The Bottom Line
The Asset: A rare 1970s vintage Cartier “Reverso” dual-face travel watch originally acquired through a Hong Kong auction.
The Numbers: Sakai’s modest 100万円 expectation—matching his approximate purchase price—was completely eclipsed by a professional appraisal valuing the piece at 600万円.
The Rarity: Experts noted that the watch was produced in a Parisian workshop rather than a modern Swiss facility, establishing monumental historical and collection value.
Inside the 600万円 Reveal on Poka Poka
The jaw-dropping moment unfolded during the program’s popular collectible valuation segment, titled roughly translated as “Treasures Worth More Than When I Bought Them.” Sakai, a seasoned fixture in Japanese entertainment, stepped up to the evaluation desk with an unassuming timepiece that initially looked like a standard luxury accessory.
But the math tells a different story. As Sakai explained to the panel, the piece is actually a historical travel watch featuring a sophisticated double-sided face designed to track two time zones simultaneously—local time and home time. According to Sakai’s testimony on the broadcast, a trusted friend successfully acquired the vintage piece at a Hong Kong auction, after which Sakai bought it off them for roughly 100万円.
Subbing in for regular co-host Takuya Sawabe of comedy duo Haraichi, television personality Shinobu Sakagami boldly guessed an appraisal value of 550万円. Even Sakagami’s high-flying prediction turned out to be conservative. When the expert appraiser unveiled the official valuation of 600万円, pandemonium erupted on set. Shouts of shock and delight echoed through the studio, prompting an ecstatic Sakai to jokingly scream at the cast, “Don’t touch it!”
Horological Pedigree and Parisian Craftsmanship
The immense price tag is not merely a byproduct of brand inflation. The expert appraiser on set broke down the precise mechanics and history that elevate the item from a mere luxury good to a museum-grade artifact.
The timepiece is a vintage Cartier model featuring a rotating mechanism akin to iconic reversible designs, produced during the 1970s. Crucially, the expert highlighted that the watch was crafted in a workshop in Paris. Because the vast majority of contemporary Cartier production takes place in Switzerland, the vintage Parisian provenance serves as an airtight certificate of authenticity that dramatically multiplies its desirability among elite collectors.
Furthermore, the physical construction—boasting dials on both front and reverse sides with the winding crown positioned neatly at the top—creates a configuration so scarce that it qualifies as an elusive white whale for horology enthusiasts. The specialist on the broadcast remarked that the piece possesses such profound historical weight that simply owning it in a private residence is akin to housing a curated museum exhibit.
The Collector’s Dilemma and Studio Banter
During the segment, Sakai revealed that he previously visited a brick-and-mortar Cartier boutique to service the strap. While there, boutique representatives explicitly asked to acquire the rare watch from him—a request that Sakai flatly refused.
Following the stunning reveal on the Fuji TV stage, Sakagami leaned in with playful reverence, offering mock gratitude before Sakai humorously repeated his protective warning, yelling “Don’t touch it!” once more to spark laughter across the studio.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Program | Fuji TV – Poka Poka |
| Broadcast Date | August 12, 2026 |
| Item Type | 1970s Vintage Cartier Dual-Face Travel Watch |
| Owner’s Estimate | 100万円 |
| Guest Host’s Estimate | 550万円 (Shinobu Sakagami) |
| Official Appraised Value | 600万円 |
For now, Sakai retains sole custody of his prized museum piece, safe from wandering hands on daytime television sets.
