G-SHOCK worn by Rintaro Sasaki, who has been accepted to Stanford University on a full scholarship

"Celebrity Watch Hunting" focuses on the watches favored by celebrities from various fields. This time, we take a look at the G-SHOCK worn by Rintaro Sasaki, who just graduated from Hanamaki Higashi High School on March 1st and is now attending Stanford University on a full scholarship.

Rintaro Sasaki, who passed through the narrow gate to Stanford University

　Sasaki Rintaro has decided not to play in professional baseball or Japanese college baseball, but to attend the prestigious Stanford University in California, USA. This news must have come as a surprise to many. What's more, he enrolled on a full scholarship, which only about 5% of students receive.

　Rintaro Sasaki is a junior at Hanamaki Higashi High School, which produced Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi, and is an outstanding high school slugger. He has hit 140 home runs, the most in high school baseball history. Rintaro Sasaki is 184 cm tall and weighs 113 kg, and his powerful long-range hitting ability is his specialty.

　His father is Coach Hiroshi Sasaki, the head coach of the Hanamaki Higashi High School baseball team. The father-son relationship of being both a baseball team coach and a father can seem difficult, but in the Sasaki family's case, it seems to have worked out perfectly for the better. While he reportedly received offers from several American universities, the words of the Stanford University baseball team coach, "I want to take care of him like a father, supporting him through his life and helping him reach the next stage," resonated with Coach Hiroshi Sasaki and Rintaro Sasaki. When deciding on his future career, Sasaki considered both Japanese professional baseball and Japanese universities, but chose the path with the greater opportunity to be drafted by NPB and MLB twice, in his second and third years.

　Stanford University is truly a university where you can aim to excel in both academics and sports. Sasaki Rintaro himself said, "I didn't make this decision solely based on my baseball career. I made the final decision with the intention of thinking about my own way of life, 'not for a moment's joy, but for a lifetime of joy.' I wasn't just focused on baseball, and I was also very focused on my academics."

　Stanford University is a powerhouse baseball school that will advance to the College World Series for three consecutive years starting in 2021. Along with a photo of Sasaki Rintaro wearing a Stanford University uniform and the number 3 on his back, the website also features a comment that reads, "He may be the most anticipated international player to play college baseball in the United States in recent years. His power bat suits our playing style, and we hope he will be an immediate asset in helping us achieve our goal of competing for and winning the national title."

Sasaki Rintaro, who is at a crossroads in his life, is wearing a G-SHOCK in the colors of Hanamaki Higashi High School.

　When Sasaki Rintaro was interviewed at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture on February 20, 2024, he was wearing what appeared to be a G-SHOCK DW-5900JT-6JF watch on his wrist. It's a pop-colored piece from the JOYTOPIA series, which evokes a retro-futuristic feel. Its transparent resin case and band make it a unique model. As many of you may have noticed, Hanamaki Higashi High School's color is fuchsia, which seems no coincidence. Perhaps this is Sasaki Rintaro's way of expressing himself, seeing his high school life at Hanamaki Higashi High School as part of his own identity.

　Since its launch in 1983, G-SHOCK has continued to evolve. Not only are they tough, functional, practical, and fashionable, but many models are also rare and collectible. Even the classic series can be dramatically transformed by simply changing the color or material, and this fascinating aspect has captured the hearts of many fans.

　The base model for this piece is the DW-5900C, an early digital basic model from G-SHOCK, which features three innovative digital graphics compared to previous LCD models. It was first released overseas and then re-imported to Japan, where it became a huge hit. Many people will remember that it was released as a reissue model for the 35th anniversary of G-SHOCK in 2018. It faithfully reproduces the original design and remains one of the most popular models to this day.

　We will continue to pay close attention to what kind of watch Sasaki Rintaro will choose as he begins his life in America and beyond.

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