Welcome to our luxxee magazine weekly wrap-up, where we bring you fresh news about what's going on in the watch world.
Casio G-SHOCK 40th Anniversary Releases
In watch collecting, Casio is one of the most beloved brands for its inexpensive digital watches, specifically the G-SHOCK series. With the 40th anniversary of the G-SHOCK right around the corner (G-SHOCK was founded in 1983), Casio has created some stealthy and vibrant pieces to commemorate their milestone. The new releases include the GMWB-5000EH-1, designed in collaboration with Eric Haze and two solar-flare-inspired watches, “Mudmaster” GWG-2040FR-1A and MTGB-3000FR-1A.
The new G-SHOCK GMWB-5000EH-1 pulls inspiration from previous models in the GMWB-5000 series. Featuring a stainless steel case and bracelet, this new model draws its design inspiration from the first G-SHOCK model, the DW5000-C, and brings a more modern aesthetic. The watch is equipped with the same functionality as previous models; shock and water resistance, radio control, day/date/month, world time and more. What makes this version of the GMBW-5000 special is the design on the case and bracelet by the legendary Eric Haze. By adding his trademark stars, arrows and crowns beneath a dot pattern which is laser engraved, Eric has created a unique design that gives a slight digital camo aesthetic while remaining clean and tasteful. You can see a hint of Eric’s design work via the 40th Anniversary emblem on the DLC case back.
The new GWG-2040FR-1A and MTGB-3000FR-1A models are bright and colourful, with a unique bezel. The Flare Red bezel inserts for both models implement carbon and coloured fibreglass, meaning no two watches are identical. Both watches feature textured grayscale dials, with the “Mudmaster” GWG-2040FR-1A featuring a geometric design and the MTGB-3000FR-1A featuring a planet-surface texture.
The MTGB-3000FR-1A ($1,300) features a rose gold and black ion-plated steel case and has all your standard features; shock resistance, 200m of water resistance, a world timer, an alarm, a stopwatch, and sports a traditional chronograph dial. The “Mudmaster” GWG-2040FR-1A ($1,100) has all those features, dust and mud resistance, digital compass, barometer and thermometer, giving you more features at a slightly smaller price.
Pre-Owned Luxury Gets Its Own Trade Show
With the return of the tradeshow via Watches and Wonders, Fabienne Lupo, the former CEO of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), has taken her expertise in the world of luxury and created a tradeshow which focuses on the pre-owned side of luxury. ReLuxury, an excellent name for this new tradeshow, will be a 3-day exhibition in Geneva set to take place next weekend, Nov 4th - Nov 7th, 2022.
Given Fabienne’s 15-year history in watches and her connections, it’s no surprise that brands such as Richard Mille and WatchBox are the main partners for this event, with eBay as the primary partner. Zenith and Chronoswiss will be featuring certified pre-owned and vintage models, plus auction houses Piguet and Monaco Legend Group will be attending.
Fabienne and her team have done a fantastic job cultivating incredible partnerships and exhibitors to feature the pre-owned luxury market, as well as demonstrating the capabilities of high-end swiss luxury in all aspects, not just wristwatches. Furniture restorators, vintage clothing sellers and jewellery experts are just a couple of examples of what to find at ReLuxury.
Display Case Back or Closed Case Back?
Open case backs—an ergonomic way to see the beauty of the mechanics inside a watch. The see-through case back has existed since the early 1900s with pocket watches and continues to develop more as watchmaking evolves. The genuine dispute regarding the display case-back is where or when a timepiece should display its movement. Is it meant for more high-end, luxury pieces, or does it belong in more budget-friendly spaces? Speaking to others in the watch-collecting community shows a very unbalanced scale about what deserves a display case back, and I find myself in the camp of loving a display case back on various timepieces.
When diving into this hobby, there is always that first sense of seeing a mechanical movement work. This curiosity engulfs you while you sit there and watch the regulator move, all the mechanical parts intrinsically working together to keep such accurate time without using a battery. The only thing powering that little time-keeper is physics, engineering and gravity. Of course, I am talking about the beginning of this hobby when you get back your first watch with a display case and get the opportunity to see the magic in action. Once you enter the land of, say, A. Lange & Sohne or Credor and their beautifully hand-finished movements, the display back on a Seiko will be less attractive.
I can appreciate the gorgeousness of a high-end Swiss or Glashutte movement with beautiful decoration, plate and rotor finishing, and engraving from a personal standpoint. Still, there is something about seeing your basic NH35, Miyota 9015 and many others that hits and brings back that sense of curiosity and whimsey, as if I am rediscovering it for the first time. Going deeper, look at the Sea Gull 1901ST as a perfect example of a budget, manual winding movement, but decorated beautifully. Something which can be appreciated and not break the bank.
For me and many others, a display case back is a fantastic example of what human engineering and mechanical evolution are capable of from a micro-mechanics perspective. What are your thoughts on display case backs?
Thank you for reading luxxee's weekly wrap-up and don't forget to come back next week to see what’s happening in the watch world!
