A $1,000 Casio G-Shock? Yes, the Casio G-Shock MT-G


Casio‘s celebration of the iconic Casio G-Shock watch’s 30th anniversary culminated in the U.S. launch of the Casio G-Shock MT-G, a collection of metal/resin G-Shock watches starting at the unusual G-Shock price $900. Although the launch was in 2013 the watch continues to be one of the most discussed Casio G-Shock watches even today.

The collection introduced at the anniversary event includes the Casio G-Shock Rangeman, an addition to the “Master of G” collection, a military-inspired watch for first-response professionals; the GDX6900, a larger version of the existing 6900 model; and the MT-G, the G-Shock model that Casio says is meant to reposition the brand for the premium collector market. Most notable among the “collaboration” pieces was the G-Shock Eminem limited edition, made in cooperation with the hip-hop star.

EMINEM wearing a Casio G-Shock at Casio's 2013 "Shock the World" event
Eminem wears a G-Shock for his performance at Casio’s “Shock the World” event

The Casio G-Shock MT-G, where the “MT” stands for “Metal Twisted”, has a case constructed of a stainless steel covering melded to the G-Shock brand’s advanced “Core Guard Structure” of stainless steel, resin and a substance called “Alpha Gel.” The movement, which features a chronograph function, is Casio’s LED-infused “Tough Movement” with a Multi-Band 6 atomic timekeeping feature that receives radio-controlled time and date updates from global transmitting stations. The watch, whose case and movement components are all made in-house at Casio’s advanced factory in Yamagata, Japan, also features a quick-lock “Smart Access” electronic crown, which allows the wearer to access all the functions by unlocking the crown and turning it in the desired direction. The Casio G-Shock MT-G’s composite bracelet has stainless steel links layered on the underside with soft-touch, low-thermal-conductivity resin panels for optimal comfort on the skin. The Casio G-Shock MT-G comes in polished stainless steel and resin (Ref. MTGS1000D-1A), for $900; in black-ion-plated steel and resin (MTGS1000BD-1A) for $1,000; and a limited-edition 30th anniversary model in black ion-plated steel with gold highlights and and a red-paneled bracelet (MTGS1030BD-1A), for $1,100.

Casio G-Shock MTGS1000D-1A in steel - front
The MTGS1000D-1A, at $900, ushered in the first “premium” G-Shock collection.
Casio G-Shock MTGS1000BD-1A - black IP steel
The MTGS1000BD-1A ($1,000) is finished in black ion plating.
Casio G-Shock MTGS1000BD-1A - black/gold LE
The MTGS1030BD-1A is a limited edition commemorating G-Shock’s 30th anniversary
Casio G-Shock MTGS1000BD-1A - back
The engraved caseback is steel; the undersides of the steel bracelet links are made of heat-resistant resin.

The addition to the Casio G-Shock “Master of G” collection — which includes the Frogman, Mudman and Riseman models — is the GW9400 Rangeman, a “tactical” timepiece designed with military uses in mind. Like other Casio G-Shock models in the collection, the Rangeman is built to be exceptionally shock-resistant and mud-resistant, employs the Tough Solar Power system to charge the watch and the Multi-Band 6 atomic timekeeping system to receive radio signals for the time and date, and is equipped with numerous functions, including a chronograph, 48-city world time indicator, and a digital compass. The Rangeman also includes sunrise/sunset data, a barometer to measure atmospheric pressure , a thermometer to measure temperature, and an altimeter to measure altitude to within one-meter increments at one-second intervals. All the functions are controlled by a one-touch sensor button with a textured surface. The watch has a 200-meter-water-resistant urethane case with a steel caseback. The Casio G-Shock Master of G watch, available in either black or military green, retails for $300.

Casio G-Shock GW9400 Rangeman
The Rangeman’s LCD dial has three modes, for barometer/thermometer (pictured), compass, and altimeter

The Casio G-Shock GDX6900 has a case nearly 10 percent larger than its base model, the 6900. For Casio’s engineers, who pride themselves on the G-Shock’s legendary shock-resistance, accomplishing this was a challenge: increasing the size meant increasing the weight and along with that, the amount of shock it incurs when dropped. Their solution was to add “Alpha-Gel” to the case to absorb impacts and better protect the watch’s internal workings. The result was a bigger 6900 that passed a military-standard test for shock-resistance and also retained its water-resistance of 200 meters. The Casio G-Shock GDX6900 incorporates numerous functions, including a 48-city world timer, multi-home time for up to four cities, five alarms, chronograph, countdown timer, and 12/24-hour time configurations. The Casio G-Shock watch has a 10-year battery life and a “Super Illuminator” LED light. Four color versions will are available for $130.

