G-SHOCK Puts Kikuo Ibe's Sapphire Concept Into Production at $80,000

If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you know the structure by now. I open up with what might be the most attractive release of the day, followed by a watch from a bigger brand, followed by a micro or indie brand and closing out on an expensive watch. What in the world, then, is a G-Shock doing in last place today? Well, the title might have gave it away. And it's just as crazy as you might expect.

Back in 2017, Kikuo Ibe, the man who invented G-SHOCK, showed a sapphire DW5600 concept and it got people scratching their heads. In essence, it was cool. Who wouldn't want to make a sapphire G-SHOCK? But it doesn't make much sense. While sapphire is great for scratch resistance, it shatters when dropped, which is the opposite of what a G-SHOCK promises. So everyone kind of forgot about it as a quirky concept. Well, no, Casio didn't forget. They built the damn watch. This is the new MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire.

The case is made out of see-through blue sapphire, assembled from interlocking parts with no screws, a method Casio credits to traditional Japanese joinery. One senior technician at the Yamagata factory puts together every one that will be made. It supposedly keeps full G-SHOCK shock resistance (who's going to test that) and 200 meters of water resistance. It's also a much bigger watch than your regular G-SHOCK. It's 16.45mm thick, more than 3.5mm over the titanium MRG-B5000R-1, with the lug-to-lug stretching from 49.4mm to 51mm.

The original G-SHOCK's brick motif appears on this watch as well, and it's done in blue PVF under the top crystal. All the lettering is 24K gold, which is just showing off. The display is negative, light digits on a dark ground. Wish it were the other way around.

Inside is the MR-G digital module: solar powered, Multi Band 6 radio sync, world time, alarms, a stopwatch and a countdown timer. The caseback is DLC-coated Grade 5 titanium with a window of blue sapphire and the edition number engraved on its rim. The sapphire bracelet from the 2017 concept didn't survive into production. Instead you get a rubber strap with a new brick texture, cut to length, on a milled deployant clasp with micro-adjustment holes.

The G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire is limited to 20 pieces, priced at $80,000 (JPY 11 million), with a handful allocated per region. Two companion models carry the sapphire theme at lower prices: the MRG-B5000SA-2 sets a pair of 2-carat blue sapphires into the titanium MR-G's lug shrouds ($6,600, 500 numbered examples), and the GMW-B5000SB-1A2 puts sapphires in the steel 5000's four bezel dimples for $770. See more on the Casio website.