WHAT IF… Casio made the gold G-Shock a (more) regular thing?

Borna Bošnjak

The WHAT IF…? idea is a versatile one, concerned with wishful thinking, hopes of market-changing releases, and nostalgic pleas. Sometimes, however, it might as well be called WHY NOT…?, and this is the case today. In a recent writers’ meeting, there was discussion of G-Shock, and more particularly the proposition of a solid gold one, and why Casio isn’t making it a more regular occurrence. With numerous cult classics, old and new, in their collection, Casio have an untapped gold mine here – excuse the pun. Which models should they choose to gild, and how can they avoid diluting their unicorn appeal? Well, that’s up to their marketing department to figure out – but I do have a suggestion or two.

It still needs to be limited

To date, we’ve only ever been treated to one instance of this, with Casio following up on their Basel 2015 prototype in 2019, releasing the G-Shock Dream Project in 2019. The near-300-gram behemoth was exactly what you’d expect it to be – a square G cased-and-braceleted in blingy 18k yellow gold. The most impressive thing about this already phenomenal project wasn’t the sheer heft in gold, but rather the fact that it was still as shock-resistant as the $50 G-Shock you can pick up from Amazon. That’s one of the main reasons that it took so long to develop, since, surprisingly enough, gold isn’t as resistant to being shot out of a cannon, ran over by a tank or subjected to daily torment under the iron fist of a toddler – at least I’m assuming that’s how Casio test their watches.

The dream project was limited to only 35 pieces, all of which sold out rather quickly, despite a US$70,000 asking price which would be nuts even in today’s inflated market. To put it into perspective – this is more expensive than a solid gold Royal Oak. Thirty-five G-Shock-crazy individuals were clearly more than happy to splash the cash, however, though it makes me wonder what the ceiling is. This year just happens to be the 40th anniversary of the G-Shock, making it a perfect opportunity for a 40-piece run of solid gold models. With so many of this year’s releases being inspired by models from the back catalogue, how sweet would a solid gold collection of the most famous G-Shocks be?

No shortage of contenders

With many models capturing enthusiasts’ hearts over the years, Casio’s got plenty to choose from if/when they choose to do this. The obvious one is the square G, conceived in 1983, and becoming a cultural icon over the years. Yes, we’ve had one, but what about a second Dream Project? This time, however, as it’s the anniversary of the brand, Casio should re-issue the DW-5000C in resplendent yellow gold.

This revolutionary model should be accompanied by a modern game-changer, more specifically a golden take on the CasiOak. The fact that it would again cost more than the very watch that nicknamed it feels so right, and so wrong, all at the same time. At least there’d be no need to mod this one with a Royal Oak-style case and bracelet kit from eBay.

While certainly not as significant as the first G-Shock, nor as relevant as the CasiOak at the moment, the 6900 line of G-Shocks has a surprisingly blingy past. Most famous were certainly Pharrell’s Bape DW-6900s, encrusted in Jacob & Co. diamonds set into custom gold bezels and cases. I’d really be interested to see the type of gold bracelet Casio chose for it, as the 6900 never featured one in its official Casio Metal line-ups.

Though the three above encompass Casio’s most likely candidates for a full solid gold treatment, I think that it misses a completely left-field choice. The gold square G already exists, someone with more money than sense probably already modded a CasiOak with gold components, and Bape definitely already modded a 6900 with real gold. So, how about a golden Frogman? As much as I’d love to see it, I’m not sure Casio would release a golden re-issue of a DW-6300 (if at all, let’s be honest), but there has been a few MRG versions of the Frogman hovering in the high four-figure range, so I don’t think it’s too outside of the realms of possibility.