What do you get when you throw Japanese watch manufacturer Casio, Grammy Award-winning guitarist and songwriter John Mayer, and watch enthusiast website Hodinkee into a (proverbial) blender? Evidently, something that looks like the above watch.
Cool, right?? The new ref. 6900 is inspired by the Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard, a 1980s favorite of musicians young and old that Mayer played while growing up. (Many musicians have cited the Casiotone line as an early musical inspiration.) The G-Shock ref. 6900. first launched in 1995, is beloved by watch devotees of all stripes and often serves as the backdrop for streetwear collaborations.
In bridging the gap between vintage musical inspiration and modern horological standout (both of which are made by the same company), Mayer chose to highlight the SK-5's Dayglow-esque palette of yellow and teal on the new watch's slate grey body. Said Mayer: "When Casio approached me about the possibility of working together on a G-SHOCK, it actually timed out really well. I had already been pretty deep into wearing the 'Mudmaster' models, and something felt cosmically right about a G-SHOCK being the first watch collab I’ve ever done. Casio keyboards came to mind as much as the watches did. Then I remembered how important the Casiotone SK-5 was in my life, and it got exciting really fast. It's the perfect bridge between my double life as a musician and a watch enthusiast."
For those unfamiliar with the ref. 6900, it features a 53.2mm-wide resin case, a Japanese quartz movement, and is chock-full of functionality, including a 24-hour clock, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, a multi-functional alarm, and more. They're also so tough that they've become a military favorite. (Mine still has mud in the buttons. And it still works.)
The limited edition Casio G-SHOCK Ref 6900 byJ ohn Mayer is available now from the Hodinkee Shop, G-Shock's website, G-SHOCK Soho and select G-SHOCK boutiques for $180.
