For much of its history, Casio’s MR-G collection of high-end G-Shocks has remained highly niche, sold to special enthusiasts who were willing to pay a bit more for “the” durable timepiece, who want something with more traditional materials such as metal (versus plastic and resins). More recently, Casio has become emboldened in its higher-end products and turned the MR-G (Mr. G) into a more “global” product which essentially means they are interested in greater mass appeal. Even though Casio is a highly innovative technology company, success in luxury goods requires very different skills than making an excellent $200 timepiece. All the G-Shock MR-G watches I have worn and reviewed have been well made and special, but often in ways that most consumers don’t understand, and probably never will. Casio has more recently been experimenting with different approaches to MR-G watches, and I think the results are really interesting. Wearing this Casio G-Shock MRGB2100, for example, has proven to be a very different experience than many of Casio’s MR-G watches over the past decade or so. Is this finally the (roughly) $5,000 G-Shock for you?
What opened my eyes to the fact that Casio was going in a new direction with the MR-G family was when they came out with the MRGB5000 collection a few years ago. Rather than take a complicated all-analog dial and elaborate case with artistically finished metal as the basis for an MR-G product, Casio intended to make an “ultimate version” of a brand stape – a rectangular watch case with an LCD screen digital dial. The idea was to take a look and concept that people liked and expected from Casio and make a very “mature” version of it including pairing it with a sophisticated bracelet, using the company’s best technology, and employing techniques to make sure the watch resists wear and tear as much as possible. From a distance, the MRGB5000 watches could have looked like a Casio costing many times less, but up close, the watch presents a level of immaculate refinement and artisanal assembly that you simply don’t get in lower-end products. Finally, the gentleman’s G-Shock had arrived.
This Casio G-Shock MRGB2100 is thematically similar to the MRGB5000 but takes an appreciably different approach. Rather than try to create an ultimate version of a Casio staple, Casio is trying to make its high-end version of a watch enthusiast staple: a a relatively simple dial watch with an octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet. Since Casio released its now very popular 2100 “Casioak” family of watches about five years ago now, it has been a runway success for the company. The GA2100 started very humbly as a watch costing barely over $100. From there Casio added more elaborate and metal versions including the very popular GMB2100. I supposed it was inevitable that an MR-G version of the 2100 case was going to be released. Since this pictured G-Shock MRGB2100B-1A watch in black was introduced, Casio has also introduced a different version with a naturally-finished (but still coated for scratch resistance) titanium version known as the MRGB2100D-1A (which costs a little bit less on account of the lack of DLC coating).
Superficially, the MRGB2100 and the GMB2100 are similar, but side-by-side their differences are apparent. Most important are the entirely different Casio hardware “modules” (the movements) used in the watches. The MRGB2100 is all-analog versus the GMB2100 which has an analog-digital face. Also interesting is the more traditional case profile of the MR-G version of the B2100 which has a screw-down crown and two pushers on the same side of the case. The GMB2100 on the other hand has no crown and four pushers set around the case. It makes the watch feel a bit more like a modern technology item, and the MRGB2100 seems to have one foot firmly in the world of classic mechanical watches with a case profile like that.
Not that you’ll be using the crown very often. A big part of the appeal of this and other Casio watches is that you can rely on them without having to fiddle with them. The Tough Solar movement is supposed to never need your attention provided that you keep it in enough sunlight to charge the battery. The hardware uses Bluetooth to connect to your mobile phone and the Casio app. That allows the phone to automatically update the time on the watch – which is especially useful when traveling or when the time otherwise changes. Casio intentionally wanted to go for dial simplicity with the MRGB2100 where the visual emphasis is on the hands, hour markers, and elements of decoration. Accordingly, the dial is only broken up with a date window and subdial that mostly exists to indicate the date of the week. By Casio standards, this is a highly minimalist dial layout. Moreover, the watch doesn’t actually do much more than indicate the time and contains a full calendar that will be accurate until the year 2099 (presuming it runs that long). I didn’t miss the alarms, stopwatch, and other features I commonly associate with G-Shock watches with this MR-G, and appreciated Casio’s more focused, slimmed-down approach when it comes to the MRGB2100’s feature set.
Really the only other functions on the dial relate to the atomic clock radio reception feature in the watch. Outside of Japan only a few people I know ever use atomic clock receivers on their wristwatches to update the time. This staple of many Japanese “connected quartz” watches is probably becoming vestigial at this point, but of course, there would be an outcry if Casio stopped including this feature in many of its products. While the MRG-B2100D is designed to pair with your phone, Casio also engineered it to be “autonomous,” meaning you never need to pair it with a smartphone if you don’t want to. One of those autonomous features includes the aforementioned legacy system that allows the watch to update the time with available signals from an atomic clock. Thus, the reason the radio reception indicators are on the dial for this feature is that they are meant to be operable without connecting to a separate device.
