Taking an Artisan's Hammer to a Heavy-Duty Watch
Every one of Casio’s new G-Shock MRG-B5000HT-1JR watches has been handled by one man, Kazuya Watanabe.
A master artisan, Watanabe has personally formed the unique patterns covering each watch’s bezel and bracelet through the traditional Japanese hammering technique of tsuiki.
An ancient craft used initially for tea sets and ornaments, tsuiki is done by hammering a piece of copper to generate an intricate network of dents forming a textured pattern. It’s a practice Watanabe specialises in, winning multiple awards since establishing his own forge in 2005.
Now, this over 1,000-year-old craft is being combined with G-Shock’s famously heavy-duty horology.
The MRG-B5000, a watch based on the first-ever G-SHOCK to be released, sees its materials upgraded for this limited-edition collaboration. DAT55G, a high-performance titanium alloy three times harder than pure titanium, is utilized on the hand-hammered bezel and bracelet before being finished with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for extra toughness.
Only 500 of these metal timepieces are launching worldwide, each coming with its unique tsuiki pattern and serial number.
Casio has confirmed the highly exclusive watch will be released sometime in August and will cost ¥935,000 (that’s around $6,300).
The MRG-B5000HT-1JR is available to preview now on the watchmaker's website.
For Casio, this is yet another recent example of it integrating Japanese artisanal craft with its signature G-Shock range. Fresh from launching a new collaboration with the leather experts Hender Scheme, the brand combines expertise with a master of an ancient metalwork craft.
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