Discovering beauty in strength.

Discovering beauty in strength. The GMW-B5000 is a full-metal G-SHOCK. This watch is not distinguished by strength alone. It also highlights the characteristic beauty of metal, and a high degree of perfection as a product, too. All these factors combine to bring out the innate beauty of the watch. This level of quality, exceeding all considerations of practicality, is where the true value lies.

Profound and minutely detailed molding.

The GMW-B5000 inherits the design of the very first G-SHOCK, the DW-5000C, to achieve its full-metal form. The DW-5000C was originally produced with the molding it had due to the use of resin, with its excellent processability. Achieving this form with metal required sophisticated technology.

In particular, the bezel case and center case, which are the key components of the watch’s exterior design, are cast in complex forms that can only be obtained through more than ten steps of forging and cutting. Pieces with a great deal of unevenness in their forms, such as the button guards and connective part of the band, were faithfully reproduced in metal. For the reverse side, the production of components with high precision was pursued in order to make possible the minutely detailed assembly. Hollowing was applied throughout in order to save weight as well as to enhance the precision of the buffering components’ fit. Uncompromising particularity was pursued down to the details, including a specially developed button structure combining the buttons with internal pipes.

The band’s iconic dimple design was also inherited from the first G-SHOCK model. In the rigorous pursuit of beauty in the finishing, down to the bottoms of the impressed holes, a repetitive process of alternately pressing and polishing was employed. The unique dream of reproducing the characteristic form of resin with metal was brought to fruition with a high degree of perfection.

A sense of beauty in the details.

Meanwhile, finishing that brought out the textural quality of the metal was also employed. Each component was polished individually with hairline and mirror finishes to give the watch a profound sense of presence and beautiful radiance. Particularly with the bezel case, or “face” of the watch, a great deal of time and effort went into production, including changing the hairline direction between the top surface and sides.

The application of ion plating and DLC coating increased the watch’s resistance to wear and abrasion, as well. With particular attention to detail, all the way down to the components that lie out of sight, the watch’s finish attains a level of quality befitting a watch that would carry this new chapter of G-SHOCK history into the future.

Inheriting the original face.

The face design also employs meticulous attention to detail. Presenting the LCD with the same size ratio as the first G-SHOCK model made for proportions with a sense of stability. The dial’s lettering, applied to the octagonal face, also followed the original layout. While the lettering itself may differ due to the multiple functions included, the overall look is spot-on with that of the first G-SHOCK. With a high-efficiency solar panel that allows the dial to be more opaque, enabling the faithful rendering of even the brick pattern, the watch presents a look that will be familiar to G-SHOCK fans.

One other showcase for this particularity of design is the bezel. While models in the 5600 series—successors of the first model—featured an engraved G-SHOCK logo with a convex form, the first model’s entire bezel surface was flat. The GMW-B5000 reproduced even the smallest details like this but in metal.

At the same time, of course, the design took on the challenge of evolving in new ways as a digital watch, as well. Along with the new adoption of the super-twisted nematic (STN) LCD display, the materials used in the solar panel were changed to suppress the reflection of external light and enhance the LCD’s visibility. In addition to this, the inclusion of a fully automatic LED backlight improved visibility in dark locations. The light included fade in/out features, white/orange luminesce, and more. In terms of the watch’s expressiveness as well, it accomplished a rapid pace of evolution.

Topping even the masterpiece.

Thirty-five years had passed since the first G-SHOCK was released in 1983. Then, at long last, there appeared the GMW-B5000 with its full-metal, shock-resistant, square design. This monumental debut came in a choice of two options: the GMW-B5000D-1 with a stainless steel band, and the GMW-B5000-1 with a soft urethane band.

This was also a moment when the G-SHOCK—in its continuous evolution in the transcendence of the times, of conventional wisdom, and of limitations—marked a new turning point in its history. The emblematic DW-5000C, the very first G-SHOCK, was deemed a masterpiece. This was G-SHOCK’s response to the challenge of creating a new masterpiece that would transcend even the first. In the years ahead, as in the years thus far, nothing can transcend the G-SHOCK but the G-SHOCK itself.