Hodinkee
Hands-On: G-SHOCK Reveals The MRG-D5000 “Blue Rose Project” In Sapphire
Earlier this summer, I sat down in a fluorescent-lit meeting room in Yamagata, Japan, as a group of Casio associates plopped down a heavy box in front of me. I thought I was just going to Casio's Yamagata factory for a tour of the production line, but I had no idea that I was about to see something absolutely bonkers. Turns out, they were about to show me the watch released to the world today—G-SHOCK's first-ever production watch constructed out of sapphire crystal, in a limited edition of 20 pieces. Let's get to the important detail first—the new MRG-D5000 is priced at $80,000 (JPY 1.1 million). Is this the craziest new G-SHOCK we've seen in a while? Certainly yes. But is it surprising? Well, maybe not quite. The clues were kind of there all along. In the MR-G series, which already represents G-SHOCK at its highest end, the new Blue Rose Project stands out for its material choice and a price tag still an order of magnitude higher than even the most expensive typical MR-G models. If you're not familiar with the series, it's essentially G-SHOCK's flagship lineup: it takes the familiar digital module and durability specs demanded of G-SHOCK and combines them with a much higher level of materials and finishing, along with a much more complex construction. I've owned an MR-G (the MRGB5000R-1, to be specific) for a few years now, and I have to say that I'm a big fan. Yes, it's certainly one of the easier watch concepts to ridicule online, but these models feel extremely imp...