By Owen Patterson

October 31, 2023

It’s the year 2009 and Justin Bieber and Usher were just spotted at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards flaunting their beefy G-SHOCKs. During the 2000’s, G-SHOCKs were everywhere. The timepieces could be seen on Pharrell, Kanye West, Rihanna, and more. G-SHOCK’s popularity was evidenced by its list of collaborators which include popular cultures’ biggest brands like Stussy, Brain Dead, Asics, Jordan Brand, Burton Snowboards, Staple, just to name a few (Wolf, 2020). 

What makes G-SHOCK watches so special is their indestructible design and bold aesthetics. In 1981, Casio engineer Kikuo Ibe dropped a prized mechanical watch on the ground and watched it shatter (Estlow, 2023). From this experience, spawned Ibe’s mission to create a watch that could withstand the rigors of daily life and would become known as the G-SHOCK. Three design criteria were the foundation for the G-SHOCK: “withstand a 10-meter drop, withstand 10 atmospheres of water pressure, and have a battery life of 10 years” (Estlow, 2023). Extensive research and development efforts have equipped G-SHOCKs with various features, including resistance to extreme temperatures, mud, and water, integrated pressure and temperature sensors, and more. These technical features are complimented by a bold design, characterized by the watch’s robust case, sturdy wristband, and prominent sides that protect the buttons. Furthermore, G-SHOCKs are available in an array of vibrant colors, ranging from iridescent hues to olive green.

It is safe to say, G-SHOCKs have been absent in the last decade. They will return to their former glory in 2024 because of their shared characteristics with the luxury watch market, Gorpcore trends, and people’s current infatuation with everything Y2K.

Swiss luxury watches have become a major category of interest because of their representation of status, value appreciation, and enthusiastic community. Swiss luxury watches are to millionaires, just as G-SHOCKs are to aspirational customers. 

In the market for Swiss luxury watches, Richard Mille watches are the ultimate symbol of status and for good reason. They are priced at $250,000 or more. “A Richard Mille watch is a powerful symbol of wealth for anyone who’s in-the- know enough to recognize its familiar contours” (Bloomberg, 2023). Eric Wind, head of Wind Vintage, a dealer in Palm Beach, Florida, says the brand has become known as “the billionaire’s handshake”. Ironically, G-SHOCKs were once the watches of choice for society’s upper class. “For the better part of a decade, celebrities’ favorite timepieces were bulky, plastic, and started at around a hundred bucks” (Wolf, 2020). Some years ago, celebrities traded in plastic watches for high grade titanium watches. According to Wolf, “watches have seemingly become ever-more- salient symbols separating the haves from the have-nots, with go-to celebrity pieces in 2020 often starting in the tens of thousands”. Brand names hold a lot of value in the Swiss Luxury watch market both monetarily and socially. Clymer, founder and executive chairman of the watch publication, Hodinkee, says “Now, people care a lot more about who’s wearing what and why than about the watches themselves” (Swithinbank, 2023). It goes to show that status among the ultra-rich can be signified for a mere $250,000. 

Luxury watches serve as more than status symbols and outdated time measurements, they are also viable investments. Luxury watches fetch higher prices in the secondary market due to their exclusivity. Clymer says, “While there’s simply something lovely about them as a beautiful, lasting totem of accomplishment or relationship, they are now layered on top of a no longer subtle game of cultural one-upmanship, layered on top of an even less subtle ambition for a return on investment” (Amed, 2023). While some may believe that celebrities are being gifted watches for free, that is not the case. Clymer puts into perspective just how exclusive Swiss luxury watches are by saying “allocation is the new discount” (Swithinbank, 2023). The status symbol and ROI potential are two of the three benefits of a Swiss luxury watch. The third is being part of a community. Not the ultra-rich community, but one where people have an appreciation for culturally relevant artifacts. 

There was no greater display of this community than at the July 3rd, White Party in the Hamptons. Richard Mille watches were seen on the wrists of rapper Travis Scott, NBA star James Harden, and rapper French Montana (Bloomberg, 2023). The existing Swiss luxury watch community emerged because brands chose to associate themselves with more outsider industries. Industries associated with luxury watches are mentioned in, “Twenty years on, interest in Swiss luxury watches is driven by an increasingly close relationship with culture writ large — with associations with musicians, football stars, comic book franchises and video games all driving visibility for the once stuffy, elitist world” (Swithinbank, 2023). You might be asking yourself, “But, how does the Luxury watch community compare to the G-SHOCK watch community?”. By making a reference to the streetwear community, a connection can be made between the G-SHOCK and Swiss luxury watch communities. “Young males are drawn to luxury watches similar to how people are drawn to streetwear which created a demand that exceeded supply and led to the creation of a pre-owned market” (Amed, 2023). The excerpt not only shows how there is a community around Swiss luxury watches but how high demand has created a secondary market. The worlds of luxury watches and streetwear might not be as disconnected as one may think. Audemars Piguet CEO, François-Henry Bennahmias, says “We are far from being done in terms of what these two worlds, street culture and luxury, can do together” (Swithinbank, 2023). Swiss luxury watch brands are trying to expand their reach beyond the elitist community they currently serve. There is a greater focus on being part of popular culture for luxury watch brands which in turn propels the popularity of watches, both plastic (G-SHOCK) and titanium (expensive ones). Zenith CEO, Julien Tornare, says “By getting into wider popular culture, we show them that watch culture is part of today’s world” (Swithinbank, 2023). G-SHOCK knows popular culture all too well. It won’t be long before G-SHOCKs are at the forefront of pop-culture the way that trends are swaying.

