Mar 4, 2020
Reading time 4 min.
Boots on the Ground: G-Shock Partners with U.K.'s Ministry of Defence for New Mudmaster
G-Shock has long been known as the watch of choice for many modern military units and individual military personnel around the world. Earlier this month, the Casio-owned brand expanded this role in a new, formal capacity, announcing its partnership with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to become an official watch supplier of the British Armed Forces.
G-Shock has long been known as the watch of choice for many modern military units and individual military personnel around the world. Earlier this month, the Casio-owned brand expanded this role in a new, formal capacity, announcing its partnership with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to become an official watch supplier of the British Armed Forces.
The first watch released as part of this partnership is the British Army X G-Shock Mudmaster (Ref. GGB100BA-1A), a limited-edition, camouflage-colored version of the original, rugged Mudmaster, already a current favorite among the brand’s collections by those in the armed forces.
At 55.4 mm, the new Mudmaster is not a modest watch, but one developed for the unique physical challenges faced by British servicemen and women. The model uses a “Carbon Core Guard Structure” for its case and triple-layered carbon-insert bezel, which together help provide it with excellent resistance to physical forces on the watch while still maintaining a relative light weight for its size at only 92g. The piece is accented using a camouflage design inspired by the British Army’s own Multi Terrain Pattern, which in combination with the low-reflection, high-visibility black dial provides for a very readable timepiece for the wearer while also keeping it "under the radar," i.e., not attracting undue attention from hostiles' surveillance.
Surrounding the case are the watch’s various pushers and crowns for its many different technological features, all designed using the Mudmaster series’ large cylindrical button structure. This special design helps to limit debris from entering the watch while maximizing ease of use and visibility for the wearer. The features activated by the pushers include a 1/100-second stopwatch, a countdown timer, five daily alarms, the choice of either a 12- or 24-hour time format, a full auto calendar, and a world timer. The model also comes equipped with Bluetooth capabilities via the G-SHOCK Connected App, which allows for a location indicator, mission log memory, location memory, sunrise and sunset data, a meter for calories burned, and more. Then there are the watch’s Quad sensors, which allow the wearer to use a compass, thermometer, altimeter/barometer, and step tracker, all together making the watch an excellent multi-tool for field work.
The ana-digi dial of the GGB100BA-1A displays each of these different pieces of tech that aren’t found through the additional connected app. The dial design features large white hour markers with prominent Arabic numerals for each quarter hour, a digital window toward the bottom of the dial, and two wide sword hands for the hour and minute alongside a simple white-tipped seconds counter. Inside the watch is the module 5594, a quartz movement with an approximately two-year battery life. The movement is protected using a dual layered caseback of thin stainless steel and a fine resin, which together help provide the watch with a superior level of shock and water resistance (up to 200 meters).
The GGB100BA-1A is the first model to be released through the new partnership with the MoD, though G-Shock says it has plans to release future watches, likely with different colorways, technology, and dial configurations in other of its popular collections.
The new GGB100BA-1A watch will be sold for $460 and will be available for purchase starting this April at select G-SHOCK retailers.
You can learn more about the new model and see the brand’s intro video to the watch and partnership on G-SHOCK’s website, here.
The first watch released as part of this partnership is the British Army X G-Shock Mudmaster (Ref. GGB100BA-1A), a limited-edition, camouflage-colored version of the original, rugged Mudmaster, already a current favorite among the brand’s collections by those in the armed forces.
At 55.4 mm, the new Mudmaster is not a modest watch, but one developed for the unique physical challenges faced by British servicemen and women. The model uses a “Carbon Core Guard Structure” for its case and triple-layered carbon-insert bezel, which together help provide it with excellent resistance to physical forces on the watch while still maintaining a relative light weight for its size at only 92g. The piece is accented using a camouflage design inspired by the British Army’s own Multi Terrain Pattern, which in combination with the low-reflection, high-visibility black dial provides for a very readable timepiece for the wearer while also keeping it "under the radar," i.e., not attracting undue attention from hostiles' surveillance.
Surrounding the case are the watch’s various pushers and crowns for its many different technological features, all designed using the Mudmaster series’ large cylindrical button structure. This special design helps to limit debris from entering the watch while maximizing ease of use and visibility for the wearer. The features activated by the pushers include a 1/100-second stopwatch, a countdown timer, five daily alarms, the choice of either a 12- or 24-hour time format, a full auto calendar, and a world timer. The model also comes equipped with Bluetooth capabilities via the G-SHOCK Connected App, which allows for a location indicator, mission log memory, location memory, sunrise and sunset data, a meter for calories burned, and more. Then there are the watch’s Quad sensors, which allow the wearer to use a compass, thermometer, altimeter/barometer, and step tracker, all together making the watch an excellent multi-tool for field work.
The ana-digi dial of the GGB100BA-1A displays each of these different pieces of tech that aren’t found through the additional connected app. The dial design features large white hour markers with prominent Arabic numerals for each quarter hour, a digital window toward the bottom of the dial, and two wide sword hands for the hour and minute alongside a simple white-tipped seconds counter. Inside the watch is the module 5594, a quartz movement with an approximately two-year battery life. The movement is protected using a dual layered caseback of thin stainless steel and a fine resin, which together help provide the watch with a superior level of shock and water resistance (up to 200 meters).
The GGB100BA-1A is the first model to be released through the new partnership with the MoD, though G-Shock says it has plans to release future watches, likely with different colorways, technology, and dial configurations in other of its popular collections.
The new GGB100BA-1A watch will be sold for $460 and will be available for purchase starting this April at select G-SHOCK retailers.
You can learn more about the new model and see the brand’s intro video to the watch and partnership on G-SHOCK’s website, here.
