What Cartier watch does actor and director Ken Watanabe love to wear?

What kind of watches do top celebrities choose? Celebrity Watch Hunting is a serial column that takes a snapshot of celebrities from around the world. This time, we'll be looking at the watch that actor Ken Watanabe wore while watching a professional baseball game!

Ken Watanabe

　Ken Watanabe was born on October 21, 1959, in Kitauonuma District, Niigata Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he joined a theater company in 1978 and made his television debut in 1982. Just five years later, he landed the lead role in the NHK Taiga drama "Dokuganryu Masamune," which achieved the highest average audience rating in the history of Taiga dramas at 39.7%.

　He made his Hollywood debut in 2003 in "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. Since then, he has appeared in films such as "Batman Begins" and "Inception" directed by Christopher Nolan, and "Letters from Iwo Jima" directed by Clint Eastwood. While active in Hollywood as an international actor, he also continues to appear in Japanese films such as "Unbroken Sun," "Unforgiven," and "Fukushima 50."

　Ken Watanabe is now one of Japan's leading actors. From the perspective of this column, we have taken a closer look at his true self and discovered a certain character: he is a huge Cartier watch enthusiast. He has been seen wearing Santos and Tank watches on the red carpet, and Tortue and Ballon Bleu watches on variety shows.

　In addition to this, he is also well known for being a fan of the professional baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers. Even after moving his base of operations to Hollywood, he still regularly goes to Koshien Stadium to cheer on the team when he returns to Japan, and can often be seen cheering on and off behind the backstop during games. Ken Watanabe's film debut was Masako Natsume's final work, "Setouchi Shonen Yakyudan." The film is set on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, and its baseball theme is intriguing, suggesting a connection with Ken Watanabe, an avid Tigers fan.

　This time, we have picked out a photo of Ken Watanabe watching pre-game practice at Koshien Stadium on April 21, 2018. Surrounded by his favorite things, including a Cartier watch and the Hanshin Tigers, he was wearing a leopard print T-shirt and a Pasha watch, which is considered a sporty Cartier watch.

Cartier "Pasha"

　The Cartier "Pasha" was created in response to a request from the Pasha (governor) of Marrakech, Morocco, who wanted a watch he could wear while swimming in his home's pool. It was Cartier's first waterproof watch, characterized by its crown protector and the shape of its lugs. It was first commercially available in 1943, and it wasn't until 85 that it was officially added to the collection as the "Pasha de Cartier." Since then, the Pasha has become established as Cartier's sporty, iconic model.

　A derivative model, the Pasha Seatimer, was released in 2006. It features features similar to a diver's watch, such as a unidirectional rotating bezel, water resistance to 100m, and luminous hour and minute hands, making it a sportier series. The model worn by Ken Watanabe is believed to be the black dial model released in 2006.

While production of the Pasha Seatimer has ended, the Pasha de Cartier, a new addition to the Pasha lineage, underwent a fresh redesign in 2020. Case sizes are 35mm and 41mm, and the movement is the in-house Cal. 1847 MC. Water resistant to 100m, even the 41mm model boasts a slim case thickness of just 9.55mm, making it easy to pair with formal attire. This redesign adds two new elements to appeal to the fashion sense of the wearer. The first is the adoption of the "Quick Switch" system, which allows the bracelet or strap to be changed with a single push. The second is the addition of sapphire or spinel cabochons not only to the crown cover but also to the crown itself. The hands are, of course, tempered blue, in keeping with Cartier's tradition.

　Ken Watanabe is known to be a Cartier enthusiast, and his choice of Pasha watch seems to reflect his desire to always be elegant, even when he is passionate about watching sports.