One trend that is propelling G-SHOCKs into pop-culture is Gorpcore. For a definition of Gorpcore, just think of technical fabrics, utilitarian design, and stores like REI, Salomon, and Arcteryx. “Gorpcore entered the popular lexicon of fashion in 2017, coined by New York Magazine writer Jason Chen” (Miller, 2023). Since arriving on the scene, Gorpcore has had staying power. The “Gorpcore category emerged in the mid 2010s as pieces like fleece vests and nylon windbreakers began to infiltrate the streetwear scene” – Patrick Stangbye, Creative Director of fashion hiking brand Roa. Regardless of the trend’s continuation, the market for Gorpcore products will persist. Patrick says, “There’s something very aspirational about investing in clothing made out of highly technical fabrics and consumers will buy into this with or without the gorpcore trend”. G-SHOCK’s design language directly reflects the Gorpcore trend. Wolf writes, “The G-Shock debuted in 1983 and was a fast favorite of outdoorsmen and firefighters”. A keyword used is outdoorsmen, these are the type of men who epitomize Gorpcore. Wolf’s closing words were, ”I have only one hope for the flagging relevance of the G-SHOCK among today’s watch collectors: they’ll be back”. Indeed, the watches will return the way that trends like Gorpcore and Y2K are circulating through culture. 

Y2K, seems like some calculus term you plug in to find the change in the earth’s temperature. BTW, global warming is real. In actuality, Y2K is just the lazy / cool way of saying “Year 2000”. “Style in the pre-recession 2000s was all about garish maximalism, and no watch gripped that moment quite like the candy-colored G-SHOCKs” (Wolf, 2020). Other watches from the Y2Ks have experienced revivals thanks to social media. It is hard to miss vintage Oakley watches on the instagram feeds of archival pages. Oakley’s relevance in the Y2K scene is best described by Rakestraw, who says “Watch designs are described as being alien, completely idiosyncratic, and undulating. The timepieces have found second life as talismans: self-evident distillations of the Y2K quirk”(2020). It’s important to understand the trend from the perspectives of the archival page owners responsible for the revival of Y2K watches. @unownedspaces, an Instagram archivist famous for in-depth posts on nature and outdoors gear, says “Oakley is Y2K-Gorp-fusion-technology: titanium watches and metallurgically designed eyewear, built to outlast, and, possibly, for space travel” (Rakestraw, 2020). Another archivist, @samutaro adds, “I think the whole wave of ’90s and ’00s nostalgia is really driving the renewed interest in Oakley”. Of the most influential archival pages is @hidden.ny. It should be no SHOCK (always up for a pun) that G-SHOCK added to their list of collaborators to release a watch for their 40th year anniversary (Casio, 2023). Their collaborator for the project was none other than Hidden NY. All signs point to G-SHOCK returning to the forefront of pop-culture thanks to trends like Y2K.

It will not be long before G-SHOCKs find their way back on to the wrists of many. It is hard to imagine that celebrities will ditch their quarter-of-a-million dollar watches for G-SHOCKs. However, the characteristics shared with the luxury watch community, and trends like Gorpcore and Y2K build a strong case for the comeback of G-SHOCKs. 

If you are interested in learning more about streetwear, listen to Owen’s Exhibit S1 EP16: Origin of Streetwear. 

References

Amed, I. (2023, August 04). Why Are So Many People Obsessed With Luxury Watch Prices? Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/opinions/luxury/why-are-so-many-people-obsessed-with-luxury-watch-prices/ 

Bloomberg. (2023, August 29). How Richard Mille Became the Cult Watch Brand of the Ultra Rich. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/luxury/how-richard-mille-became-the-cult-watch-brand-of-the-ultra-rich/ 

Casio. (2023, August). G-SHOCK X HIDDEN NY DW5600HDN227. https://gshock.casio.com/us/products/collection/limited/dw5600hdn227/ 

Estlow, E. (2023, May 8). The Complete History of the Casio G-Shock. Gear Patrol. Retrieved October 31, 2023, from https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a82850/casio-g-shock-history/ 

Miller, D. Y. (2023, June 25). Here Comes the Gorpcore Backlash. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/here-comes-the-gorpcore-backlash/ 

Rakestraw, A. (2020, November 23). Oakley Watches. Highsnobiety. https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/oakley-watches/ 

Swithinbank, R. (2023, August 03). From Jay-Z to the White Party: How Culture Drives the Swiss Watch Industry. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/from-jay-z-to-the-white-party-how-culture-drives-the-swiss-watch-industry/ 

Wolf, C. (2020, August 15). Watches of the Week: 8.15.20. GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/watches-of-the-week-8-15-20/