What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? "Celebrity Watch Hunting" is a serial column that introduces scenes of celebrities from around the world.
This time, we will introduce the watch worn by Yusaku Maezawa, the former president of ZOZO, who grew ZOZOTOWN into one of Japan's leading fashion online shopping sites!
Yusaku Maezawa
On September 12th, Yusaku Maezawa shocked not only those inside and outside the company, but also viewers at home, by announcing a capital and business alliance between ZOZO and IT giant Yahoo, in addition to making some surprising personnel changes, including his own resignation as CEO.
Maezawa is the CEO who built ZOZOTOWN, which he launched in 2004, into a trillion-yen company, and has attracted public attention not only for his impressive management skills but also for his bold comments on Twitter and his glamorous private life. Tracing his career, we can get a glimpse of his many different sides, including his background as a former musician who made his major debut, his love for his hometown of Chiba Prefecture, and his side as an art collector.
Maezawa is also known as a watch enthusiast.
Although it is distressing to see a close-up of him wiping away tears during the press conference on the 12th, we have managed to find a clear image of the watch he is wearing. The watch on his wrist is a chronograph model equipped with a perpetual calendar, which is a symbol of Patek Philippe.
This watch is a platinum-case model, the Ref. 3970P, from the Ref. 3970 series, equipped with the caliber CH 27-70 Q, which uses the Lemania 2310 ebauche. The Ref. 3970 series was produced for a long period of 18 years, from 1986 to 2004. There were three main versions, each distinguishable by its case shape. The first model was a snapback, while the second model was a screwback, with the addition of a transback around this time. The third model introduced a deeper locking mechanism, improving practical water resistance. Platinum-case, black-dial models were introduced with this third model, and Maezawa's watch is one of these. Currently, they are traded for around 10 million yen on the pre-owned market and at auctions.
Patek Philippe Ref. 3970P
Maezawa is known as a collector of Richard Mille watches, and has previously been seen wearing a Patek Philippe 3970 series 18K white gold model with a white dial. The moon phase display is likely one of Maezawa's special features.
Maezawa has announced that he will be taking part in a lunar orbital flight planned by the American space venture SpaceX in 2023, making him the first private citizen to travel to the moon. The new Ref. 3970P shown this time features a black dial with diamond indices, reminiscent of the stars shining in space. Although he announced his retirement from ZOZO, it seems he used the press conference to express his new aspirations with this watch. We'll be keeping a close eye on the charismatic CEO's future challenges.
Although it's hard to see in the photo, Yahoo CEO Kentaro Kawabe, pictured on the left alongside Maezawa and ZOZO's new president, Kotaro Sawada, is holding what appears to be a Roger Dubuis Easy Diver. It's a sport watch made about 10 years ago. I'd like to find an opportunity to take a closer look at Kawabe's watch.
