G-SHOCK will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2023, and the first of two special models to commemorate this milestone are the Flare Red MTG-B3000FR and GWG-2040FR. The base models are the MT-G and the MUDMASTER, two watches that embody G-SHOCK's advanced design, but what is striking about both models at first glance is the organic red and orange pattern on the bezel, which, as the name "Flare Red" suggests, is an expression of the sun's explosive phenomenon, or solar flare. As the name "Flare Red" suggests, the design represents an explosion of the sun, or in other words, a solar flare, and the watch shows a truly powerful expression befitting an anniversary model.
As G-SHOCK celebrates its 40th anniversary, Casio takes look back at the concepts of past models while evolving them with modern interpretations. For the first model, which would mark the beginning of the new series, Casio decided that the sun motif was the best way to express the brand's colors in a way that would best suit the anniversary, while bringing them to the forefront. As a result, the design was completed with exterior parts that express a solar flare in a pattern resembling a burning flame.
The key to realizing this design was the multi-colored carbon insert bezel. The unique undulating pattern may ring a bell with many G-SHOCK fans. The bezel used on the Flare Red is a further development of this multi-colored stripe pattern by creating a new mold with 3D undulations. Carbon and glass fiber sheets are laminated in a regular pattern. After pressing and distorting the laminated sheets and cutting them flat, a pattern reminiscent of a solar flare appears, as if a topographical map with contour lines were drawn in black and red.
In Flare Red, a part of the bezel emits light in the dark to create a fantastic appearance, which is a new design technique achieved by mixing luminescent particles into a specific glass fiber sheet. In the GWG-2040FR, the bezel parts at 12 and 6 o'clock are also made of luminescent forged carbon. In particular, in manufacturing the bezel parts, Casio had to control the amount and particle size of the luminescent material so that the luminescent parts would not be unevenly distributed, while at the same time ensuring shock resistance, which is indispensable for G-SHOCK. In other words, this part was completed through repeated trial and error to achieve the best balance between looks and performance, and was much more difficult to produce than the multi-colored carbon insert bezel.
Another design accent in expressing the solar flare is the presence of IP-treated metal parts: the bezel ring is made of pink gold IP and the push buttons, crown, and other parts are made of rose gold IP. The combination of these with the multi-colored bezel further strengthens the image of flames. Of course, color IP is a symbolic technology of G-SHOCK, and has accumulated know-how in this area over many years of product development, but it was still a delicate process to create the subtle difference in color between pink gold and rose gold. After clearing these hurdles one by one, the solar flare expression was completed, creating not only a powerful image typical of G-SHOCK, but also a sense of luxury and specialness befitting an anniversary model.
The Flare Red, which incorporates new technology, is not only a 40th anniversary model, but also a timepiece that shows off G-SHOCK's technological prowess. In particular, the novel look of the solar flare motif is a further development of the CMF (color, material, and finish) design that Casio has been promoting for the past several years. The company will continue to create a wider variety of CMF designs to express the toughness and strength of the G-SHOCK brand image.
The color development process is basically led by the design team, but since today's G-SHOCK watches are manufactured using more complex technology, even the design team cannot control the colors unless they are familiar with the manufacturing process of the watch parts. For this reason, the exterior design team is currently working together to develop colors. With G-SHOCK's technical capabilities as well as its planning and production systems further refined, the new 40th year of the G-SHOCK line is sure to bring even more originality to its unique design expressions and further evolution to attract even more watch fans.
MTG-B3000FR-1A
GWG-2040FR-1A