Born from what G-Shock creator Kikuo Ibe mentioned as his pursuit of “the watch we all wanted,” the MR-G has spent an entire three decades carrying the durability and shock resistance of G-Shock into advanced materials, Japanese craft and evermore ambitious engineering.

In 2026, the MR-G’s 30th anniversary program comprises three chapters and culminates with the Blue Rose Project, taking the “Majestic and Revolutionary G-Shock” further than ever.

MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire”

The anniversary is celebrated through three chapters: the MRG-BF1000EB-1A begins the story with a hand-finished, ice-inspired Frogman; two Haruka models unite metal-leaf craft with microscopic laser processing; and the Blue Rose Project realizes Kikuo Ibe’s long-held ambition to build a shock-resistant G-Shock in sapphire crystal.

MRG-BF1000EB-1A

MRG-B2100HR Haruka in Gold and Platinum Leaf Dials

The Blue Rose Project currently stands at the far end of the MR-G’s 30-year progression. The MR-G first translated G-Shock’s shock-resistant architecture into metal, then elevated that metal watch into the pinnacle of G-Shock’s engineering, materials and finishing, while preserving its main promise of durability. This journey is the story of the MR-G.

Kikuo Ibe, Father of G-Shock

The Watch We All Wanted

Before the MR-G became G-Shock’s vehicle for materials like Cobarion, sapphire and traditional Japanese crafts and finishing, it had to solve a more fundamental problem: how to replace G-Shock’s shock-absorbing resin exterior with metal.

During the early 1990s, G-Shock had already grown from an unconventional experiment into a cultural force. Ibe had created the first model, the DW-5000C, in 1983 around his “Triple 10” target — a watch fully capable of surviving a 10-meter drop, offering 10 bar of water resistance, and lasting for 10 years on a single battery. Its signature hollow case construction and protective urethane exterior proved to be an astounding success.

The Original DW-5000C

As many young customers of the G-Shock were starting to mature, Ibe saw an opportunity. He thought of creating a G-Shock that they could continue wearing into the next stage of their lives: perhaps more refined and substantial, yet still faithful to its original toughness concept. That, of course became the full-metal G-Shock.

The project started in 1994, although Ibe himself did not really know exactly what the final watch would be. To recruit the project’s initial team, he invited prospective members to create “the watch we all wanted.” Looking back, he cheerfully admits that he had somewhat deceived them with that phrase, as he had to convince potential recruits to join his mad scientist team. It was a familiar Ibe maneuver — begin with a goal that’s borderline unreasonable, then assemble an Avengers team prepared to find a route toward it.

This was all because metal created an entirely different engineering problem. Resin was perfect as an external bumper, absorbing and dispersing impacts before they reached the module. Without resin’s natural cushioning, metal needed a new proper structure to withstand falls and blows arriving from multiple directions while protecting the movement inside.

Then the MRG-100 came in November 1996 as the first full-metal G-Shock. This was part of the early “MR.G” identity that reflected its more mature audience, but across the decades, it has expanded far beyond just being a grown-up metal G-Shock. G-Shock now expresses the MR-G as the “Majestic and Revolutionary G-Shock,” a name that better reflects its position at the summit of the brand.

The first full metal G-Shock, the MRG-100

Several milestones trace that widening role. There was the MRG-2000DJ-8A that added solar-powered, radio-controlled timekeeping in 2003, with the MRG-2100DJ-1A following shortly after in 2004, becoming the first in the collection to use DLC coating. Other references like the MRG-G1000 combined GPS and radio reception in 2014. The recent releases made Japanese craftsmanship increasingly central, including the use of tsuiki hammering and motifs drawn from traditional armor and sword making. In 2022 and 2024, the MRG-B5000 and the MRG-B2100 reinterpreted two of G-Shock’s most iconic designs with the MR-G’s elevated multi-component metal construction and finishing.

