When does a watch become a cult model even before it’s launched? When, as Casio discovered a few months ago, a leak from its Japanese website took news of its forthcoming 2500 model viral. 'Casio has always had a lot of passionate fans, but the 2500 has somehow really tapped into their imaginations, I think because it’s what diehard fans have been asking for for a long time,' says Warren Halliwell, Casio’s UK senior content manager.
The watch in question, the 2500, which launches in early November 2026, is Casio’s first fully analogue watch in decades, with a case shape that nods to both the brand’s 1980s 5000 series and its 2100 series, launched in 2019, with their signature case ‘bumpers’. Inevitably, following Casio’s fanbase nicknaming its 2100 series watch the ‘CasiOak’, for its resemblance to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the 2500 series – notably the full metal version – has already been dubbed the ‘CasioNaut’ for its indirect homage to Patek Philippe’s classic Nautilus.
'For the watch to have a nickname before it’s even been launched is a reflection of the affection that’s already grown for the model,' reckons Halliwell. 'We’re flattered by it. And there’s been a lot of talk about it at Patek too no doubt. But to even be mentioned in the same sentence [as that brand] is nice'.
'As the product has not yet launched, we’d hesitate to describe it as having achieved cult status,' adds a more cautious Tomohiro Yuasa, product planner at the timepiece division of Casio’s R&D Center. '[But] we're very grateful for the interest it has received ahead of launch. It has a balance of familiarity and freshness that may be one of the reasons it has attracted attention'.
The 2500 – which is available in resin and full-metal variants, this being the first time Casio has launched an entire nine-piece collection all at once – is intended to fill a gap in its range, adding to the already extensive roster of full digital and analogue/digital display models. It’s also being launched with an economic case in mind. According to Halliwell, 'gone are the days when someone would have a watch for the office, one for the gym, one for going out, and so on. Customers are looking more for an adaptable model, a watch for life.'
The 2500 aims to offer G-Shock’s signature toughness with a slightly dressier aesthetic and at a more affordable price (from £110 to £230). The brand’s only other full analogue watches have been part of its Gravitymaster or MRG collections – between £600 and £6,000 and aimed more at professional pilots and the military.
Naturally, while it’s the more heritage aesthetic of the 2500 that seems to have tickled the zeitgeist – Casio will be leaning into this as it approaches G-Shock’s 45th anniversary in 2028 – under the bonnet, there’s plenty of Japanese tech.
The ‘multi-mission’ date window can show date, elapsed stopwatch minutes, setting information and calendar details, depending on the function selected, while the watch makes use of Casio’s magnetic shock release system. The minute hand isn’t fixed to the shaft mechanically, as is standard in watchmaking, but held in place magnetically, allowing out to absorb the force of impacts before resetting at the correct position.
'In analogue watches the size and weight of the hands can create constraints in shock-resistant design,' explains Yuasa. 'This is particularly significant for G-Shock, given its rigorous shock-resistance standards, and making the balance between design and toughness a major consideration. The Magnetic Holding Structure offers a new way to address this challenge but, in the 2500 Series, it also plays an important role in achieving the expressive qualities of an analogue watch too'.