The G-SHOCK MTG-B2000YBD
As featured on Hodinkee
G-SHOCK introduced their carbon-reinforced resin as the third material, joining the conventional resin and metal, back in 2019. The carbon fiber material, which was born out of space exploration, is lighter than steel yet hard and tough. It has earned its place in the watchmaking industry thanks to those characteristics and the extra benefits against temperature swing and aging. Casio saw the opportunity and developed the Carbon Core Guard structure to take G-SHOCK's toughness to a whole new level.
This new structure found its way into the MT-G series in the following year, 2020. The MTG-B2000 series was the inaugural piece with a fusion of the carbon fiber reinforced resin monocoque case and metal components. The MTG-B2000YBD featured here is the following act to the series, which extends the use of carbon to the bezel frame surrounding the case to further reduce the weight. The frame is milled out of a heat-pressed block that is made of 235 laminated sheets of carbon and glass fiber layers. A whopping 77% weight reduction against stainless steel all by itself is an amazing achievement, and the black and red stripe pattern on the side of the case certainly catches your eye. You could say that Casio managed to incorporate this shock-resistant, weight-reducing structure into the watch as a design element.
The GRAVITYMASTER GWR-B1000X-1A Limited Edition from 2019 was the first model utilizing the laminated carbon structure as an aesthetic design element. However, the team didn't have the concept of using carbon as a design element when the development of this model first started, and the use of carbon-reinforced material was purely to push the toughness of G-SHOCK to the next level. Meanwhile, G-SHOCK's CMF (Color, Material, Finish) team aimed to fuse the carbon-reinforced structure and CMF design, which resulted in a new structure-as-aesthetic design language dubbed as “functional CMF.” The MT-G collection, which aims to demonstrate the structural excellence, was a fitting canvas for this aesthetic, and it was only natural for the MTG-B2000YBD to receive this design treatment.
The case-surrounding bezel frame that showcases the multilayer carbon structure clearly takes the center stage on the MTG-B2000YBD, but this frame is not just simply cut out of laminated layers of carbon and glass fiber. In order to strengthen the frame, the top carbon layer wraps around the sides at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions while the tube-shaped carbon sheet encircles the lugholes for added durability. It's not very hard to imagine how tricky it is to forge this bezel frame, but this hyper-complex manufacturing process enabled Casio to achieve the toughness and cutting-edge design aesthetics worthy of the MT-G name.
When you look at the watch straight on, you'll be greeted with a handsome dark face subtly accented by the checkerboard pattern of carbon fiber placed at four corners of the bezel, and the black and red stripes start to appear as soon as you start tilting the watch in any direction. And the best thing about it is that you'll know this design aesthetic is also the key element in achieving the ultra-lightweight and shock-resistant nature of the watch. You really can't get any more G-SHOCK than that.
All content including images is credited to Hodinkee.