What kind of watch would Ichiro, who has achieved great success with the MLB Mariners, choose?

What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? Celebrity Watch Hunting is a serial column that showcases a snapshot of celebrities from around the world. This time, we'll be focusing on the watch chosen by former professional baseball player Ichiro!

Ichiro (Ichiro Suzuki)

　Ichiro Suzuki, affectionately known as "Ichiro of the World" for his legendary strength, is a former professional baseball player known as Ichiro. From joining the Orix BlueWave in 1991 until his retirement from the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2019, he achieved a Guinness World Record for total hits in Japan and the United States with 4367. His significant contributions to victories are also evidenced by the fact that he had an exceptionally high career WAR (Wins Above Replacement), an evaluation index used to evaluate baseball players by season. He will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame after 2025, and induction is expected.

　This time, Ichiro was spotted wearing a watch in a photo taken at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Ichiro Cup, a children's baseball tournament. Ichiro is presenting medals to children in recognition of their efforts in baseball practice. Looking at the watch he is wearing, we can see that it is a simple dress watch. It is likely the Blancpain Villeret Ultra Slim.

　Founded by Jean-Jacques Blancpain in 1735, Blancpain is one of the world's oldest watch brands. Named after the village of Villeret in the Swiss Jura region where the brand was founded, its core collection, "Villeret," preserves the classic designs of the past. Blancpain was also the first brand created by Jean-Claude Biver, one of the key figures in reviving the Swiss watch industry, which had been stagnating following the so-called "Quartz Shock." By highlighting the superior elements of mechanical watches, Biver succeeded in highlighting the appeal of mechanical watches that quartz watches lack. One such element was the "Ultra Slim," a reimagining of the thinnest mechanical watch. The "Villeret Ultra Slim" worn by Ichiro is a dress watch characterized by its classic design and slim profile.

Blancpain "Villeret Ultra Slim"

　The model Ichiro is wearing is likely an 18K white gold model, which is no longer in production. The model shown in the image is its successor, a stainless steel model. It is equipped with the manual-wound caliber 11A4B, which has a long power reserve of approximately 100 hours. Like its predecessor, it is based on the caliber 1150, and is a thin movement measuring just 2.80mm thick without the second hand and calendar function. To minimize the dial display to the indexes and hour and minute hands, the movement has a clever design, with the power reserve indicator hidden on the sapphire crystal case back.

Also owned by Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet

　Other watches that Ichiro has been seen owning include a Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. While he owns several sports watches, his choice for this particular moment in 2018 was a dress watch.

　The aforementioned "Ichiro Cup" was founded in 1996 by Ichiro and the people of his hometown of Toyoyama, Aichi Prefecture, and the surrounding area, with the goal of broadening the base of baseball. Even after moving to the United States, Ichiro has attended the closing ceremony every December and presented medals to the winners, runners-up, and third-place finishers. The year 2018, when this photo was taken, marked the first time he had started training camp without a team, and perhaps this was the moment he considered retirement. In 2019, upon his retirement and the end of the Ichiro Cup, he announced that he had obtained the "Student Baseball Eligibility Reinstatement System" and was aiming to become a student coach. He also sent encouraging messages to young baseball players, hinting at the possibility of a reunion. His new time as a coach, which will likely begin in the near future, is sure to be even more dazzling.