The premium game is only given away by a gold MR-G logo, and what better way to celebrate your ’80s roots? The crystal is sapphire, while the multi-piece case is where the fascination deepens. With its understated elegance, I love the under-the-radar richness of this MR-G. Just as Grand Seiko makes Zaratsu perfection, Casio transforms the digital cool watch into metallurgic art. Inside sits the best 5000-series module with solar power and Multi-Band accuracy, but it’s about metal.
#ATOM REAL STEEL SKIN#
As a dead-serious tool watch with a very Japanese manga-ish twinkle in its eye, it spells desire.ĭoes the notion of spending about twenty times the cost of a regular square 5000-series G-shock scare you? That is a good question that won’t get answered until you see the titanium skin of this dark G. But the wealth of details and small orange pops will make you smile. Nope, we don’t need the bracelet links numbered or every function spelled out with a weapon-like font.
#ATOM REAL STEEL BLUETOOTH#
With its Bluetooth and Multi-Band time sync, this is all you need for accuracy while being achingly cool. That’s not actually true, but around €1,700 buys you a hell of a watch. With jet-fighter-edgy camo, this ion-plated cool will get you noticed more than a Tiffany Patek. Just like the laser-etched blue camo version, the square origin gets transformed.
#ATOM REAL STEEL UPGRADE#
I can see this as part of an upgrade bundle on Fortnite, and despite my years, I am inexplicably drawn to it. Yes, this is inspired by the street cool of video games, but it’s real, not a hyped NFT. All are available from the 12th of August. With its usual all-singing, all-dancing feature set, this is budget glamour packed with functionality, and I like it. At €549 in steel and €599 in black or copper, these are serious value, and the octagonal G sits sleeker on the wrist than a square.
Versions in steel, black, and a lovely copper tone are ready to rock. The release of an official all-metal version was only a matter of time, and we got three. This was left to cheap aftermarket knock-offs, and Instagram is awash with customized “oaky” Gs in all colors. Ever since its launch in 2019, the “CasiOak” has gained thousands of followers, but never in a full-metal jacket. Many thought the octagonal cheekiness of Casio was a jab too far at the Swiss, but it wasn’t a fad. Let’s not have a “CasiOak” debate here that has been settled. Is it over the top? Yes, but in a very good way, and the attention to detail is great for the price, including a very photogenic vertically brushed bezel. Go full-fat with the ion-plated gold version, and the first touch of irony will be lost to familiar comfort. It actually works rather well as an accent to a blue suit jacket too, and it certainly attracts more attention than my more expensive pieces. It is still a large watch, but the 5610 module with its intensely legible black screen and hyper-accurate radio-controlled time make it my travel favorite numero uno. The steel might be considerably heavier than resin but, unbelievably, sits softer on the wrist thanks to the articulated bracelet. I am the happy owner of the chameleonic red-burgundy-purple version. The start of G-Shock’s upmarket move came with the steel 5000 square OG.
I have a €600 G-Shock as one of my best buys of last year, but at up to €7K, is a G-Shock a step too far up the ladder, or is it simply a 10+ on the cool scale and worth it? Here are five top pieces available in the premium book of Gs. Casio has lifted the brand to a new top tier where metallurgy and samurai-armor finishing is the name of the game. With a catalog that includes everything from €120 beaters to hot drops like the Bamford DW-6900BWD, a new dimension has opened up. On the other end of the scale, we have some of the coolest affordable collabs. On one end, they are the battle-ready wrist gear of Navy SEALS and off-roading enthusiasts with the Mudmaster series. But Casio G-Shocks have always been affordable digital cool with an enviable balance. Just recall the ascension of a diver’s tool called the Submariner.