G-Shock in Formula 1 and MotoGP - Grand Prix Watches

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.

Shinya Nakano

The G-Shock G-100 Shinya Nakano edition was likely released in 2001 or 2002. A Mercari listing appears to show that the packaging included a card featuring an image of the Japanese rider on his 2001 Gauloises Tech 3 YZR500. Nakano’s 56 logo is printed on the strap, with “SN-110” documented as the style number on the outer box.

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. The digital model features Kawasaki Racing Team branding on the back, and MotoGP riders Randy de Puniet and Olivier Jacque are both mentioned on the packaging.

Nakano has also appeared in various G-Shock promotional materials, including a print ad for a G-Shock G-056 series model.

56design

Between 2008 an 2018, G-Shock has also created a number of models with 56design, Shinya Nakano’s lifestyle brand. The first two models were the G-Shock GW-M5600BC 56design in 2008, and the G-Shock GW-M5600R 56design in 2010.

Further co-branded models followed in 2012, which also involved Japanese motorcycle magazine GOGGLE. Available only through the magazine’s website, the collaboration produced the G-Shock SKY COCKPIT GW-4000 56design × GOGGLE and the G-Shock SKY COCKPIT GW-4000 56design.

2015 releases utilized the Baby-G BGD-501 and G-Shock DW-D5600P platforms, with both 56design and Nakano’s racing team, 56 Racing.

56design has also collaborated with Moto NAVI in 2017. The G-Shock GA-100 56design x MOTO NAVI was announced that year.

The G-Shock GW-M5610BC-1JF 56design was released in 2018 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Nakano’s brand, and was exclusively available through its stores. What appeared to be a G-Shock GSTB100X-1A 56design was photographed at the launch, but is not well documented.