G-Shock has made one of its most expensive and collectible limited editions in the form of a hand engraved MR-G in titanium.
The £7,200 MRG-B2000SH Shougeki-Maru takes its inspiration from a traditional kabuto helmet worn by Japanese Samurai.
The bezel of each watch is hand-carved by Masao Kobayashi, an expert metalsmith in the technique of chasing, which he has used to created the image of a dragon climbing to the heavens.
Mastering different materials is central to G-Shock’s philosophy, and the new MR-G uses both recrystallised titanium for its case and a Japanese treatment on the surface of the bezel called tetsu sabiji, which translates as rusted steel, and is the same finish found on fighting helmets made by Shougeki-Maru.
The watch’s bezel and bracelet are also finished with layers of brown and blue ion plating to create the rugged look of rusted steel and the look of the navy blue.
Only 400 of the watches are being made for world-wide distribution.
It may have the finish of an ancient artifact, but the MR-G has modern touches including a Bluetooth connection to a smartwatch app that receives radio wave time-calibration signals that automatically correct the time when arriving in a different time zone.
You might want to re-think the use of the phrase “Chasing the Dragon”… it refers to a way of smoking heroin. It usually involves placing powdered heroin on foil and heating it from below with a lighter. Foil used to heat heroin in order to “Chase the Dragon” The heroin turns to a sticky liquid and wriggles around like a Chinese dragon, hence the name.
Interesting watch – though not to my taste.