This Is the Most Expensive G-Shock Ever Made

Skip to main contentThe everyman's $100 watch gets an insane glow-up in sapphire.Kikuo Ibe had a dream. The inventor of Casio’s G-Shock watches had already become a horological legend many times over, thanks to his near-indestructible, accessible designs. But he wanted to go further: to make watches that were just as tough, but out of materials more exotic than the usual plastic or steel. So in 2018 he unveiled a concept watch made of sapphire, the same shiny blue stuff you find in expensive rings and necklaces. In the years since, Casio has been working on the design so the precious material can withstand the same (very large) amount of abuse that your regular G-Shocks can absorb.And now we have it: the G-Shock MRG-D5000. At $80,000, it’s the most expensive G-Shock ever made; of course, a watch with a case made entirely of blue sapphire was never going to come cheap. But what you’re getting for this Patek Philippe-level price, if you can get in and grab one of the 20 limited-edition pieces, is a tough ticker with all the functionality of a regular model—water resistance, solar-powered operation, stopwatch, alarms and the rest—in a format that’s broken new ground in watch engineering.Casio Over those eight years of development, Casio realized that constructing the case out of multiple pieces of sapphire crystal, each grown from ingots over several months, helped it absord shocks more capably. The technique is similar to one used in traditional Japanese timber construction, where cannily designed interlocking parts mean that virtually no screws or glue are needed to hold everything together.But for those of us who don’t quite have the money of G-Shock's many red-carpet-walking fans, Casio is also releasing additional G-Shocks that go a bit subtler on the sapphire. There’s the MRG-B5000SA-2, limited to 500 pieces at $6,600, with two elongated sapphires set into the top and bottom of the bezel; and the non-limited GMW-B5000SB-1A2 at $770, with four small rounded sapphires in the bezel. It’s a bit more of an IYKYK look, sure, but it still means you’re getting a G-Shock decked out in gems.Casio Someone get 2000s-era Nigo and Pharrell on the phone, because these would look right at home with some Evisu jeans and Bapestas. Or strapped to your wrist during a cage fight. They are G-Shocks, after all.This story originally appeared on British GQ.