In The Metal: G-SHOCK Delights With Its 2021 Full Metal Releases
With its latest rainbow-hued and gold-toned full metal models, G-SHOCK continues to make inroads into the luxury market.
By Rhonda Riche
Editor-At-Large
G-SHOCK is once again rocking its collectors’ worlds with the launch of the GMWB5000TR-9 and the GMWB5000GD-4.
These new additions to the square-cased Full Metal series of shock-resistant watches are focused on featuring unparalleled polish and vivid new hues for an arresting appearance.
Watchonista recently had the chance to play with these timepieces in person, and you can color us impressed!
Think Pink
First up is the GMWB5000GD-4 – the first-ever model in G-SHOCK’s premium Full Metal series to feature a rose gold ion-plated (IP) finish.
This luxurious-looking watch has the classic square case and digital display of the G-SHOCK DW5000C. But the GMWB5000GD-4 also features premium touches like a screw back with a diamond-like carbon coating for outstanding wear resistance. It would take decades of use to take the glow off this fine finish.
The opulent rose gold coating is very scratch-resistant, and like all models in the Full Metal family, the trick is getting the metal case to be as resilient as the resin versions of the G-SHOCK. In this instance, the brand’s signature shock resistance is achieved by wrapping the metal case around an inner resin shock absorber.
The GMWB5000GD-4 is built for toughness in many other categories as well. It comes with many of G-SHOCK's most popular innovations, including Bluetooth Connectivity via the G-SHOCK Connected app and Multi-Band 6 Atomic Timekeeping for self-adjusting and accurate hour/date display virtually anywhere on the globe. It also boasts a high contrast STN-LCD digital display that makes the watch easy to read from any angle, as well as Tough Solar Technology, making it capable of self-charging even with low sun exposure.
How Does It Feel?
These two new full-metal watches are every bit as robust as G-SHOCK’s resin-cased siblings, but they also offer some interesting attributes their resin cousins do not.
The GMWB5000TR-9 is made from a titanium alloy called TranTixxii. Developed by the Nippon Steel Corporation back in the early 1990s, TranTixxii is strong, lightweight, and extremely corrosion resistant. Moreover, Nippon describes the alloy as "environment-friendly" and representing "the titanium products that provide elegance."
Since its creation, TranTixxii has been used as construction material in everything from the world’s first underwater drift sea ice observatory to skyscrapers in Dubai. So, we know it’s durable.
Yet, the alloy is also gentle on the wearer, which is good news for aspiring owners of the GMWB5000TR-9. It has all the high-quality characteristics of titanium, and its improved hardness makes it possible to create a highly reflective finish comparable to that of stainless steel, making the GMWB5000TR-9 the first titanium G-SHOCK with an all-mirror polish finish.
Rainbow Bright
And while the GMWB5000TR-9 shares the architecture and negative display dial of the rest of the square bodied G-SHOCK family, it looks unique.
If this super shiny finish wasn’t fancy enough, the case, bracelet segments, and some of the buttons have a gold IP coating. The rest of the bracelet segments and buttons are vibrantly colored with a red, blue, light gray, and dark gray IP finish. And although it looks very expensive, the coating is scratch-resistant to live up to the G-SHOCK’s storied toughness.
The rainbow link effect is the scene-stealing attribute of the GMWB5000TR-9, but there are other luxe touches, such as having a screw-down caseback instead of the four screws used to secure most G-SHOCKS and all the same premium high-tech features of the GMWB5000GD-4.
Pricing and Availability
The G-SHOCK GMWB5000GD-4 and GMWB5000TR-9 are both available now and are priced at $600 for the rose gold model and $1700 for the rainbow-colored version.
(Photography by Liam O'Donnell)
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