Before TBC jumps into looking at the DW-5000C and DW-5000R, we should take a short walk through the annals of horological history.  Just how did G-Shock come into being? 

The “Father of G-Shock” Kikuo Ibe made his intentions to his colleagues clear when he declared that he wanted to create “…a durable watch that would not break even if dropped.”   Ibe-san’s idea was, at the time, nothing short of heretical.  A watch that could survive anything?  Conventional wisdom dictated that such a thing was impossible, so from day one, the project was an exercise in reinvention.  His first instinct was to encase the entire watch in a soft, impact-absorbing material — rubber, perhaps.  But as anyone who has ever dropped a rubber ball from a great height can attest, shock absorption is a fickle thing.  No matter how much padding he added, the watches continued to shatter under real-world conditions.  Worse still, increasing the amount of cushioning resulted in ever-larger prototypes — one of which, at a certain point, had grown to roughly the size of a softball.

The breakthrough came not from brute force but from a fundamental shift in approach.  Rather than relying on external cushioning, Ibe-san devised a five-stage shock-resistant structure that protected the core components of the watch itself.  That, however, introduced a new problem: while the case might survive, the delicate internal components did not.  It became a frustrating game of whack-a-mole — reinforce one part, and another would fail instead.  The testing method was delightfully straightforward, if somewhat unorthodox: he would take a prototype, march up to the third-floor lavatory window, and drop it onto the pavement ten meters below.  He’d pick up the shattered remnants, analyse which components had failed, tweak the design, and repeat the process — again and again, in an endless cycle of destruction and refinement.

Yet persistence paid off.  The work finally reached a turning point when the “Tough” project team was formally established, charged with refining Ibe-san’s concept into a commercially viable watch.  Along with a name — G-Shock — came a clear vision: a timepiece that wouldn’t just survive a fall but would become synonymous with durability itself.

A Legend Reborn: The Casio G-Shock DW-5000R

If you were to distill the essence of the G-Shock into a single watch, the original DW-5000C of 1983 would likely be it.  That watch didn’t just introduce the world to G-Shock; it set the standard for what a truly indestructible digital timepiece could be.  Now, in 2025, Casio has reached into its archives to revive the legend with the new DW-5000R—a watch that pays meticulous homage to its ancestor while embracing the refinements of modern watchmaking.

TBC just happen to have an original DW-5000C which we were unable to revive.  Nonetheless, it makes comparing the old and the new quite an easy task.  At a glance, the DW-5000R is nearly indistinguishable from the original, retaining the signature squared-off design, the iconic brick-pattern dial, and the unmistakable screw-back stainless steel case.  The brand has also faithfully reproduced the bold “PROTECTION” AND “G-SHOCK” text on the bezel, with off-white paint filling in the individual letters.  The new watch even maintains the classic band design, down to the placement of the dimples—a level of detail that speaks volumes about Casio’s reverence for its own history.  However, look closer, and you’ll find subtle but meaningful updates.  The case size has grown ever so slightly to 42.3mm (up from the original 41.6mm), and the bezel and strap are now crafted from bio-based resin, a nod to the brand’s sustainability efforts.  Flipping the watch to its case-back, we can see that it is a screw-back case, replete with the usual technical declarations and the dynamic “Shock Resistant” lettering in the middle of all that mirror polished metal.  In the original, all the text are stamped, but in the DW-5000R, they are printed on, which has been the norm in almost all G-Shock models.

With 200 metres of water resistance, the DW-5000R is as comfortable in the depths of a swimming pool as it is on a construction site or in the pressurised cabin of a fighter jet (one would imagine).  The shockproof construction — arguably G-Shock’s defining feature — remains a triumph of engineering, allowing the watch to withstand the kinds of impacts that would spell instant doom for more traditional timepieces.  Functionally, the DW-5000R is everything one expects from a G-Shock and then some.  The high-brightness LED backlight ensures legibility in the darkest environments, from late-night hikes to power outages.  One can argue that no one would require the  1/100-second stopwatch and countdown timer functions, but it wouldn’t hurt to have that in your watch.  A multi-function alarm rounds out the feature set, offering a level of everyday practicality that few mechanical watches can match.

What’s more, it is produced at Casio’s prestigious Yamagata factory, ensuring the level of precision and quality that enthusiasts demand.  This might explain why, while it is a regular production model, supply is not as readily available as other regular G-Shock models.

The real brilliance of the DW-5000R lies in its approachability.  Unlike some of Casio’s more esoteric or limited-edition releases, this is (as we have just mentioned) a standard production model — one that collectors and newcomers alike can appreciate without the anxiety of artificial scarcity.  The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, with G-Shock purists praising its faithful execution and subtle refinements.  In a world where digital watches often struggle to capture the imagination of collectors, the DW-5000R reminds us why G-Shock remains one of the most respected names in horology: it is a masterclass in purposeful design, built to last not just years, but decades.

Casio has made some very subtle and well-judged refinements to the case and strap of this G-Shock, smoothening out rough edges whilst making sure it stays true to the original.  With the DW-5000R, Casio hasn’t just revived a watch; it has reaffirmed its commitment to the very principles that made G-Shock a cultural icon in the first place.  At its core,  the DW-5000R is a modern embodiment of the original G-Shock ethos: a watch designed not just to endure the rigours of daily life but to shrug them off with an almost arrogant indifference.