The G-Shock 2500 is a new, fully analog G-Shock. Casio says it is a tribute to the first G-Shock from 1983. Everyone else sees something more expensive. There are nine versions, from A$289 to A$559.
Casio announced the G-Shock 2500 series on 22 October 2026. It is a new line, not an update of an old one. There is no digital screen at all. Just hands, a small seconds dial at 9 o’clock and a three-window date at 3 o’clock.
Casio links it to the DW-5000C, the square digital watch that started G-Shock in 1983 with a simple idea: a watch that would not break if you dropped it. The octagonal bezel comes from that watch. The rest of the case is softer and rounder than any G-Shock before it.
Within days, the internet gave it a nickname: the “CasioNaut”. The case, with its rounded sides and the “ears” at 3 and 9 o’clock, reminds a lot of people of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. More on that below.
What is the G-Shock 2500?
The G-Shock 2500 comes in three families. They share the same module, the same functions and the same 200m water resistance. What changes is the material, the weight and the price.
- GAC-2500: full resin case and resin strap. 47g. Four colours. A$289.
- GMC-2500: resin case with a stainless steel bezel, on a resin strap. 68g. Three versions. A$459, or A$499 for the gold one.
- GMC-2500D: resin case with a stainless steel bezel, on a stainless steel bracelet. 138g. Two versions. A$559.
Casio says this is the first time a G-Shock series has launched in both lightweight resin and steel-bezel versions at the same time.
What changed: a G-Shock with no screen
The main change is simple. The information that usually lives on a digital screen now sits on mechanical discs.
The Multi-Mission Date. The window at 3 o’clock has three cells. Most of the time it shows the date. When you use the stopwatch, it shows the elapsed minutes. When you set the watch, it shows the setting. One window doing the work of a screen. The calendar is automatic until 2099.
The magnetic minute hand. This is the clever part. On an analog watch, the hands are the weak point when you hit something hard. On the G-Shock 2500, the minute hand is held in place by a magnet instead of being fixed rigidly. On a hard knock it can move, and then it goes back to the right position by itself within a few minutes. The watch also has a hand alignment function to correct the hands and the date if impact or magnetism pushes them out.
The seconds hand sleep mode. You can stop the small seconds hand when you do not need it. Casio says battery life is about two years in normal use, and about five years with the seconds hand stopped.
The shape. The bezel is still octagonal, like the 1983 original. But the case around it is rounded, with softer edges than the GA-2100, the analog-digital octagonal G-Shock that made this style popular. The GA-2100 also uses Casio’s Carbon Core Guard case.
All nine versions of the G-Shock 2500
What We Think
I love this watch. Yes, it reminds me of a Patek. I see it too, and I am not going to pretend I don’t.
But look at what you get for the money. A watch from a brand that has been making tough watches for more than 40 years. 200m water resistance. A case built to take hits. A minute hand that moves out of the way when you knock it, then finds its way back. For someone who works in a tough environment, on a building site, in a workshop, outdoors, this is close to the perfect watch. You wear it to work, you bang it on things, and you do not think twice.
Now, about the resemblance. This happens all the time in watchmaking. Look at how many brands have made a dive watch that reminds you of a Rolex Submariner. Some shapes become a language that everyone uses. That is not a problem in itself.
The line I draw is this. A reference is one thing. A copy is another. A reference borrows an idea and makes it work in its own way. A copy just wants you to think it is something else. The G-Shock 2500 keeps the octagonal bezel of the 1983 G-Shock, uses resin and an analog module Casio developed itself, and puts the brand’s own toughness first. To me, that is a reference.
The Specs
The Basics
- References: GAC-2500-1A, -3A, -7A, -9A; GMC-2500-1A, -1A8; GMC-2500G-9A; GMC-2500D-1A, -1A2
- Case (GAC-2500): Resin, 46.7mm x 44.5mm x 12.7mm, 47g
- Case (GMC-2500): Resin with stainless steel bezel (gold ion-plated on the GMC-2500G-9A), 46.7mm x 43.8mm x 12.9mm, 68g
- Case (GMC-2500D): Resin with stainless steel bezel, 46.7mm x 43.8mm x 12.9mm, 138g
- Dial: Analog, small seconds at 9 o’clock, three-cell Multi-Mission Date at 3 o’clock; brass with sunray or matte finish on the GMC models
- Shock resistance: Yes, with magnetic minute hand
- Water resistance: 200m
- Crystal: Mineral
- Light: Amber LED with afterglow
- Strap: Resin (GAC-2500 and GMC-2500, fits 145mm to 215mm wrists on the GMC-2500 ); stainless steel bracelet with one-push folding clasp (GMC-2500D, fits 150mm to 205mm wrists)
The Movement
- Module: Casio 5757
- Type: Quartz, battery (CR1025)
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, auto calendar to 2099, 1-second stopwatch up to 29 minutes 59 seconds, hand shift, hand and date alignment, seconds hand sleep
- Accuracy: Plus or minus 15 seconds a month
- Battery life: About 2 years; about 5 years with the seconds hand stopped
- Solar / Bluetooth: No
Pricing & Availability
- Australia: A$289 (GAC-2500), A$459 (GMC-2500-1A and -1A8), A$499 (GMC-2500G-9A), A$559 (GMC-2500D). Casio Australia lists the G-Shock 2500 as coming soon .
- United States: US$145 (GAC-2500), US$280 to US$300 (GMC-2500), US$350 (GMC-2500D). On sale in November 2026.
- Japan: ¥20,900 (GAC-2500), ¥37,400 (GMC-2500), ¥39,600 (GMC-2500G-9A), ¥49,500 (GMC-2500D), tax included. On sale in November 2026.
Where to buy: In Australia, see the G-Shock 2500 series page on Casio Australia’s official store or find a Casio stockist near you. In the US, see Casio’s official store. Elsewhere, see Casio’s international store.
More new releases are in our watch news.
