Images of two new Casio G-Shock watches have leaked, which appear to put a new spin on the classic square design. The images, picked up by Casio fan blog G-Central, apparently appeared via a source in Hong Kong, and are said to depict the forthcoming GMW-B5000TVB and MRG-B5000BA watches.
The GMW-B5000TVB has a reverse LCD display, and a camouflage-inspired geometric design on the bezel and strap not unlike the Garmin Instinct 2 Camo Edition. Photovoltaic cells will keep the battery charged, and it appears to have Bluetooth connectivity as well. Unlike the G-Squad Pro, this isn't a smartwatch, but we expect that you'll be able to make tweaks to time settings using the Casio Watch mobile app.
According to design blog Core 77, which posted what seem to be official press images of the watch, the bezel and band of the GMW-B5000TVB are manufactured using multiple layers of titanium carbide. The surface is then partially masked and ion-plated to create irregular patterns of silver, brown, and black.
Core 77 claims that the watch is due to ship in June. If true, this is likely to be the US release date, with other territories following afterwards. There's no price yet, but the similarly styled GMW-B5000TVA-1 went on sale for $1,650 (about £1,200 / AU$2,200) in September last year, so we're anticipating something similar.
A dash of blue
Details of the MRG-B5000BA are scant, but it appears to have the same blue accents as last year's limited edition Kachi-Iro Collection. According to Casio, the navy hue is "the color of winning and victory in Japanese culture", and was favored by Samurai warriors, who used it to accent their armor and helmets.
We wouldn't be surprised if Casio returns to this theme; earlier this month, the company unveiled the MRG-B2000B-1A4, which borrows the red color of armor worn by elite samurai units during Japan's Sengoku (Warring States) period.
It also has an inverted LCD display, and seems to have a black ion-plated case like that of the MRGB5000B-1 launched last month. The new watch doesn't have the gold plating of the MRGB5000B-1, but if it's a limited edition then we wouldn't be surprised if it carries a similar price tag of around $4,000 (about £3,000 / AU$5,500).
