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- The G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire is limited to just 20 pieces worldwide.
- Casio spent roughly eight years developing a shock-resistant sapphire structure after showing an early concept in 2018.
- Six examples heading to the US are valued at USD $80,000 each, with staggered availability from December 2026 to June 2027.
Most watch brands use sapphire crystal to protect the dial or to show off the movement through the caseback. Since G-SHOCK is better known for its quartz reliability and digital displays than for mechanical watchmaking, they decided to be a little more ambitious about how this quintessential material protects a watch.
The new G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire turns one of watchmaking’s hardest-working luxury materials into part of the shock-resistant structure, using it across the outer case and bezel. With only 20 examples made worldwide, six are destined for the US, each valued at USD $80,000 (just under AUD $116,000).
It’s wild to see a G-SHOCK at this price point, but considering it took Casio almost a decade to put it together, it sounds like they’ve got some R&D costs to recoup. And I don’t blame them. The idea dates back to Kikuo Ibe’s Dream Project, which produced a one-off 18k-gold G-D5000 in 2018. That same year, Casio unveiled its sapphire-crystal G-SHOCK concept in Basel, only to discover it was a little undercooked, not yet able to meet the shock-resistance standards expected of a proper G-SHOCK. Eight years later, the MRG-D5000 is finally ready for production.
Casio Put Almost a Decade Into Making Sapphire Tough Enough for a G-SHOCK
Sapphire already looks expensive. And for most watches, sapphire crystal offers enough protection to fend off scratches. It’s just not tough enough to stop the precious material from cracking.
Casio engineers discovered that by dividing the outer case into multiple interacting components, they could improve the impact resistance of sapphire without relying on a single solid structure. They also shaped the individual components to resist chipping and removed screw holes and other stress points that could encourage cracking, eventually developing a sapphire-specific version of the brand’s Multi-Guard Structure.
The design draws inspiration from traditional Japanese timber-frame construction, where interlocking joints replace screws or nails. That same basic multi-component approach first appeared in titanium on the MRG-B5000 in 2022 before Casio finally adapted it back to sapphire, which it calls the Blue Rose Project.
It took Casio almost a decade to make sapphire crystal tough enough for a G-SHOCK, and the reward is a production run of just 20 watches, with the six US examples valued at USD $80,000 apiece (just under AUD $116,000). Or you could hand over USD $1.6 million (roughly AUD $2.3 million) and keep the lot for yourself. I’m sure Casio would be more than happy to organise a transaction of that scale.
1/5It Still Looks Like a G-SHOCK
Stepping away from the Blue Sapphire engineering, you’re still left with the familiar square MR-G formula underneath. That’s a good thing, by the way. But even with its familiar brick-pattern face, Casio has found plenty more ways to wow us with its dazzling looks. The watch features a blue vapour deposition finish, while the MR-G logo, SHOCK RESIST text and other lettering use pure 24k gold. The grade-5 titanium screw-lock caseback gets another piece of blue sapphire crystal, individual numbering from 1/20 to 20/20 and a DREAM PROJECT inscription.
It also features a Dura Soft rubber strap with its own raised brick pattern, a titanium clasp, 200 metres of water resistance, and Gallium Tough Solar power.
But if USD $80,000 is a little too steep for a G-SHOCK, Casio is also extending the blue-sapphire theme to the 500-piece MRG-B5000SA-2 and the full-metal GMW-B5000SB-1A2.
1/7G-SHOCK MRG-D5000 – Key Specs
- Price: Six examples valued at USD $80,000 (just under AUD $116,000)
- Limited edition: 20 pieces worldwide
- Case/bezel: Titanium and blue sapphire crystal
- Caseback: Grade-5 titanium with blue sapphire crystal insert
- Strap: Dura Soft rubber
- Clasp: Titanium
- Power: Gallium Tough Solar
- Water resistance: 200 metres
- Dimensions: 51.1 x 43.2 x 16.5 mm
- Weight: 121g
- Release: December 2026
Casio spent eight years figuring out how to make sapphire survive like a G-SHOCK. The only question left is just how tough they actually made the MRG-D5000 Blue Sapphire. Anyone game enough for an expensive drop test?
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