It is also important to note that even though the hands and hour markers are painted with luminant, the dial of the MRGB2100 has a relatively powerful white LED backlight (Casio calls this feature “Super Illuminator”), which helps read it in more conditions. The dial is really a thing of beauty in terms of craftsmanship and design. The dial itself (which must be designed to allow light to enter through it and reach the photovoltaic cell underneath) is inspired by the Japanese craft of Kigumi, which is artistically joined pieces of wood, often in architecture. It offers a nice three-dimensional effect as well. The quality of the diamond polishing on the hour markers and hands on this MR-G are less G-Shock in construction and more closely resemble those we love from fellow Japanese Grand Seiko watches.
On the wrist, the Casio G-Shock MRGB2100 is solidly made but surprisingly light at just 122 grams. The case is made from exotic titanium alloys and is water-resistant to 200 meters along with being highly shock and magnetism-resistant (it is a G-Shock after all). The case isn’t small, but it wears very modestly compared to many other G-Shock models. The MRGB2100’s case is 44.4mm wide, 13.6mm thick (slim by G-Shock standards), and with a 49.5mm long lug-to-lug distance. Over the dial is a flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal. The case and bracelet might look like those Casio makes on some other G-Shock watches, but they use a lot more individual parts and pristine finishing. The goal was not to make an MR-G that doesn’t look like other G-Shocks, but rather a well-made, recognizable G-Shock with a trendy look, useful technology, and really high levels of wear resistance.
Speaking of titanium, there are two interesting alloys of the lightweight and strong metal to mention regarding what Casio chose for the MRGB2100. First is the bezel material which uses a titanium alloy known as Cobarion (cool name, I know). According to Casio, this is a very hard alloy which allows it to have a polish similar to platinum. Casio then uses another titanium alloy called DAT55G for the rest of the titanium pieces of the watch. Why two different alloys? Cobarion is probably too hard to machine into the more complicated pieces needed for the case and bracelet construction. It is probably comparatively easy to machine something round(ish) like the bezel. On top of using “super-hard” titanium alloys, the MRGB2100B-1A is also DLC-coated for additional titanium surface strength, and the black color treatment.
Does that mean the naturally-finished G-Shock MRGB2100D-1A (which costs a bit less) is going to be more scratch-prone than this MRGB2100B-1A model? I would venture to say that they are both durable enough to handle most daily wear without the wearer worrying about scratches. In some serious situations, the DLC-coated titanium will fare better, but I urge people to consider what color watch they prefer to wear more when trying to consider which of these watches to order if they are feeling torn. It simply comes down to a matter of aesthetic taste.
What Casio managed to achieve with the MRGB2100 family is a comfortable and reliable daily wear watch that is also trendy-looking (in a good way) and traditionally stylish. While Casio could probably get even more minimalist and sexy with a time-only watch, I can wait until the future for more stuff like that to come out. I found that the MRGB2100B-1A was really easy to pick up and wear in many instances. I never worried about setting the time, I didn’t mind putting it through light sports activity because I don’t need to baby it, and the watch also works nicely in a more formal or high-end setting where shiny watches with nice shapes are valued. That versatility makes this a really compelling watch for certain people. I actually think people would be surprised at how much they like the MRGB2100 after wearing it for a while, even if the concept doesn’t seem immediately appealing to them in pictures.
Price is really what is going to stand in the way of as many people being able to wear this watch. The good news is that Casio has come down from MR-G prices that we saw a few years ago ranging from $6,000 to $8,000. The challenging news is that the MR-G product is still necessarily a lot more expensive than a run-of-the-mill G-Shock product and you’ll expect to spend between about $3,000 – $5,000 on most of them these days. It is also worth noting that Casio takes great pride in where and how they make the MR-G watches. They are entirely created and assembled by Casio in Japan – at a specialized facility in Yamagata where an elite team puts together their highest-end timepieces. You really do get plenty of Casio G-Shock watches for a few hundred bucks. But Casio does offer something special with MR-G G-Shocks that set them apart. Price for the Casio G-Shock MR-G MRGB2100B-1A watch is $4,800 USD. Learn more at the Casio website.
Necessary Information:
>Brand: Casio
>Model: G-Shock MR-G MRGB2100B-1A
>Price: $4,800 USD
>Size: 44.4mm wide, 13.6mm thick, 49.5mm long lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: Comfortable daily watch when a shiny black bracelet fits in. The versatility is a strong point.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Mature watch enthusiast who wants to combine their appreciation for finishing, shape, and Japanese technology watches into one well-refined package.
>Best characteristic of watch: Lightweight and convenient to wear. Very legible and reliable as a timekeeping. Highly durable case helps resist wear. Doesn’t look like a high-technology watch, even though it is.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Rather “stealth wealth” by most standards – which is a plus or a minus depending on who you ask. I’d like to see it with a cleaner and even more symmetrical dial. You’ll need to wipe fingerprints off it a lot.
