If you've spent any time in watch circles over the last few years, you'll know the drill: Casio takes a shape everyone associates with a six-figure luxury sports watch, builds it in tough resin and steel for a fraction of the price, and the internet immediately gives it a nickname. A few years ago it was the "CasiOak" (you can guess which Swiss icon that one was riffing on). This month, it's the "CasioNaut" — and it's already proving just as popular.
The new G-Shock 2500 Series ditches the usual digital display for a fully analog face set inside an angular, octagonal case — a shape watch fans immediately clocked as an homage to a famous Genta-designed luxury sports watch, at a G-Shock price. There's a small sub-dial for the seconds (which doubles as a simple stopwatch), a date window, and Casio's usual shock resistance and 200m water resistance running underneath. It's a proper G-Shock wearing a very sharp suit.
What's made this one a genuine talking point rather than just another G-Shock drop is how fast it's moved. Pre-sales opened in Japan on November 1, and most colourways were gone within days. When the watch launched properly in the US and Europe on November 5–6, at least one authorised retailer's steel-bracelet version sold out within hours of going live. That's the kind of reception that usually gets reserved for limited-edition collaborations, not a watch that starts under S$200.
There's a lineup to suit different budgets and tastes: the all-resin GAC-2500 models in several colours, the resin-case/steel-bezel GMC-2500 (including a gold-tone version), and the full steel-bracelet GMC-2500D for anyone who wants the dressiest version of the look. Given how quickly stock has been moving overseas, this is a good one to watch — anyone who's been eyeing a sharper-looking G-Shock, or wants that "luxury shape, G-Shock price" look, shouldn't expect it to sit on shelves for long once it lands here. Stay tuned for local availability and pricing.
