based on an existing Seiko movement, and to factor in the delicacy of the gearing and the size of the discs, the watch is quite large; the titanium case measures 41.8mm across and over 17.4mm tall, a scale that is offset a little thanks to the arched design of the profile. There are a few nice details on the dial, like the diamond zero-hour markers on the outer discs and the oversize ’17’, a reference to Ohtani’s jersey number. Beyond this, Seiko notes that Ohtani was actively involved in the design of the Star Timer.

Details on the diamond zero-hour markers on the outer discs and the oversize ’17’, a reference to Ohtani’s jersey number

The titanium case with over 17.4mm tall

While I’m sure Shohei Ohtani will wear this unique watch with pride, for me there are two main takeaways from this special project. It’s impressive that Seiko is creating genuinely novel, unique pieces which push the discipline of watchmaking forward, while remaining true to the overall ethos of the brand. Secondly, will we ever see a commercial variant of this creation?

Seiko Star Time custom made for Shohei Ohtani