Fresh Set is an ongoing series where readers follow the newest StockX Watch team member, Hadjj, as he learns more about the inās and outās of watches.
Before I came onto the team, my only experience with watches were G-Shocks. I remember in middle school, G-Shocks and Baby-Gs were the rave. The colors they came in reminded my peers of an assortment of Starbursts or Skittles candy, so much so we would try to āget all the flavorsā of watches.
But Casio hasnāt always been seen as the cool watch. How is it that a Japanese brand whose bread and butter in the 70s and 80s were wearable calculators worn by nerds, be seen as the āItā accessory. The biggest reason for their giant run is its popularity within hip hop.
Casio found their way on the wrist of Lil Wayne and the entire Young Money group, Pharrell, Fabolous, Kid Cudi, Kanye West and others that were considered the influencers to our 2007-2008 generation. G-Shock has injected itself into the culture of hip hop, surpassing my middle school days, implanting its name into lyrics by Camāron, Skepta, and Big Sean.
From hip hop, the fabric of G-Shock bled into streetwear culture, collaborating with the brands that represent it, such as Stussy, CLOT and Medicom Toys. By affiliating themselves with such brands from the jump, G-Shocks were able to solidify their spot as āThe Watchā for pop culture.
Today, the brand has since exceeded its humble beginnings in Japan to becoming the go-to watch for collaborations. During a time where collaborations run successful sales, every type of entity, from musical groups to even anime series, have partnered with the famous watch brand.Ā
To me, it is wild to see the growth of G-Shock since my experiences with them in middle school. From the wrists of celebrities to partnering with multiple groups and brands, the evolution of these digital wrist watches is quite unique. Casio has been popping out watches since the 1970s and since it’s first launch of the G-Shock in 1983, it does not look like the brand is slowing down any time soon.
