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

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Naoki Yoshida Yoshi-P Final Fantasy 16

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.” 

Post translation: On a three-person “date.” 

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. 

Post translation: I think some wealthy Warriors of Light (the name given to the player’s created character in FFXIV) will buy it. Or they already have it.

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

Post translation: I’ll add a pic of the watch he used to wear a lot. 

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. 

Post translation: This is quite modest for a director of a company listed in the First Section (on the Tokyo Stock Exchange). I get the sense that he really likes this watch and that makes him likeable. 
Post translation: Even the price of his watch has been exposed? (laughs) Warriors of Light love Yoshi-P too much. He’s not a public figure and he works like a cart horse, so I hope he can at least breathe in private. 

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. 

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Verity Townsend
Verity Townsend

Automaton West Editor and translator. She has a soft spot for old-school Sierra adventure games and Final Fantasy VIII (yes, 8!). Can often be found hunting down weird forgotten games and finding out everything about them. Frequently muses about characters and lines from Metal Gear Solid and Disco Elysium. Aims to keep Automaton fresh and interesting with a wide variety of articles.

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