Japanese born professional basketball player for Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association, Rui Hachimura signed a global partnership agreement in November 2019.
Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard spoke glowingly of Rui Hachimura’s rookie NBA season this August 2020, saying the 22-year-old Japanese exceeded their expectations.
This Japanese basketball star loved G-SHOCK watches since he was a student and now he is living proof of determination, patience and practice. Rui played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs and is a member of the Japanese national team. Casio has taken him to be the inspiration for their latest timepiece.
Casio Malaysia will be releasing the GST-B100RH, a new addition to the G-SHOCK line of shock- resistant watches at the end of September 2020. The GST-B100RH is the first collaboration model created with professional basketball player Rui Hachimura and it will be priced at RM1,919.
Hachimura, who has had a successful first professional season in the professional basketball league in the United States, find himself resonates with G-SHOCK, a brand that comes from Japan and never fails to take on new challenges on the global stage like him. “Casio has come up with an amazing watch that perfectly captures the design I envisioned. I think it goes well with various clothing styles. It was also cool to see my special “Black Samurai logo” design on the watch, as it is an important symbol to me.” Hachimura says regarding his signature watch.
Casio and Hachimura signed a global partnership agreement in November 2019. Hachimura, who has loved G-SHOCK watches since he was a student, becomes the first basketball player to ever receive a signature collaboration with Casio.
The new GST-B100RH is a signature model whose design was overseen by Hachimura. The new watch is based on the analog chronograph GST-B100, part of the G-STEEL series that features a bezel made from a combination of different materials and a large dial indicator. This new cool watch features a black base color highlighted by edgy gold ion planting (IP) applied to the metal parts.
The watch incorporates a hachi (8 in Japanese) logo representing both his last name and jersey number. Additional bold red accents are applied to the index mark and button pipe at the 8 o’clock position, and to the dial indicator. This signature model is distinguished by the Hachimura logo, also widely known as the “Black Samurai logo,” on the case back, strap keeper, and special packaging.
Profile of Rui Hachimura:
- Born in Toyama Prefecture, Japan on February 8, 1998
- After graduating from Meisei High School in Miyagi Prefecture in 2016, attended Gonzaga University in the US.
- Became the first Japanese national to play in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, on a Gonzaga University team that made it the Championship Game of the national tournament.
- Was selected in the first round (ninth overall) of the US professional basketball league, becoming the first Japanese player ever to be selected in the first round.
