Although we love G-SHOCK for its knack for affordable timepieces, it’s always exciting when the Japanese watchmaker comes out with a premium luxury watch for us to at least gawk at. Tapping its top-shelf MR-G line for the task, its latest is an $8,000 model inspired by the ancient art of swordmaking.
For the task, Casio — G-SHOCK’s parent brand — decided to commission award-winning Master Swordsmith Kamiyama Teruhira to design an original sword to guide the hand of this new MR-G watch. Forged with a katana blade, the Juryoku-Maru was then given an aogai blue shell lacquer scabbard designed by Nomura Mamoru, the third-generation head of Sagaraden Nomura, a Kyoto-based artisanal house that specializes in urushi lacquer techniques. Mamoru performed each step of the lacquering process himself, from painting to ornamentation, which combines a mother-of-pearl inlay and metallic powder maki-e.
Considering this dedication to craft, the MRGB2000JS — based on the B2000 model — is an ultra-premium G-SHOCK (even lower-end versions of this watch are under the $2,000 mark) with meticulous use of colors, materials, and finishes. Housed in a 54.7mm × 49.8mm case, the analog watch boasts the typical features of the B2000, including Tough Solar charging, 200m of water resistance, shock resistance, Super Illuminator LED lighting, ABC functions, a calendar subdial, and satellite time accuracy. You can also sync this up with your phone to operate functions such as the worldtimer and manual watch setting. However, what makes this variant of the timepiece so special is what went into its construction.
The bezel’s unique pattern comes from weaving together two types of titanium (pure and Ti64 titanium) to match the temper pattern on the Juryoku-Maru blade. During the process, the metal was cut, polished, and recrystallized. Likewise, the case was recrystallized to create a look redolent to the nie crystals on the katana as well.
You can also see the inspiration from the sword on the textured band, which features the same aogai blue shell lacquer of the Juryoku-Maru, which uses a patent-pending structural coloring technique in its own right. The color of the watch and its band are truly spectacular and can even change based on which angle you’re looking at it. The titanium alloy is three times harder than pure titanium and has been given a diamond-like carbon coating for better durability.
Just like on the Juryoku-Maru hilt, the dial base features a hishimaki-gara textural pattern that looks like diamond shapes. Furthermore, the perimeter of the dial features a folding fan design for decoration and the indices are intended to mirror the curves of a katana blade. On the back of the case, there’s a hand-engraved symbol for “San” — Japanese for “brilliant” — which will differ slightly from one example to the next.
Case Size: 54.7mm × 49.8mm
Case Material: Hybrid titanium
Water Resistance: 200m
Movement: Quartz with Tough Solar
Band: Titanium alloy bracelet
Limited Edition?: Yes, 800
Limited to just 800 pieces, the MRGB2000JS is priced at a whopping $8,000 from G-SHOCK’s site. It’s expected to become available later this month.
G-SHOCK commissioned Japanese swordsmiths to make an original sword and then designed a new $8,000 analog watch using similar techniques.
