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G-Shock is moving into the luxury watch world – well, kind of.
Its upcoming 2500 series has already earned the nickname “CasioNaut” thanks to its distinctly Patek Philippe Nautilus-esque shape, and now a leak has given us a closer look at the collection, including US pricing.
The GAC-2500 and GMC-2500 first appeared briefly on Casio’s Japanese website before disappearing again. Now, G-Shock source @geesgshock has shared what appears to be official marketing material, along with prices for the upcoming models. The collection is expected to launch in November.
CASIO G-SHOCK
The range begins with the GAC-2500, a resin model priced at £145 in the US (around £110). It comes in black, olive green, white and yellow. Next up is the GMC-2500, which adds a stainless steel bezel to the resin construction and starts at around £210, rising to £230 for the gold-toned version. At the top sits the full-metal GMC-2500D, with a stainless steel bracelet and a £270 price tag. That one comes in black and blue-grey dial versions.
But the really interesting bit is what Casio has done with the G-Shock formula.
CASIO G-SHOCK
The 2500 series takes cues from the original DW-5000C and turns them into a fully analogue watch, with a small-seconds sub-dial, dimensional hour markers and an unusually chunky three-part date display. Its broad, flat case is also what has prompted the inevitable Nautilus comparisons, although the design still retains plenty of traditional G-Shock DNA.
Casio has developed a new magnetic shock-release system that allows the hands to move when the watch takes a serious knock, rather than transmitting the full force of the impact through the movement. Once the shock has passed, they return to their correct position. It is an oddly clever solution to a very G-Shock problem: how do you make an analogue watch that can still take the sort of punishment you’d expect from a G-Shock?
CASIO G-SHOCK
The rest of the specification is suitably rugged. There’s 200-metre water resistance, a 30-minute stopwatch, an LED light and a full auto-calendar, while a seconds-hand sleep function can be used to conserve battery life.
The CasioNaut nickname might be doing some heavy lifting, but this isn’t simply G-Shock dressing up as a Patek. The 2500 series takes the shape language of the luxury sports watch and runs it through Casio’s particular ability to make watches that can survive just about anything.