Casio Just Re-Released The Very First G-Shock

Casio's G-Shock brand is celebrating a big birthday this year. And much like many industries, it is taking its 40th anniversary as a chance to look to the past, to get nostalgic, to wax digital. The thing is, while a brand like TAG Heuer can make a statement with the launch of the KITH F1 watches in near ‘80-faithful form, or even one like Timex can reissue the IronMan in a 1:1 configuration (JDM only; sorry, USA), Casio is in a bit of tough spot…for a good reason. I think of the G-Shock like the affordable, digital version of the Omega Speedmaster "Moonwatch," a watch whose design has been altered but, in many ways, has effectively been in uninterrupted production since the 1960s – and we love it for that reason.

Similarly, through models like the modern DW-5600, Casio has been producing some manner of the original G-Shock since, um, the birth of G-Shock four decades ago. And again, we love that. I mean, people really love that. I even own a DW-5600 and I’m not what you might call a G-Shock guy, or a G-shocker, or whatever it is you call it (to be honest, people probably don’t call it anything).

This has been a deeply circuitous route to saying that the brand has released a throwback G-Shock to celebrate its own birthday which is essentially a reissue of the very first G-Shock. And all of my preamble is to illustrate that, at first blush, you probably don’t notice anything massive here. But like any release worthy of watch nerdery, the devil is in the resin — I mean, the details.

What we are looking at is the DW-500R which, as the brand will tell you, simultaneously manages to look back and forward. You try doing that, I dare you.  Like it was from its inception, that watch has a stainless steel case. You don’t see it, but it's one of those details that separates this watch from the competition. 

Casio made a point to pay attention to the smallest details on this watch, and in so doing, reproduced the exact style of strap you would have seen on the original watch. This is one of the biggest design departures from the modern models. And in this strap effort, everything was considered: length, form, and – yes – the position of the dimples.

Of course, this is 2024, so you have to guess the original size would not be honored. This is a shame in my opinion, but I digress. The case size is upsized to 42.3 mm from the original 41.6 mm. I would have loved to see this in that sub-42mm size, but perhaps that’s just my 6.25-inch wrist speaking.

Taking us into the more eco-conscious 21st century, the case, band, and bezel are all made from resin (like the original), but now that resin is what Casio calls “bio-based,” which it says will reduce the watch’s environmental impact. Of course, none of this has impacted the watch’s 200 meters of water resistance or five years of battery life. Oh, and I almost forgot another cool old-school feature: The LED backlight.

I happen to like this release overall, especially the small, throwback nods like use of color. The price is not announced yet, and we will update as soon as we have it, but overall, this is the watch nerd’s G-Shock. I can certainly see hardcore fans spotting the vintage-appropriate strap in the wild and giving a nod of approval. You can see more about this Casio G-Shock on the brand's website here.