MRG-2000DJ-8A and MRG-2100DJ-1A

Making the Impossible Repeatable

The MR-G collection consistently grew from a durable metal watch for mature G-Shock customers into G-Shock brand’s principal showcase for advanced construction, material development and Japanese craftsmanship. Sustaining this evolution, though, required an equally sophisticated system behind the finished product.

The philosophy behind that system is captured by monozukuri. Often translated simply as “making things,” the Japanese term carries a wider sense of devotion to their craft, process and perpetual improvement. Through the lens of the MR-G, it’s a heartfelt description for their system, from the first watch design drawing to the final alignment of the hands.

At Casio’s Hamura R&D Center in Tokyo, many concepts are engineered and subjected to the demands of G-Shock. They have  dedicated equipment developed specifically for G-SHOCK to conduct accelerated drop-impact testing, recreating the tests that Ibe’s original team once conducted from his third-story office window. Other apparatuses strike cases, buttons and modules from different angles or simulate the forces of vibrations, centrifugal force and water resistance. The objective today is larger than just serving a dramatic fall.

A total of 202 different assessment tests are conducted for G-Shock rated timepieces at Casio’s Hamura R&D Center

Waterproof testing at Casio’s Hamura R&D Center

Production and assembly then move to Yamagata Casio, the “mother factory” of G-Shock which anchors its global manufacturing network. All MR-G movements are made there, while the finished watches are assembled, adjusted and inspected on its high-end Premium Production Line.

The Premium Production Line at Casio’s Yamagata “Mother” Factory

Yamagata also manufactures ultra precise molds, forms minute resin parts and assembles analog movements using machinery fully developed in-house. For example, the production of a rotor measuring just 1.1mm requires the precise molding of resin and magnetic material. These processing machines are accompanied by image-recognition systems that check the orientation and position of parts too small for the unaided eye to inspect consistently.

The Mold Manufacturing Site at Casio’s Yamagata “Mother” Factory

Automation is also a big factor which carries accuracy across repeated operations. Human judgment still takes over where machines reach their limits. Skilled operators check the alignment of gears, adjust hand heights, and make any other microscopic corrections during the assembly of many MR-G products. The most demanding work is entrusted to Yamagata Casio’s Medalists, a hierarchy of highly skilled technicians who progress through Gold and Platinum ranks, before attaining the prestigious Meister title through tough practical examinations and many years of experience. Reaching the highest level takes at least seven years of experience and national certifications.

The hierarchy of of Casio’s Medalists, starting from Uncertified Craftsman to Meister

This fully functional chain is what makes the MR-G possible. G-Shock develops the watch, its components, molds, and often the machines required to produce them, with trained specialists completing any adjustments that cannot be automated. It’s a well-measured level of toughness in their method of manufacturing. It also underpins all anniversary watches, each of which pushes a different aspect of MR-G forward: exterior finishing, artistic craft or the construction of the case itself.

MRG-BF1000EB-1A: The Anniversary Begins in Ice

The first chapter of the MR-G’s 30th anniversary was the MRG-BF1000EB-1A. Introduced in June this year, it’s a limited edition Frogman watch inspired by a brinicle, a column of ice that forms beneath the polar seas. Its theme is expressed most dramatically through a faceted bezel, hand-cut and finished by Japanese master gem-cutter and artisan Kazuhito Komatsu.

MRG-BF1000EB-1A

The bezel is made from Cobarion, a cobalt-chromium alloy harder than titanium, selected for its capacity to accept a polished finish. The deep-blue arc ion plating intensifies the frozen depth inspiration, while two 57-facet lab-grown blue sapphire gems are set into the screw heads of the top right and bottom right of the case.

MRG-BF1000EB-1A

The Grade 5 titanium case, consisting of more than 70 parts, retains the Frogman’s formidable profile and ISO-certified 200-meter water resistance. It is powered by a multi-motor, solar quartz movement complete with a diving mode function, where the independent motors rapidly align the hour and minute hands to overlap perfectly — moving together as a single hand to count underwater minutes with maximum legibility.