Casio G-Shock GDX6900

The Casio G-Shock Eminem edition (which is officially designated GDX6900MNM-1) is based on the Casio G-Shock GDX6900, here with a matte black case and black-reverse LCD dial, and features an array of Eminem iconography. A stylized silhouette of the city of Detroit — where Marshall Mathers, the future Eminem, famously grew up — is printed in red on the upper side of the black strap. The reverse “E” from the Eminem logo appears on the dial and in the strap loop. The caseback and the lower part of the strap also feature an autograph of “Shady,” the singer’s alter ego. The limited edition G-Shock for Eminem retails at $180.

Casio G-Shock EMINEM edition
The Eminem special edition depicts the skyline of Detroit on the black strap.

What are your thoughts on Casio’s G-Shock moving into the premium market? Or on the watches above? Feel free to leave comments.

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No Responses to “A $1,000 Casio G-Shock? Yes, the Casio G-Shock MT-G”

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  1. Robert Nizamoff

    I’ve had a G-Shock 5369 MTG-S1000D for just over 3 years. I was able to set the time once with someone else’s help. Have not been able to set time on my ow. Tried many, many times. Now I cannot figure out how to set the HOME setting. It is a shame to own such a nice and expensive watch and not able to wear it because I cannot keep time on it.

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  2. Ulrich Lenz

    I appreciate high-end g-shock watches, especially done in titanium like the mr-g series. Nevertheless, the actual watches are very tall and cannot be worn together with a suit. Casio should change that and offer smaller high-end models too. My G-Shock G-2900F-1VER for example would be a suitable dresswatch in super titanium. 500 Euros would be an affordable price.

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  3. Pistorious Balam

    unless this watch wipes your ass and blows you down, it is not worth $1000. It is another reason for pretentious people to show of using overvaluated nonsense accessories.

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  4. The technology is great…the design, so-so. Casio needs to focus more on enhancing the brand by simplifying the design to make it more icononic. The busy cluttered clunky look of the watch face should evolve into a cleaner, more elegant design which would appeal to a higher income demographic. Think more like Rolex and less like Casio…

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  5. Edifice Jack

    I own 2006 FIFA World Cup edition GW-1201WC-9AVDR and an Edifice EQWM1100DC-1A2. I’ve certainly enjoyed wearing eithe of the watches. A couple of issues I found with the Edifice EQWM1100DC-1A2 is that:

    (1) the “lume” on the hour and minute hands is very weak

    (2) the black ion plating does rub off with wear on the bracelet – typically at the clasp and near the clasp because that part of the wrist is often resting on a surface or easily brushes against a surface because of natural hand movement

    Hope Casio has addressed the lume problem with what seems to be much “fatter” hands on the MTGS1000D-1A through to the MTGS1030BD-1A.

    Based on my experience, I’m not sure whether back ion-plating is such a good idea. Otherwise the G-Shocks and Edifices are fantastic technical watches.

    The last time I synchronised my EQWM1100DC-1A2’s time in one of the 6 atomic clock radio was a little over 12 months ago, despite that the watch is only running 20 seconds fast. So I can’t fault Casio for their movement’s accuracy.

    The Casio’s are certainly tough watches. The GW-1201WC-9AVDR survived a couple of drops from 1.5m high as well as a bicycle accident where it got slammed against the ground (er … along with the rest of my body). It survived all of that only to ultimately fail due to problems with setting and synchronising the analogue time with the digital time because the battery wasn’t re-charging and functionning properly; the replacement cost was too expensive, and I was advised by the Casio service centre that Casio did have problems with that model.

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  6. Jonathan W. Fink

    I own a recent edition of the original Casio G and love it. It’s nice to see Casio stretching its wings. Even better, the watches are still as uniquely ugly as ever!

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