This Minimalist Beauty May Be the Best-Looking G-Shock I’ve Ever Seen

The Japanese brand, known for its ruggedness and unique styling blend, is crushing the summer watch game this year.

G-Shock x Hidden DW5600HDN257 Watch wrapped around aluminum can closeup

Published July 11, 2025

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Updated July 11, 2025

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G-Shock is no stranger to unleashing a bevy of new releases every year. However, 2025 appears to be the start of a particular trend. This is the era of the Japanese brand’s summertime watch.

This year’s launch calendar has seen many smaller, more wearable timepieces and lighter colorways, from the Crocs CasiOak to a “natural” Hender Scheme collab to a stark-white 5600.

While they’ve largely been fantastic, the brand’s latest, the G-Shock x Hidden DW5600HDN257, might just be the best one yet.

G-Shock x Hidden DW5600HDN257 Watch with backlight on and off — Hidden’s logo is cleverly, pardon the pun, hidden behind the digital display, visible only when the backlight is turned on.

Minimalist, mostly

When compared to, frankly, most of G-Shock’s catalog, this watch is positively minimalist. But a keen eye will unravel the little details that make it such a spectacular standout.

The most obvious detail is the bully bars. Ostensibly, the black metal wraparound frame is designed to protect the watch from impacts. It’s a simple, relatively elegant innovation that other G-Shocks have sported.

The collab’s overall subtlety adds to the watch’s allure and keeps the busyness to a minimum.

But on this watch, the black stands out against the white case and dial, adding some depth and character. That brings up another point: No, the watch isn’t just solid white; it’s semitransparent. Unlike the bully bars, the case is much more subtle, requiring greater scrutiny to appreciate.

Apart from the bully bars and, obviously, the black of the digital screen, the only other color marring this watch is the green found on the dial dots, exterior edges of the case — within the debossed “Protection” and “G-Shock” labels — and on the strap. That color, by the way, is Hidden’s signature hue.

G-Shock x Hidden DW5600HDN257 Watch in storage tin — The watch comes in a protective tin, also adorned with Hidden’s signature green.

Finally, there’s one other sneaky detail. Behind the digital display and visible only when the LED backlight is turned on, there’s a hidden Hidden logo (pardon the repetition). The collab’s overall subtlety adds to the watch’s allure and keeps the busyness to a minimum.

Shock it to me

As is always the case, even with these stylish collabs, a G-Shock is a G-Shock is a G-Shock. As such, this one maintains the same ruggedness you should always expect.

It has the brand’s signature shock-resistant housing, is water resistant to 200 meters, has a suite of built-in complications (stopwatch, timer, calendar — you know the drill) and so on. Plus, there’s the added protection from the bully bars, which can be removed if you really dislike them, although that would cost this watch some of its charm.

The greater point is that this watch isn’t some delicate flower you need to keep protected under a glass cloche in a secret chamber in a mansion tower. Yeah, it looks great, but it’s meant to be worn. If you get one, make sure you do it justice.