The Grade 5 titanium case consists of more than 70 parts and has an ISO-certified 200-meter water resistance

MRG-BF1000EB-1A is limited to 800 pieces and comes with both a white Dura Soft rubber strap and an interchangeable titanium bracelet, all housed in a special box developed with Japanese luggage brand Proteca.

The MRG-BF1000EB-1A comes with a white Dura Soft rubber strap and an interchangeable titanium bracelet

Haruka: Past and Future on the Wrist

The Haruka, unveiled  in September 2026, is based on the design of the MRG-B2100, featuring the Multi Guard Structure and a ribbed open-worked dial inspired by kigumi, the Japanese tradition of constructing and joining wood without nails or metal fittings. The geometric openings of the dial also allow for light to reach the solar cell underneath, making this motif a functional part of the Tough Solar system.

For the MRG-B2100HR Haruka 30th anniversary models, MR-G worked with Hiroto Rakusho, the Kyoto-born metal leaf artist and certified Master of Traditional Handicrafts. Rakusho applies the techniques of Nishijin foil craft to his artworks, cultural-property reproduction projects and international collaborations, making metal leaf the principal medium of his practice.

MRG-B2100HR Gold Leaf

The name “Haruka” conveys a sense of enduring continuity across both time and space in Japanese. The concept behind the watch is “timeless strength and beauty” and “embodying tradition and innovation,” themes that are reflected not only in its name but throughout every aspect of the watch’s design. The “past” is represented on the artwork, and on the watch dial, through haku, or metal leaf — platinum leaf is used on one model and gold leaf on another. These metal leaf decorations are meticulously hand applied across the raised lattice dial, producing an irregular sheen that’s unique to each piece.

MRG-B2100HR Platinum Leaf

The “future” then appears on selected areas of its Cobarion bezel and DAT55G titanium-alloy bracelet, where structural colors inspired by motifs derived from Rakusho’s innovative artistic techniques are expressed. A processing technology using ultrashort-pulse-laser creates microscopic structures across its surface with minimal heat transfer on the metals. These structures interact with light to produce shifting blue and iridescent structural colors — almost like the underside of old CDs — while feeling imperceptible to the touch. These effects give the Haruka models two special expressions of playing with light: one through a traditional craft and the other through modern micro-processing.

MRG-B2100HR Platinum Leaf

Both versions are powered by an analog solar-powered quartz movement equipped with Bluetooth connectivity and Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping. The platinum dial version is limited to 800 pieces, while the gold-leaf edition is at 150 pieces and arrives with a Rakusho-signed gold-leaf artwork on the box that can be mounted on a stand.

The Blue Rose Project

The final chapter of MR-G’s 30th anniversary is the three-watch Blue Rose Project, bringing Ibe’s long-held sapphire ambition, which the MR-G team carried forward after his retirement and into production at three different levels.

Sapphire is a material that’s very familiar in watchmaking — more commonly used as the watch’s crystal window into the dial. It is hard, highly resistant to scratches and capable of a unique transparent look that no metal on earth can offer, but it is also unforgivingly brittle when used as a case. A severe blow can very easily cause it to fracture. Furthermore, a full sapphire case requires uber complex and precise machining when it comes to its components, as they have very low tolerances. These risks become significant in a case that must satisfy the impact-resistance standards expected of a watch that can be labeled as a MR-G.

Kikuo Ibe unveiling the first sapphire prototype at G-Shock’s 35th anniversary celebration in New York in 2017 (Image: Ryan Muir)

Ibe had pursued the idea of a sapphire-crystal-cased G-Shock for many years. At G-Shock’s 35th anniversary celebration in New York in 2017, he unveiled a first prototype of a square sapphire crystal case with blue and red versions, subsequently also shown at Baselworld in 2018. Their sapphire cases and bracelets were protected by bumpers around the exterior, but the watches remained as experimental concepts for a long time as Ibe and his team continued to search for a way to make the construction truly shock resistant. Nearly a decade later, though, this dream watch has come just in time for the MR-G’s 30th anniversary.

