{"id":633926,"date":"2026-10-02T05:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T05:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/633926\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T05:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T05:58:11","slug":"this-usd-80k-blue-sapphire-g-shock-took-casio-8-years-to-make","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/633926\/","title":{"rendered":"This USD $80K Blue Sapphire G-SHOCK Took Casio 8 Years to Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

Readtime: 5 min<\/p>\n

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more.<\/a> For more information on how we test products, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire is limited to just 20 pieces worldwide. Casio spent roughly eight years developing a shock-resistant sapphire structure after showing an early concept in 2018. Six examples heading to the US are valued at USD $80,000 each, with staggered availability from December 2026 to June 2027.<\/p>\n

Most watch brands use sapphire crystal to protect the dial or to show off the movement through the caseback. Since G-SHOCK<\/a> is better known for its quartz reliability and digital displays than for mechanical watchmaking, they decided to be a little more ambitious about how this quintessential material protects a watch.<\/p>\n

The new G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire<\/a> turns one of watchmaking\u2019s hardest-working luxury materials into part of the shock-resistant structure, using it across the outer case and bezel. With only 20 examples made worldwide, six are destined for the US, each valued at USD $80,000 (just under AUD $116,000).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s wild to see a G-SHOCK at this price point, but considering it took Casio<\/a> almost a decade to put it together, it sounds like they\u2019ve got some R&D costs to recoup. And I don\u2019t blame them. The idea dates back to Kikuo Ibe\u2019s Dream Project, which produced a one-off 18k-gold G-D5000 in 2018. That same year, Casio unveiled its sapphire-crystal G-SHOCK concept in Basel, only to discover it was a little undercooked, not yet able to meet the shock-resistance standards expected of a proper G-SHOCK. Eight years later, the MRG-D5000 is finally ready for production.<\/p>\n

Casio Put Almost a Decade Into Making Sapphire Tough Enough for a G-SHOCK <\/p>\n

Sapphire already looks expensive. And for most watches<\/a>, sapphire crystal offers enough protection to fend off scratches. It\u2019s just not tough enough to stop the precious material from cracking.<\/p>\n

Casio engineers discovered that by dividing the outer case into multiple interacting components, they could improve the impact resistance of sapphire without relying on a single solid structure. They also shaped the individual components to resist chipping and removed screw holes and other stress points that could encourage cracking, eventually developing a sapphire-specific version of the brand\u2019s Multi-Guard Structure.<\/p>\n

Further Reading <\/p>\n

The design draws inspiration from traditional Japanese timber-frame construction, where interlocking joints replace screws or nails. That same basic multi-component approach first appeared in titanium on the MRG-B5000 in 2022 before Casio finally adapted it back to sapphire, which it calls the Blue Rose Project.<\/p>\n

It took Casio almost a decade to make sapphire crystal tough enough for a G-SHOCK, and the reward is a production run of just 20 watches, with the six US examples valued at USD $80,000 apiece (just under AUD $116,000). Or you could hand over USD $1.6 million (roughly AUD $2.3 million) and keep the lot for yourself. I\u2019m sure Casio would be more than happy to organise a transaction of that scale.<\/p>\n

\"Casio1\/5Only 20 examples of the MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire will be made worldwide. | Image: Supplied It Still Looks Like a G-SHOCK <\/p>\n

Stepping away from the Blue Sapphire engineering, you\u2019re still left with the familiar square MR-G formula underneath. That\u2019s a good thing, by the way. But even with its familiar brick-pattern face, Casio has found plenty more ways to wow us with its dazzling looks. The watch features a blue vapour deposition finish, while the MR-G logo, SHOCK RESIST text and other lettering use pure 24k gold. The grade-5 titanium screw-lock caseback gets another piece of blue sapphire crystal, individual numbering from 1\/20 to 20\/20 and a DREAM PROJECT inscription.<\/p>\n

It also features a Dura Soft rubber strap with its own raised brick pattern, a titanium clasp, 200 metres of water resistance, and Gallium Tough Solar power.<\/p>\n

But if USD $80,000 is a little too steep for a G-SHOCK, Casio is also extending the blue-sapphire theme to the 500-piece MRG-B5000SA-2<\/a> and the full-metal GMW-B5000SB-1A2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Casio1\/7The blue sapphire case and bezel form part of the watch\u2019s shock-resistant structure. | Image: Supplied G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 \u2013 Key Specs
\nPrice: Six examples valued at USD $80,000 (just under AUD $116,000) Limited edition: 20 pieces worldwide Case\/bezel: Titanium and blue sapphire crystal Caseback: Grade-5 titanium with blue sapphire crystal insert Strap: Dura Soft rubber Clasp: Titanium Power: Gallium Tough Solar Water resistance: 200 metres Dimensions: 51.1 x 43.2 x 16.5 mm Weight: 121g Release: December 2026<\/p>\n

Casio spent eight years figuring out how to make sapphire survive like a G-SHOCK. The only question left is just how tough they actually made the MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire. Anyone game enough for an expensive drop test?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Readtime: 5 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[101499,146600,85,46,125],"class_list":["post-633926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-casio","tag-g-shock","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}