This Casio GMW-B5000TCC-1 (originally debuted on aBlogtoWatch here) is the latest member of the exceptional Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000 collection, which has been covered on aBlogtoWatch thoroughly. This version of the GMW-B5000 is higher-end but still mid-range given that the Casio MR-G MRG-B5000 sits at the top of this latter at more than double the price of this still nearly $2,000 super G-Shock. So, why is Casio so excited about the GMW-B5000TCC-1? It is all about the decorated titanium.
As you can see, the entire titanium alloy case and bracelet are decorated with what Casio calls a circuit board camouflage pattern (so, I suppose the watch can hide out among circuit boards and remain undetected). This decoration is applied using a four-step process which includes laser engraving. Casio has been experimenting with sophisticated laser engraving for a few years now, and if you haven’t seen the results I hope you do soon since they are quite impressive.
It all begins with a titanium alloy developed by Nippon Steel in Japan known as TranTixxii. Forget the very humorous way this proprietary alloy name sounds when you say it in English, and appreciate the fact that, without any coating, this titanium alloy is twice as hard as conventional titanium. This hardness also allows for the laser engraving to look as good as it does while also allowing Casio to give the case and bracelet components a high polish. This is very important because artificially giving metal a polish through a coating process often results in an ugly or cheap-looking mess. That is not an issue here.
Not only is the Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000TCC-1 very lightweight thanks to the special titanium alloy, but it also looks remarkable after the engraving process. The circuit board-style pattern might not appeal to everyone’s taste, but the quality of the execution is undeniably good. The decoration process involves four steps per part, as I mentioned above. The first step is polishing the base titanium layer. Then, some of the laser engraving work is done. After that, the titanium is given a dark gray IP (ion plating) coating for color and additional surface hardness. Finally, the pieces go through the laser engraving machine again in order to complete the aesthetic. The result offers not only various colors of engraved surfaces but also a remarkably three-dimensional look that further gives the composition a sense of visual depth.
What makes sense about the circuit board pattern is that it accurately frames the theme of the watch. Inside is a movement module developed in-house by Casio that is, indeed, a small wonder of circuits. Inside this watch is the Casio caliber 3459 module, and interestingly, that movement name is engraved in the lower right-hand part of the case. This is one of Casio’s more modern modules, and it includes Tough Solar power charging, Bluetooth, a host of other features, and up to nearly two years of battery life on a fully charged cell.
As the GMW-B5000TCC watch is among Casio’s higher-end G-Shock watches, it also has a sapphire crystal over the screen. The case is 43.2mm-wide, 13mm-thick, and water-resistant to 200 meters. The case and bracelet together weigh just 104 grams, which is pretty light for a metal watch on a bracelet. I’ve worn both steel and titanium G-Shock GMW-B5000 watches, and I have to agree that they are not only comfortable to wear but also offer a great mixture of practicality and style. The steel GMW-B5000 models cost about one-third the price of a fancy engraved titanium piece like this, but you really do get an interesting piece of beautifully decorated technology with a product like this. More so, this is bound to be very different than the other Casio watches people might be wearing in the room. Price for the Casio G-Shock “Full Metal” GMWB5000TCC1 is $1,800 USD. Learn more at the Casio website.