The “Blue Rose” name was aptly selected as a symbol of the impossible. Roses do not naturally produce delphinidin, the specific pigment responsible for the blue color of many flowers; natural cross-breeding only produced mauve and violet roses rather than true blue. It was modern biotechnology and human ingenuity that introduced the missing pigment, bringing the blue rose to life. It’s a symbol of the unattainable that is now a real physical object.

MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire”

The MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire” is the project in its most uncompromising form. Its blue sapphire exterior is built with a patented construction of multiple smaller sapphire components around a Grade 5 titanium inner case, treated with black DLC to deepen the contrast beneath the transparent-blue exterior. The sapphire pieces lock into one another without screws, again applying the kigumi logic to an exceptionally hard material. It was noted that screw holes, tiny scratches and any very minute inconsistencies during the processing of each sapphire element could potentially cause weakness within the structure of the case; hence, this segmented construction really needed to be individually crafted by hand.

MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire”

At 51.1mm from lug to lug and 16.45mm thick, it’s not a delicate exercise in transparency. It very much retains the mass and presence expected from an MR-G. Solid-gold MR-G and SHOCK RESISTANT lettering add a further precious detail to the face, while a blue sapphire caseback extends the use of sapphire through to the rear. The watch uses a solar-powered, Multi-Band 6 digital radio-controlled movement, and will only be produced in 20 pieces. Each piece comes with a Dura Soft rubber strap with a titanium tri-folding clasp, and is presented inside a full glass box, emphasizing the idea of transparency and the irony of an apparently fragile sapphire crystal G-Shock.

MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire”

The second watch of this project, the MRG-B5000SA-2 “Super Blue,” translates this concept into a more familiar MR-G production. Inspired by the blue ice caves of Iceland’s Vatnajökull glacier, it introduces sapphire components at the upper and lower portions of the 5000-design case. It rocks a Cobarion bezel treated with blue AIP, along with a full Grade 5 titanium case and strap. This watch is limited to 500 pieces, and preserves the visual depth and blue crystalline accents of Ibe’s sapphire dream watch.

MRG-B5000SA-2 “Super Blue” and GMW-B5000SB-1A2

The third full-metal G-Shock model part of the project, GMW-B5000SB-1A2, carries the Blue Rose language beyond the MR-G. Four sapphire gemstones occupy the screws at the top and bottom of the full-metal case, adding points of blue brilliance to the recognizable G-Shock design. This version is not limited, allowing the project’s visual signature to reach a wider audience.

What Cannot Change

Across the three chapters of anniversary watches, it reveals G-Shock’s method for deciding what comes next for the MR-G. Yet, the brand is still very much reluctant to describe the future of the line with a fixed roadmap. Its direction will be shaped by changing customer expectations, the suitability of new ideas, and the continued search for difficult challenges that can advance the collection without compromising its durability and reliability.

Kikuo Ibe, at the Futurium Museum in Casio’s Timepiece Division HQ

As the Father of G-Shock, Kikuo Ibe has continued to make similar distinctions between the parts of G-Shock that can evolve and those that cannot. Technology, materials and design must continue to change. The commitment to toughness, originality and refusing to surrender before an apparently impossible challenge must remain.

This philosophy has passed from the original G-Shock development team to the generation now carrying the brand forward. It’s also what links the first metal G-Shock to the Blue Sapphire. The MR-G has become more technically sophisticated, more highly finished and more beautiful across the past three decades, yet its reason for existing remains unchanged: to find a new expression of G-Shock without weakening the promise at its core. For MR-G, the impossible is where the next project begins.

