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LG Twins drew attention to the Rolex watch left by the late founder and first owner of the club, the late Koo Bon-moo, as they defeated kt wiz in Game 3 of the Korean Series held on the afternoon of the 10th. If LG Twins win the championship this year, the Rolex watch, which has been dormant in a safe since 1997, will meet its first owner in 26 years.

On the afternoon of the 10th at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, during the 3rd game of the 2023 KBO League Korean Series between the KT Wiz and LG Twins, LG's Park Dong-won is celebrating after hitting a go-ahead two-run home run and scoring in the top of the 6th inning with no outs and a runner on first base.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The story behind the Rolex watch dates back to 1997. Koo, a well-known baseball enthusiast, promised at the LG Twins' Danmok event held that year, "If we win the championship, I will gift the Most Valuable Player (MVP) a luxury watch." The Danmok event is a tradition of the LG club, where every year players, club officials, group presidents, and reporters gather in Danmok-ri, Daegok-myeon, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam, the hometown of Chairman Koo's maternal family, to hold a celebration.

Later, Koo personally purchased the watch upon returning from an overseas business trip that year. The model is the 'Daytona Leopard,' which cost 80 million KRW at the time. It is now discontinued, with only a few remaining in Korea, and the secondhand market price is known to reach 160 million KRW. Its most distinctive feature is the leopard print engraved on the dial and leather strap. Eight diamonds are embedded in the indexes, and 48 diamonds are set in the lugs connecting the watch case and strap.

Despite Chairman Koo's wishes, the watch has remained ownerless for 26 years, sleeping in the safe of the LG Twins' representative director at Jamsil Stadium. This is because since 1994, LG Twins have only finished as runners-up three times. There was also a dark period from 2003 to 2012 when they did not advance to the postseason (autumn baseball) for ten years. Meanwhile, stories about the Rolex watch spread like a myth, and baseless speculations about its design and performance circulated.

Having secured first place in the regular season and advanced to the Korean Series, LG Twins are now just two steps away from the championship. Game 4 of the Korean Series will be held at 2 p.m. on the 11th.

A club official said, "Since LG Twins are on the verge of winning the championship after such a long time, interest in the 'baseball legacy' left by Chairman Koo seems to be even hotter," adding, "If we win the Korean Series this time, we plan to enjoy not only the Rolex watch left by Chairman Koo but also the traditional Japanese shochu Awamori, which he left to anticipate the next championship after 1994."