Final Fantasy XIV director Yoshi-P’s Rolex scrutinized (and approved) by fans 

An expensive Rolex watch recently worn by game producer and director Naoki Yoshida has suddenly received attention on X, with eagle-eyed netizens working out its model and cost. Known by his nickname Yoshi-P, Yoshida has directed and produced numerous games at Square Enix over the years, most recently Final Fantasy XIV. Yoshi-P is known for wearing T-shirts that hint at upcoming content in the MMORPG, so fans are used to scrutinizing what he wears. This time, they alighted on his wristwatch.  

The photo in question comes from a X post that Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai made on April 3. Apparently, he went out for dinner with Naoki Yoshida and Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada. Three big names in gaming sitting down for a meal together garnered a lot of attention on social media, leading Japanese news site Inside Games to term it “a gathering of the gods.” 

Some users scrutinized the photos more carefully, alighting upon Yoshi-P’s shiny timepiece. Their detective work revealed that the watch is a 2016 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of 1,757,800yen (around 11,600 USD). However, the watch has since gone up in value, costing around 4,950,000yen (32,690 USD), as shown in the user’s screenshot. This prompted some confusion about the watch’s value among non-Japanese speaking commenters, but either way, it’s an expensive timepiece. 

Some commenters wondered if die-hard fans would try to buy the same watch model just because it was worn by Yoshi-P, and others referred to Final Fantasy XIV players (Hikasen, Warriors of Light) in particular. 

 One poster also shone light on another watch that Yoshi-P often wore, from Nixon’s Rotolog line.  

Overall, most commenters approved of Yoshi P’s apparent love of watches. The consensus seems to be that he works hard enough to be able to enjoy wearing a Rolex. One commenter even suggested that Yoshi-P fans are a little too obsessed in their quest to unearth details and reminded them that he has a right to privacy. 

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PC (Steam), PS4/PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A new expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail launches on July 2.