Look, Casio, I am not mad — just disappointed. The latest-greatest, top-tier, AI-designed G-Shock MT-G watches, specifically the G-Shock MTG-B4000B-1A2 and MTG-B4000-1A, debuted on YouTube (which would have been all well and good), and yet we have not heard a single word officially from Casio on this release. How could anything with “4000” in its name be launched this quietly? Anyway, let’s dig into what makes this an exciting new chapter in the history of MT-G ultra-high-end G-Shock watches.
Before we get on with the digging, I must get some more out of my system. I kid you not, I subscribed to the G-Shock YouTube channel because I had learned that the brand oddly prefers to launch its watches there. Oh, have we begged and pleaded to G-Shock: “Please, please send stuff out to us so that we can prepare coverage, dig in, ask the right questions, and present these novelties in-depth..!” Alas, to little avail. The last email (forwarded!) that I could find in my inbox from the brand is from March and it’s about a Barbie-collab G-Shock. Cool. However, I have to scour the internet for photos of the MTG-B4000 because Casio G-Shock’s press site does not make images of acceptable quality available.
I am upset because I love G-Shock. I adore the two I own, and I could break the piggy bank for yet another one basically every single day.
Just like the entire watch, the dial is also crafted “with fine processing technology” at Casio’s high-end Yamagata Casio factory in Japan. Sallaz polishing is also applied to the watches there.
Anyway. The MTG-B4000. It is among the first big-brand watches to debut with a pronounced and apparently heavy reliance on artificial intelligence-assisted design. As Casio explains, with every new watch there is a challenge linked to “putting different materials together” to “combine strength and beauty” (which is fair), and the MT-G is “all about putting things together.” I guess that’s true for any watch designed specifically not to fall apart, but let’s not get too distracted this early on.
How did Casio use AI to create this new G-Shock watch? “In developing this timepiece, Casio leveraged a process of co-creation between human designers and AI capabilities. With people focused on design and engineering, AI was used to optimize analysis, simulation and modeling. This reciprocal process was repeated again and again, sparking synergies between human sensibilities and AI optimization.” More specifically, Casio’s AI analysis made the most of the shock-resistance data the brand has gathered over the years from G-Shock testing. AI was used to simulate impact from every possible angle and generate a 3D-model for specified structural strength and material property requirements.
The end result is a case of a particularly special and indeed clever-looking construction. On the image above, you will see a bridge-like construction where a laminate from carbon and glass fiber sheets arches between the lug structures of the watch. Strangely enough, this looks solid and somewhat flexible at the same time, just as bridges tend to (need to) flex under load. The way the bridge and the lug pieces interlock does look unique and special, nothing that I, for one, have ever seen before. The closest thing that comes to my mind is the Ferrari-designed Techframe case from 2017. Nevertheless, this piece looks so crazy and fascinating, I wouldn’t mind wearing it with “the watch part” missing just to appreciate its construction. Even the tail-end of the strap is beveled and shaped to meet the lug piece perfectly.
Now, in reality, what tends to happen is that such over-engineered watches end up too large, too bulky, and thus uncomfortable to wear. Oh, and ungainly, too, because they look rather “long” (meaning that the lugs and the straps extend far out and away from the watch head making for a “long” look). We are yet to put this latest and greatest AI-Designed G-Shock MTG-B4000 on the wrist, but a review might be coming later still. Thankfully, the brand does provide accurate measurements, and so the G-Shock MTG-B4000 watches measure 45.3mm wide, 14.4 mm thick, and a whopping 56.6mm lug-to-lug. We’ll hazard a guess and say that does not include the way the strap extends further still away from where the lug itself ends. We’ll reserve judgment until it is on the wrist, but there is cause for caution — and a “long” watch tends to look wonky no matter how thick your wrist is.
Casio explains: “The base design was inspired by the organic form of a hybrid carbon-metal structure.” As we said, Casio had AI analyze its drop test results and used that analysis in conjunction with what the engineers and designers had in mind. Following plenty of back-and-forth between these processes (change the design, analyze, change the design, analyze, and so on), the final construction and style came to be. It is of a highly complex sandwich construction with a caseback, a middle case, the aforementioned bridge structure, and the frontal elements being held together by screws and threaded joints. The lug structure is screwless to further enhance impact resistance. It looks as robust as the Terminator, and just about as fascinating, too, although Casio does not appear to make any claims as to how much (if at all) more shock-resistant the MTG-B4000 is compared to other G-Shocks.
Metal Injection Molding (MIM) is used to craft the caseback by injecting fine metal powder into molds to achieve a complex 3D form. Sallaz polishing is used on the metal components with hand-polished by master craftspeople. Hairline and mirror polishing are applied. With the MTG-B4000B-1A2, Casio introduces a newly developed blue-grey ion-plating on the bezel and other stainless-steel components. Meanwhile, the MTG-B4000-1A features a bare steel bezel at a slightly lower price.
As befits a high-end G-Shock, the MT-G line, and the MTG-B4000 watches specifically offer high-spec movements with MULTIBAND6 radio controlled time adjustment, Bluetooth phone connectivity, and all the usual bevy of functions such as a 27-city world time display, a timer, fully automatic calendar, power saving function, stopwatch, automatic hand position correction, battery indicator, and solar charging with 5 months of autonomy in total darkness (18 months in power saving mode). You also get a “Super Illuminator” LED backlight. The packaging is of course Triple G Resist, so it is shock-resistant, centrifugal force-resistant, and vibration-resistant thanks to the Carbon Core Guard Structure. The watches weigh 112 grams and are water resistant to 20 ATM (equivalent to 200 meters, 660 feet).
The blue IP-finish Casio G-Shock MTG-B4000B-1A2 is priced at 176,000 JPY or roughly $1,230 USD, while the bare metal Casio G-Shock MTG-B4000-1A is priced at 165,000 JPY or about $1,150 USD. Official US pricing might vary and should be available later. You can learn more at the brand’s website.