G Shock Poison Dart Frogman watch revealed

bright G Shock Poison Dart Frogman watch

(Image credit: G Shock)

published 15 February 2023

Marking 30 years of the G Shock Frogman diving watch is a new bluetooth-enabled, solar-powered watch. The G Shock Poison Dart Frogman, inspired by the poison dart frog of the Amazon rainforests, cuts a bold silhouette thanks to its laminated colourful form in carbon and fibreglass.

‘The series has continued to evolve while maintaining the unique symmetric shape, with the largest change being the introduction of analogue time display rather than the traditional digital,’ says G Shock content and campaign manager Warren Halliwell. ‘Added features include a more streamlined profile, solar-powered operation, reception of radio wave time-calibration signals, and sensors to ascertain tide times and more.’

G Shock Poison Dart Frogman watch

G Shock research and development teams, based in Japan, created the distinctive black and orange coloured pattern that forms the body of the sporty watch. ‘It is formed by combining carbon and colour glass fibres, which in turn create a very strong yet beautiful material,’ Halliwell adds. ‘From here this material needs to be carefully carved into shape in order to fit the watch bezel. Due to the intricate work required to create this material, no two bezels are the same – each one being unique with stripes naturally occurring in slightly different areas – just like a poison dart frog.’

The shock-resistant materials may stay faithful to G Shock watch codes, but the intricacies the materials demand are sharply modern. ‘This process is reflective of the painstaking work G-Shock is performing in order to create new and exciting shock-resistant materials to include in limited editions such as this. To further replicate the frog’s skin this model features a dive standard Fluoroelastomer band speckled with polarised paint, which changes hues depending on the angle of view. The watch also has an exclusive case back design with a Frogman character based on the poison dart frog and a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the Frogman diving line that made its debut in 1993.’

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Hannah Silver joined Wallpaper* in 2019 to work on watches and jewellery. Now, as well as her role as watches and jewellery editor, she writes widely across all areas including on art, architecture, fashion and design. As well as offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, Hannah is interested in the quirks of what makes for a digital success story.