G-Shock’s Stealthy New Drop Is for True Fans of Its Original Watch

It’s all about the dial.

Published February 28, 2025

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

It’s fair to say that no affordable watch has earned a cult following stronger than the G-Shock.

First introduced in 1983, the Japanese sub-brand of Casio has produced an endless supply of incredibly useful and shockingly durable watches that sell, on average, between $150 and $500. That friendly price range, combined with a vast array of colors and designs, has created a strong collectability in the brand.

a white g-shock watch — The new GW5000HS is a monochromatic take on the original G-Shock DW-5000C.

Like with Pokemon cards, diehard fans seek out limited and obscure references to deepen their collections. One such rare feature is the brick wall framing the digital screen featured on the very first G-Shock reference DW-5000C.

To further the Pokemon metaphor, G-Shock just released shiny new Charmaders and Squirtles with the first two references in the GWS5000HS collection.

a black digital watch with no band — The G-shock GW5000HS comes in all black or black and white.

The black and white GW5000HS-7 and all-black GW5000HS-1 mirror the original G-Shock design, brick wall dial frame included, in sleek monochromatic finishes.

If it ain’t broke

The G-Shock DW-5000C was an instant hit and set the bar for durable sport digital sports watches. It was released in 1983 and featured a black plastic case and rubber strap with a red-bordered brick wall frame around the dial.

a timeline of the original casio g-shock — Excerpt from a timeline of the G-Shock published by Casio.

G-Shock never abandoned the original case and strap design, but it immediately lost the brick wall motif with the second reference, released later in 1983. Subsequent designs have stuck closer to the simpler detailing of that second release, reference WW-5100C.

a white g-shock watch with a dark background and the dial illuminated — The G-Shock GW5000HS features a full glow dial.

Casio has made callbacks to the DW-500C-1A before, notably with the nearly identical limited edition DW500R-1A from 2024. A more recent 5600 model done in matching colors is still available, but it notably lacked the brick wall frame.

the black dial of a white digital g-shock watch — The dial of the GW5000HS is an almost direct copy of the original G-Shock done in black-and-white.

The two new GW5000HS references have a simplified color scheme, or rather, no color at all. But they reproduce the original G-Shock dial almost detail-for-detail, including the brick wall.

Small details like the Adjust, Mode, Set – and Set + indicators, along with the “SHOCKS RESIST” and 20bar water resistance icons are copied directly, only in black-and-white.

Made in Japan

Back in the 1980s, Casio produced all of the G-Shock watches in Japan. As the sub-brand grew and geopolitics shifted, Casio shifted production of many cheaper models to China and Thailand.

the case back of a casio watch — The screw-down steel case back on the GW5000HS boasts “Made in Japan.”

G-Shock’s premium line has always been made in Japan at Casio’s Yamagata factory, where the new GW5000HS line is manufactured despite selling for just $300. This makes it the most affordable way to acquire Casio’s esteemed “Made in Japan” production quality.