The high-end watch world has an understandable affection for Casio. You can easily rock an iconic, brightly colored F-91W in any meeting with a luxury brand, and you’ll get nods of approval. It is, after all, the watch that has graced the wrists of Barack Obama and Napoleon Dynamite.
If not the F-91W, you’d be on similar safe ground sporting the famous “CasiOak” that many G-Shock fans love because of its more than passing resemblance to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, which was recently given a similarly affordable makeover by Swatch with the Royal Pop. First introduced in 2019, the wallet-friendly G-Shock GA-2100 earned the nickname largely because of its octagonal case shape and is considered by some the definition of attainable luxury.
Now, however, it appears Casio has something genuinely new for the G-Shock line. Leaked on Notebookcheck and Instagram, the upcoming GMC-2500 and GAC-2500 series echo the CasiOak’s links to high-end brand AP with more than a passing resemblance to Patek Philippe’s Nautilus thanks to prominent shoulders on either side of the case.
Casio did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
In 1972, legendary watchmaker Gérald Genta suggested an angular stainless steel watch design to Audemars Piguet with a high-end movement inside that would, perversely, be more expensive than gold dress watches. The Royal Oak, and the idea of the luxury sports watch, was born. In 1976, Genta repeated the trick for AP’s main competitor, Patek Philippe, to create the now equally famous Nautilus.
According to Notebookcheck, the GAC-2500 series is a resin analog lineup supposedly built from the DNA of the DW-5000C, the very first G-Shock made back in 1983. Stainless-steel versions will be labeled the GMC-2500 series. So far, nicknames like the “CasioNaut” and “CasioTilus” are already being thrown around on Instagram. The leaked four resin colorways in November are expected to be white, black, green, and yellow, and the price is estimated at ¥20,900 (about $134) each. The metal versions will supposedly retail for about $320.
Another striking aspect of the CasioNauts, one that helps the comparisons with Patek even further, is that the watches are fully analog, a rarity in a G-Shock. The brand has always had a digital display somewhere on its main ranges, just like the CasiOak does.
A two-eye dial layout means a small seconds subdial on the left and a date window on the right. A Shock Resist mark is on the tail of the seconds hand. These pieces apparently have Casio’s Magnetic Holding Structure, so the hands aren’t fixed to a shaft but are instead held magnetically in place. When the rugged watch takes a severe smack, the hands can absorb the impact and won’t break.
The metal GMC-2500 dimensions are supposedly 46.7 x 43.8 x 12.9 mm (H x W x D), with the GAC-2500 a shade thinner at 46.7 x 44.5 x 12.7. It looks like the metal versions will offer a choice of colors, along with the bracelet or strap options. The rumored release date for all of the CasioNauts is November, so set your watch.
According to legend, the inspiration for the Nautilus shape was the portholes on transatlantic ocean liners, and the idea struck Genta while he was having dinner at a hotel. Genta supposedly saw Patek executives sitting in a corner on the opposite side of the restaurant. It took him just five minutes to sketch the watch that would later become an icon.
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