All 800 of Casio’s new MRG-B2000KT-3A watches was carefully chiseled into shape by one man. Third-generation Japanese metalsmith Kobayashi Masao, based in the quiet lakeside town of Otsu, took his hammer and chisel to the titanium bezel of these heavy-duty G-SHOCK watches, engraving phoenixes onto each one.

This phoenix iconography references the decorative art of tsuba iron guards on Japanese swords, while the pure titanium case, covered in a detailed crystallized pattern, evokes the shimmering metal of a sword’s blade.

Even the indexes, the metal inserts that demarcate every hour, curve to appear more sword-like. 

Everywhere you look, Casio made this shock-resistant watch more like a sword and thus higher-end, upgrading the original G-SHOCK materials to include a sapphire crystal face and bezel screws set with emeralds. As such, this isn’t a regular rugged yet affordable G-SHOCK but part of the high-end MR-G line.

Kobayashi is one of the Japanese craftspeople MR-G regularly calls on, previously engraving watches with detailed tiger designs and even making a bespoke helmet for the watch line.

However, this watch is his most extravagant yet and sits amongst MR-G's most splashy, priced at $8,000.

Other examples, like the recent hanada-iro edition MR-G, are priced at comparatively modest sums like $4,700.

Yes, that’s around 50 times more expensive than your average G-SHOCK (which you can pick up for around $150 to $200), but this isn’t an ordinary piece of watchmaking. It’s swordmaking.

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