If we were playing matchmaker for some of our favorite watch brands, we wouldn’t have thought of pairing a Casio G-Shock with Patek Philippe’s iconic Nautilus. However, the Japanese watchmaker’s new GMC-2500 proves that opposites do attract.
The 2500 Series is a new collection that “reimagines the design DNA of the watch that started it all,” according to Casio. The brand is nodding towards the original G-Shock ref. DW-5000C from 1983, a watch designed to be tough enough to keep ticking even when dropped. The team famously tested prototypes by hurling them out of the third-floor men’s bathroom of the Casio offices. The new 2500 series is a close descendant of the shock-absorbent watch's original design.
The first G-Shock featured an octagonal digital display, four buttons on the case flanks, and an integrated rubber strap. The 2500 Series incorporates most of those features—but this time, the display is analog rather than digital, and a pair of case “ears” makes the model look a lot like Patek Philippe’s famous flagship luxury sports watch.
Designed by Gérald Genta and released in 1976, the Nautilus is based on a porthole—hence the “ears,” which mirror the hinges/securing mechanism used to open and close a ship’s window against the elements. You may also recall that this isn't the first time that Casio has taken inspiration from a famous Genta watch: the GA-2100 Series (aka ‘CasiOak’), with its octagonal bezel design, bears a remarkable similarity to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
The watch community has been waiting impatiently for the announcement of the 2500 series since Casio’s Japanese website accidentally listed these pieces back in September. In the months since, collectors have already given the watch the “CasioNaut” nickname. (What good is a watch without a clever nickname, after all?) The wait isn’t over just yet, though. The line will officially go on sale through Casio’s website on November 6th.
The 2500 Series is much more than a quartz-powered Nautilus copy. At the center of the design is the Multi-Mission Date function that operates through a three-cell display at 3 o’clock. Besides indicating the date, it can also display the watch’s current mode, elapsed stopwatch minutes, and setting information. Meanwhile, a small-seconds display at 9 o’clock shows passing seconds, but can also be paused and restarted as necessary. (Pausing the function can extend the battery life up to five years.)
The timepiece's tech uses G-SHOCK’s familiar four-button arrangement and comes packed with all the features we've come to expect from the Japanese brand. For starters, the watch automatically keeps rigorous time through 2099 after you input the year, month, and date. LED illumination ensures everything is legible even in low light, while a magnetic system steadies the watch’s hands even if dropped, bumped, or roughed up. Water-resistant to 200m, the 2500 Series is just as capable as you’d expect from a hard-wearing G-SHOCK. Available in simple resin cases with matching rubber bracelets for $145; with metal accents and rubber bracelets for $280-$300; and with full-metal bracelets for $350, the handful of launch references come in a variety of versatile colors and weigh between 47 grams (resin) and 160-180 grams (metal).
Though Casio releases oodles of fresh colorways in existing G-SHOCK families each year, it’s not every day that the world gets an entirely new model family. Fun, streamlined, and much more affordable than the watch it's nicknamed after, the 2500 Series is certainly on its way to becoming a hit.
