G-Shock’s 50th Anniversary Watch Is Quiet Luxury to the Nines

G-Shock’s B2100 series, affectionately known as the “CasiOak” for its resemblance to the Royal Oak, has never looked this luxurious.

The tough-as-nails, high-performance watch gained its moniker from a case shape and dial layout that loosely resembled Audemars Piguet’s discreetly decadent watch. But no watch fan would ever mistake the two.

Casio

While the celebratory Full Metal GMC-B2100ZE retains the collection’s approachable price at $930, it closes the gap slightly in quiet luxury appearance. The matte black ion-coated stainless steel case and bracelet emphasize the gilded central hands, hour markers, day track and a single bracelet link.

Casio

The Royal Oak may still hold a large edge in materials, craftsmanship and movement design, but this is the closest the CasiOak has come to being on the same level as its namesake from a strictly visual perspective.

One for the ages

Casio must have known what it was doing when the B2100 was designed, but achieving the type of cultural cache that comes with an organically developed nickname like “CasiOak” is priceless.

Casio

It may not be the brand’s best-selling watch, but it is the best choice for an elevated makeover to headline the 50th anniversary celebration. The gold-tinted accents aren’t the only details marking the occasion.

Casio proclaims that the spirit driving its watch production has always been, “the excitement of ‘making something from nothing’ — the thrill of going from ‘0’ to ‘1.’” This is referenced with a track of alternating ‘1’s and ‘0’s running along the hour markers.

Casio

Etched into the case back is a special 50th anniversary rendition of Casio’s triangular logo, which has been used throughout its watchmaking history. An acknowledgment of the occasion is also stamped into the single gold link on the bracelet.

Familiar performance

Fancy finishing aside, the GMC-B2100ZE has all the protective layers and functional features that we’ve come to expect from G-Shock. First and foremost, a multi-layer shock-resistant system protects the movement from impact damage.

Casio

The analog chronograph dial tells the time in the center and registers minutes and hours elapsed with two hands on the sub-dial at six o’clock. The date is displayed in a window at 4:30 and the day is registered on a half-dial track at nine o’clock.

A second time-zone function is displayed on a tiny 24-hour dial below the G-Shock logo, broken down between AM and PM hours. It can be toggled back and forth with the home time displayed on the central dial.

Digital features operated through the dial at 12 o’clock include an alarm, a timer and a battery level indicator. All of the settings can be adjusted through a Bluetooth-connected phone app, and the movement is charged with any light source.

Casio

With its luxurious appearance, the argument could be made that the G-Shock GMC-B2100ZE has an edge over the Royal Oak because you don’t have to be delicate with it. It is not a cheap watch, but it is far less precious than one that costs five figures.

Availability and pricing

The Casio G-Shock GMC-B2100ZE 150th Anniversary Edition is available now from G-Shock and authorized dealers for $995.

It is not a limited edition and joins the regular B2100 “CasiOak” lineup.

Casio

Casio G-Shock GMC-B2100 50th Anniversary Edition

Specs

Case Size	46mm
Movement	Solar quartz
Water Resistance	200m

• $930 at Casio

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