G-Shock’s Minimalist Masterpiece Arrives in Its Best Version Yet

Inspired by city lights, the revised G-Steel now gets an uber-sleek all-black colorway.

Close-up of a black and silver watch face showing day indicators, a date window displaying "5," and an "OFF" and "ON" switch indicator.

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By Ethan Brehm

Published 2 hours ago

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The design for G-Shock’s DW-5000C was so good that it continues to inform new watches over 40 years later.

When the Japanese watchmaker was planning to revise its G-Steel lineup last year, it looked to its first-ever digital watch from 1983 for guidance. Simplifying the overall look, adding an octagonal bezel and implementing a brick motif on the dial, the flagship stainless steel analog series was suddenly turned into a minimalist masterpiece with the new GST-B1000.

Black G-Shock stainless steel wristwatch with analog display floating above black rocks in a lit concrete corner. — G-Shock expands its newly-revised G-Steel series with a stealthy black iteration inspired by city lights.

Now, G-Shock takes that same G-Steel platform and evolves it even further with a stealthy new look.

G-Steeling the show

When the G-Steel first arrived in 2015, it offered G-Shock fans an interesting new mid-tier option. It was more premium than the brand’s resin-cased digital watches but wasn’t as expensive as top-tier MR-G models.

Black G-Shock watch with textured dial, silver hour markers, subdials, and metal link bracelet. — G-Shock recently updated the G-Steel with a cleaner, minimalist look.

Black metal G-Shock watch band and clasp with visible watch backplate. — The steel construction extends to the integrated bracelet.

It essentially combined the durability and sleekness of stainless steel with the shock resistance of resin thanks to an ingenious layered construction.

However, as trends changed, G-Steel seemed to be stuck in between. The very middle ground it occupied was defining its limitations. It looked too casual to dress up but too tactical and bulky to be an everyday watch. An evolution was imminent.

Back of a black Casio G-Shock Carbon Core Guard watch with metal screws and stainless steel band. — The G-Steel is upgraded in every way, including the case dimensions, which are much more wearable now. Diameter drops from 53.8mm to 44.2mm, while thickness decreases from 14.1mm to 11.6mm.

Keep it simple

Last year’s new GST-B1000 took the long-extant GST-B100 and refined it significantly.

For starters, the case shrunk to a much more wearable size, from a 53.8mm diameter to 44.2mm. Thickness also decreased from 14.1mm to 11.6mm. These dimensions are similar to the popular 2100 “CasiOak” models, which are known for their comfort and wearability.

Silver metal watch bezel floating above a black and red G-Shock watch with a silver metal band. — The revised G-Steel keeps the same carbon-reinforced resin case underneath for shock resistance.

Branding was removed from the bezel, which now sports an octagonal shape like the aforementioned 2100 and, most notably, the 1983 DW-5000C. Fortunately, the watch’s durability remains, with the same carbon-reinforced resin case underneath the steel housing. As such, the timepiece still boasts shock resistance and 200m of water resistance.

Close-up of a black and silver G-Shock watch face with textured dial, luminous hands, subdials, and date display. — New elements on the revised G-Steel include the DW-5000C-inspired brick motif on the dial and the octagonal bezel.

Back in black

After just a few months, G-Shock is already expanding the B1000 with a blacked-out colorway that’s sleeker than ever. Inspired by city lights, the GST-B1000BD-1A gets a full black ion-plated bezel, case and integrated steel bracelet that combines hairline and mirror finishing for an elegant look.

The color extends to the dial here as well, with a black brick motif, along with black subdials (used as a calendar, timer and 24-hour indicator). It should be pointed out that, like earlier versions, the B1000BD utilizes Tough Solar charging and connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone for timekeeping accuracy.

Gunmetal gray G-Shock watch with a blue textured dial, silver hour markers, and metal link bracelet. — Along with the blacked-out variant, the new B1000BD comes in a blue-dial colorway as well.

Along with the all-black variant, there’s a blue dial version as well (GST-B1000BD-2A).

Availability and pricing

The GST-B1000BD models in both colorways just landed on G-Shock’s website. They’re priced at $510 each.

Black and silver G-Shock wristwatch with metal band and textured dial featuring multiple subdials and date display.

G-Shock G-Steel GST-B1000BD-1A Black

$510 at G-Shock

About the Author: Ethan Brehm is an associate editor at Gear Patrol writing about footwear, watches, spirits, EDC and more. When he’s not shopping for his next G-Shock, he spends his time watching movies and planning a future road trip with his family. He firmly believes CDs sound better than vinyl.

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