Already one of the world’s largest producers of environmentally friendly light-powered watches, Casio launches the new Pro Trek PRW61, its first watch made with renewable materials. With the new model, the Japanese watchmaker appropriately extends its green profile within Casio’s line of affordable outdoor adventure watches.
The new Pro Trek PRW61 is made from biomass plastics sourced from renewable organic substances.
The new Pro Trek PRW61.
In addition to the new model launch, Casio is also shifting from plastic to recycled paper in packaging for this watch, and will expand its use of sustainable materials in the design of other watch models.
“For the first time in any Casio watch, the PRW61 uses biomass plastics, produced using materials derived from castor seeds and corn, as well as other raw materials, in the case, band and case back” said Tadashi Shibuya, Vice President of Casio’s Timepiece Division. “We are incredibly proud of this new material application for our line of outdoor watches, Pro Trek, for nature lovers.”
As an outdoor-focused design, the new watch is equipped with Casio’s own Tough Solar light-power technology, a digital compass, barometer/altimeter and thermometer (Triple Sensor), as well as Multi-Band 6 radio wave reception.
The watch’s sensors project readings to the easy-to-read dial, which offers wide bar indexes to quickly check time, direction and other indicators. Compass direction is particularly easy to determine with a glance as the yellow seconds hand.
Additional features include 100 meters of water resistance, low-temperature resistance to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, five independent daily alarms, a 1/100-second stopwatch and a countdown timer.
The Pro Trek PRW61-1A features a black dial and band with silver accents. Price: $420.
I’ve been a fan of the newest colorful G-Shock Full Metal 5000 collection since early this year when I had the chance to wear an earlier edition for a few weeks. The combination of metallic finishes and creative coloring certainly add an attractive spark to what could be a very familiar high-tech digital timekeeper.
Clearly G-Shock knows it has hit on its hands with the collection, which might explain the regular updates with novel finishes within the Full Metal GMWB5000 line.
The latest addition, GMWB5000PB-6, is an eye-catching ode to Tokyo, G-Shock’s hometown. Here G-Shock ion plates the watch’s case in a pleasing purple and blue-gray, which the brand says “is inspired by the beauty of Tokyo at twilight when light and darkness interplay.” The two-tone finish includes a new hue of purple ion plating, alongside the deep blue-gray.
To complement that pairing, G-Shock has added color to the dial, where you’ll see touches of orange, purple and light blue. The dial, displayed in reverse LCD, is framed by a bezel and band with brushed finishing (which G-Shock calls ‘hairline) mirror-finishes, again adding a visual sense dimension to the entire watch.
The new GMWB5000PB-6 of course includes all of G-SHOCK’s premium technical features. These are: smartphone pairing capabilities via Bluetooth, self-adjusting multi-band hour and date timekeeping, Tough Solar Technology and a very useful phone finder function. In addition, the watch boasts 200 meters of water resistance, a super illuminator LED light, five daily alarms, and a digital display that makes the watch easy to read from any angle.
The GMWB5000PB-6 is priced at $600 and can be purchased starting in mid-September at select G-SHOCK retailers, the G-SHOCK Soho Store, and gshock.com.
Watchmakers have been multiplying their automotive and motorsports collaborations in recent years. Here, we review a few prominent timekeeping/racing alliances.
By Y-Jean Mun-DelSalle
In this Part II of our four-part series outlining automotive-wristwatch partnerships, we highlight Casio and Ernst Benz.
Casio
Casio has been partnering with the AlphaTauri Racing Team since September 2020 and launched the second Edifice x AlphaTauri model last March.
Casio Edifice has been an Official Partner of the Scuderia AlphaTauri team since 2016.
Designed together with the F1 team around the theme of “speed and intelligence”, the super-sporty ECB-10AT in signature Scuderia AlphaTauri navy blue features a dial made of 6K carbon – a material used in racing car wings and floors – with the team’s logo engraved on the dial, caseback and band loop.
The super-sporty Casio Edifice ECB-10AT in signature Scuderia AlphaTauri navy blue.
For men on the move, the timepiece includes a schedule timer function that syncs with a smartphone’s calendar app and also sets the watch to local time automatically.
Demonstrating its dedication to motorsports, Casio Edifice has also teamed with Honda Racing for the past three years, resulting in five Edifice x Honda Racing models, with the latest released last September.
The Casio Edifice EFS-560HR-1A, with the Honda Racing logo.
That watch (EFS560HR-1A) sports a black Cordura strap with red accents to match the team’s emblematic colors, while its carbon-fiber dial mirrors the appearance of an asphalt racetrack and displays the Honda Racing logo, along with gold Edifice lettering to mark the model’s 20th anniversary.
Ernst Benz
Inspired by 1940s and 1950s aviator watches and the cockpit gauges that pilot, engineer and inventor Ernst Benz himself produced in the 1960s and ’70s, the brand is known for its timepieces that attest to its slogan: “Precision Instruments for Timekeeping”.
Ernst Benz and its affiliation with the world of motorsports evolved naturally from the field of aviation, according to Leonid Khankin, CEO of Ernst Benz. Both fields require accuracy, durability and performance.
“There is a natural connection between automotive timing and wristwatches, as wristwatches and chronographs were developed especially for aviators and timing cars,” Khankin notes. Both fields require accuracy, durability and performance and often share instruments. Benz was a gauge and instrument manufacture for two decades before creating his first wristwatch.
