G-Shock is a product line of Casio that was introduced in April of 1983. An abbreviation for “Gravitational Shock”, they were designed to be resistant to mechanical stress, shock, and vibration.
Honda F1
Two co-branded Honda F1 models were introduced shortly after the creation of the G-Shock line. The first was the DW-5000C-Honda, which were made for Honda engineers and factory employees who developed the engine run by Spirit Racing during the 1983 Formula 1 season. This was followed by the DW-5200C-Honda, released in 1984 with a slightly more general “Honda Racing Team International” co-branding.
Williams F1
The G-Shock DW-6600-Williams was released by Casio in 1997, and was a co-branded model with the Williams F1 team. This would have coincided with the tail end of Adrian Newey’s time with the team, having just won back to back constructors’ and drivers’ world titles with Damon Hill in 1996 and Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.
While G-Shock did not appear to have the same level of sponsorship status like Oris or Bremont, the release of a Williams model is still noteworthy.
Damon Hill’s Williams FW18 at the Silverstone Museum. (Photo: by BWard 1997, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, and Marco Melandri
Sometime during the 1990s, former MotoGP riders Max Biaggi, Valentino Rossi, and Marco Melandri have all appeared in G-Shock marketing materials during their respective support class careers. No licensed or rider edition models appear to have been involved, and the specific nature of the partnership is currently not well documented.
Kawasaki MotoGP
G-Shock made its first appearance on the MotoGP grid in 2005 with the G-300KRT-1AV and G-300KRT-3AV models, when the Casio line became a sponsor of the Kawasaki MotoGP team. Marketing materials featuring riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hoffman, who were both given G-300 models to wear according to Jorge Merino on the timezone.com forums. The G-Shock logo appeared on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR from 2005 to 2008.
The G-Shock G-7710KRT-3 Kawasaki Racing Team was released in 2007, although it’s unclear if this was specific to MotoGP or World Superbike.
Suzuki MotoGP
The G-Shock 990F0-M7GSW-000 Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP edition was announced in 2017. The G-Shock logo did not appear on the GSX-RR that season, however.
Related Pages
References
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/funny-g-shock-pictures.4544061/?post_id=44228919#post-44228919
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335800619622
http://www.gsking.net/uebersicht-modell-geschichte-der-g-shock-dw-5000er-screwback-serie-1-generation/
https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/tento1010/rc-it4y1gp60ei8-piqs.html
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/g-shock-made-for-drivers-or-driving-enthusiasts.4726975/
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/kawasaki-g300-g-shock-kawasaki-racing-team-eu.5132819/
https://casiofanmag.com/g-shock/g-300krt/
https://casiofanmag.com/news/g-7710krt-3-g-shock-kawasaki-racing-team-limited/
https://forums.timezone.com/index.php?rid=0&t=msg&th=498212
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_motorcycle_racing_sponsorship_liveries
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1452482754828444&id=137375103005889&set=a.142621809147885
https://marketplace.watchcharts.com/listing/2447253-ecstar-gsx-rr-motogp-shock-watch-casio-genuine-990f0-m7gsw-000