the limited edition timepiece takes inspiration from traditional japanese swords

The Casio G-Shock is a popular culture icon but it rarely features into our conversations here at Robb Report Malaysia. Unless it’s one that retails for RM29,999.

Unveiled at Baselworld in 2018, the MRG-G2000HA justifies its premium price through design. Inspired by the tetsu-tsuba – the iron sword guards on traditional Japanese swords – the MRG-G2000HA attempts to mimic the characteristic indentations of a tetsu-tsuba. On a sword, this is achieved by hammering the iron into shape. On the G-Shock, third generational master artisan of the tsuiki technique Asano Biho performed manual application of the arashi-tsuchime technique to achieve the required texture on every single one of the 350 limited edition watches.

Taking the inspiration further, the MRG-G2000HA also uses traditional colourings found in Japanese swords. In particular the watch nods to murasaki-gane – a deep violet hue achieved by creating a metal alloy that includes gold – as well as the deep suaka copper material traditional to Japanese craft. The deep colours are realised through the new application of AIP (Arc Ion Plating),*2 a hardened coating to which a deep-layer hardening is applied for high abrasion-resistance.

The MRG-G2000HA features the Connected Engine 3-Way module, which pairs with a smartphone to automatically update the watch’s internal data, including the time, daylight savings time (DST), and changes in time zones. The watch is available now, retailing at RM29,999 in Malaysia.