This story originally appeared in About Time, Esquire’s free weekly newsletter dedicated to the world of luxury watches. To get it free into your inbox every Sunday at 8am, sign up here
Calamity at Casio on Thursday, when a major new watch due for release in November made its debut rather earlier than intended. Esquire had been briefed on G-Shock’s new 2500 family several weeks ago, before images and reference numbers for nine models escaped online this week.
What’s unusual is that it’s fully analogue, still something of a rarity for G-Shock. More surprising is the price: the resin GAC-2500 comes in four colours, has 200m water resistance and is expected to start at under £100.
Casio.
The other headline: the rounded case and broad shoulders unambiguously recall the Patek Philippe Nautilus, something the brand says it plans to lean into rather cheekily (an amusing idea for a launch party was discussed).
Here Casio has form: its “Casioak”, for the uninitiated, is a phenomenally successful eight-sided analogue-digital G-Shock, nicknamed for its resemblance to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. So what are we calling this one, then? The Casionaut? The Casiotilus? Surely it must be: the Naughtyless.
While you’re here, check out our deep dive into the rise of affordable watch brand Casio. We headed to the company’s headquarters in Tokyo and the manufacture in Yamagata Prefecture, speaking to some of the key figures behind the fast-growing watchmaker.