Tech Specs: G-Shock MR-G Frogman MRG-BF1000EB-1A

Movement Module 5702 multi-motor Tough Solar quartz; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping and Bluetooth connectivity
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; dual time; dive-time and surface-interval measurement; auto hand home position correction; tide graph; stopwatch; countdown timer; alarm; date and day; LED light
Case 56mm × 49.7mm × 18.6mm; shock-resistant structure; Grade 5 titanium and COBARION; blue AIP-coated COBARION bezel; two 57-facet lab-grown blue sapphires; ISO-200m water resistance; ISO 764-compliant magnetic resistance
Dial Sandblasted matte black finish; hour markers with Neobrite coating
Strap White Dura Soft fluoro-rubber; supplied with interchangeable deep-layer hardened titanium & TIC bracelet with dedicated changing tool
Price USD 9,500
Availability Limited edition of 800 pieces worldwide

Tech Specs: G-Shock MR-G Haruka MRG-B2100HR Platinum Leaf

Movement Module 5718 Tough Solar quartz; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping and Bluetooth connectivity
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; date and day indication; auto hand home position correction; LED light
Case 49.5mm × 44.4mm × 13.6mm; Multi-guard and shock-resistant structure; Grade 5 titanium and COBARION; COBARION bezel with ultrashort-pulse-laser structural coloring; 20 bar water resistance; ISO 764-compliant magnetic resistance
Dial Lattice with hand-applied platinum leaf
Bracelet DAT55G titanium-alloy bracelet with ultrashort-pulse-laser structural coloring and tight-lock three-fold clasp
Price USD 8,000
Availability Limited edition of 800 pieces worldwide

Tech Specs: G-Shock MR-G Haruka MRG-B2100HS Gold Leaf

Movement Module 5718 Tough Solar quartz; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping and Bluetooth connectivity
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; date and day indication; auto hand home position correction; LED light
Case 49.5mm × 44.4mm × 13.6mm; Multi-guard and shock-resistant structure; Grade 5 titanium and COBATION; COBARION bezel with ultrashort-pulse-laser structural coloring; 20 bar water resistance; ISO 764-compliant magnetic resistance
Dial Lattice with hand-applied gold leaf
Bracelet DAT55G titanium-alloy bracelet with ultrashort-pulse-laser structural coloring and tight-lock three-fold clasp
Price USD 16,000
Availability Limited edition of 150 pieces worldwide; supplied with a Rakusho-signed gold-leaf artwork presentation box

Tech Specs: G-Shock MR-G MRG-D5000 “Blue Sapphire”

Movement Module 3584 Gallium Tough Solar quartz; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; world time; stopwatch; countdown timer; five daily alarms; date and day; LED backlight
Case 51.3mm x 43.2mm x 16.5mm; multi-guard and shock-resistant structure; multi-component blue sapphire exterior surrounding a DLC-coated Grade 5 titanium inner case; sapphire crystal; 20 bar water resistance
Face Super Twisted Nematic (STN) LCD digital display
Strap Dura Soft rubber with titanium three-fold clasp
Price USD 80,000
Availability Limited edition of 20 pieces worldwide

Tech Specs: G-Shock MR-G MRG-B5000SA-2 “Super Blue”

Movement Module 3541 Tough Solar digital quartz module; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping and Bluetooth connectivity
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; world time; stopwatch; countdown timer; five daily alarms; date and day; LED backlight
Case Approximately 49.4mm × 43.2mm × 12.9mm; Multi-guard and shock-resistant structure; Grade 5 titanium; blue AIP-coated COBARION bezel; sapphire components at the upper and lower portions of the case; 20 bar water resistance
Face  STN LCD digital display
Strap Dura Soft rubber strap with three-fold clasp
Price USD 6,600
Availability Limited edition of 500 pieces worldwide

Tech Specs: G-Shock GMW-B5000SB-1A2 Gem Accents

Movement Module 3539  Tough Solar digital quartz; Multi-Band 6 radio-controlled timekeeping and Bluetooth connectivity
Functions Hours, minutes and seconds; world time; stopwatch; countdown timer; five daily alarms; date and day; LED backlight
Case Approximately 49.3mm × 43.2mm × 13mm; Shock-resistant structure; stainless steel; four blue sapphire gemstones set at the characteristic bezel-screw positions; 20 bar water resistance
Face STN LCD digital display
Strap Soft urethane
Price USD 860