The Ernst Benz Coca Cola ChronoLunar
As the official timekeeper of the Nascar Coca-Cola 600 race, held last May at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ernst Benz presented the winner, Kyle Larson of Hendrick Racing, with a special edition of the Ernst Benz ChronoLunar Officer tool watch commemorating a decade since the ChronoLunar’s first release. Since it debuted, the ChronoLunar has become the best-known Ernst Benz collection, with the Officer being the most recent interpretation.
Larson’s prize ChronoLunar has been customized with Coca-Cola red details, a brushed stainless steel case, black dial and alligator strap with red top-stitching. It pairs a chronograph with calendar functions, while its 47-mm diameter size optimizes legibility.
Mario Andretti wears his Ernst Benz ChronoScope at the ROVAL 400.
Ernst Benz has also served as the official timekeeper of the Nascar AAA 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway, as well as the Nascar All-Star Race and the Roval 400 in Charlotte, for which it will renew its participation in October 2021.
Personal approach
“We take a personal approach when we partner with motorsports brands,” explains Khankin. “ We look at each race on a case-by-case basis to create watches directly themed to the particular event.” That approach, he adds, is recognized by the racers and the fans as more heartfelt and generates a strong bond between Ernst Benz and its partners.
“I’m extra proud that car guys love our watches,” Khankin adds.
The Ernst Benz Chronoscope Camaro Fifty, with 47mm DLC brushed steel case.
Y-Jean Mun-DelSalleis a freelance journalist and editorial consultant who has lived on three different continents. She meets with inspirational individuals in pursuit of excellence: emerging and established artists, designers and craftsmen, engaging entrepreneurs and philanthropists, and the movers and shakers of the world today. She contributes regularly to regional and international titles such as Artsy, Asia Tatler, Design Anthology, Forbes, Portfolio, Robb Report, Shawati’ and Vogue, shining a spotlight in particular on art, architecture, design, horology and jewelry.
G-Shock vies for immortality as it debuts a watch within its luxury MT-G collection made with colors said to recall the Blue Phoenix, a bird sometimes called the Chinese phoenix and said to be a symbol of good luck, or more specifically immortality and rebirth.
The new G-Shock MTGB2000PH2.
The new G-Shock MTGB2000PH2 is a limited-edition steel and carbon watch with an eye-catching, rainbow-colored bezel and case. Its yellow to red IP-finished case flash atop a largely blue hue. These colors echo on the dial as well, along with purple, pink, orange and yellow accents.
G-Shock created the watch with two types of colorful IP finishing, with horizontal gradation on the bezel and vertical gradation on the case. The resulting color variation creates a set of unique patterns that vary from watch to watch, which means no two G-Shock MTGB2000PH2 models are the same.
G-Shock’s IP-finished color variation creates a set of unique patterns that vary from watch to watch.
The new watch continues G-Shock’s exploration of colorful IP-finished cases and bracelets. This latest example comes two years after G-Shock debuted the much-discussed rainbow-finished MTGB1000RB-2A, and more recently following the debut of several colorful Full Metal Series models. Only a few weeks ago, G-Shock upped the ante with the gold and rainbow-colored GMWB5000TR-9, the first titanium G-Shock with an all-mirror IP finish.
As an MT-G collection model, the watch offers a Bluetooth communication function that can automatically connect with the G-Shock Connected app. In addition, the full range of G-Shock technical and anti-shock structural features are also here, including a sapphire crystal, Carbon Core Guard structure and Tough Solar Power. Basic features include high-brightness LED illumination, dual time and chronograph.
The G-Shock MTG-B2000PH ($1,100) will be available beginning in June at G-Shock retailers, the G-Shock Soho Store, and gshock.com.
G-Shock unveils a new, multi-color watch with a titanium alloy called Tran Tixxi within its Full Metal GMWB5000 collection. Casio jointly developed the alloy over a six-year period alongside Nippon Steel Corporation, Japan’s largest steelmaker. The resulting material is twice as hard as pure titanium and, unlike many other titanium alloys, remains as shiny as steel.
The new G-Shock GMW-B5000TR-9.
The new model, the GMWB5000TR-9, introduces the new titanium material with an eye-catching, colorful display. The band is rainbow-like with multiple ion-plated colors; the bezel is mirror finished. In fact, the watch and its Tran Tixxii titanium alloy combine to make the GMWB5000TR-9 the first titanium G-Shock with an all-mirror finish.
The watch’s case boasts a gold ion-plated (IP) finish while its band links and buttons also feature an IP finish in an array of rainbow hues, including red, blue, light gray, dark gray and gold. The same colors are visible on the dial as well. Finally, Casio has not neglected the screw-on back, finishing it with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) finish that will resist wear and tear for years.
If you’re familiar with the GMWB5000 series, you’ll know that G-Shock has equipped the GMWB5000TR-9 with the full array of technical and anti-shock features you’d expect from the watchmaker. There’s full Bluetooth connectivity (via the G-Shock Connected app) for automatic time adjustment, world time, multi-band radio wave reception, an LCD and a full-auto LED backlight.
All this technology is easily powered by G-Shock’s time-proven Tough Solar power system. Even in darkness the watch’s power will last 22 months on its rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge).
The G-Shock GMWB5000TR-9, with its premium new material and embedded technology, is also premium-priced, at $1,700, equivalent to several other models in the GMWB5000 series, and all are priced less than most MR-G models. The new watch will be available for purchase mid-May at select G-SHOCK retailers, G-SHOCK Soho Store, and gshock.com.
