G-Shock #1: Let’s start this year Metallic.

I daily get e-mails of G-Shock owners asking if I know more about their new purchase. Sometimes the answers are pretty easy, sometimes I have do dive into my resources to find out more and sometimes I am pretty amazed what people find.

I think about 6 months ago I received a mail about a red DW-6900 model. It had a mushroom in the backlight. He wanted to know if this was a real G-Shock.

Somehow people are quite often afraid they have bought a fake G-Shock. I think the answers on those questions are pretty easy. For a DW-6900 version, look at the eyes and the date digits and you can spot the difference. I think if you bought a “Rare Bape” model for $20.- from a guy selling the whole series, I think you must be not very smart if you need to ask if your watch is real. I do not think I need a photo for comparison for that.

I was quite impressed by the photo's of this model. It was a DW-6900FL of the Metallic-G series, released June 2001. The backlight design and back engraving were designed by an artist called FRF. According to Casio is an artist who makes graphics for surfing boards and skateboards. I did some research, but unfortunately I could not find any info on this artist.

The Metallic-G series was quite a big release. The series consist of 9 models, 3 DW-5600FL models, 2 DW-6900FL models, a G-100FL, a G-2000FL, a G-2110FL and a G-2500FL model. Although this series models come in several colors, they all have a metallic shine.

This metallic shine is actually a thin foil coating of the band and the bezel. Like the coating of the Gold Defender and Snake Killer Frogman, the coating will wear off after a long time use, specially at the place where the buckle meets the strap. At that place it is not very disturbing that the layer wears off, because it’s the place you do not see while wearing the watch.

I was very happy I could help the owner of this watch with the information I could find, but I also liked this model very much. I seem to have a strong preference to red and yellow G-Shocks.

On December 29 I went with my friend DragonJade to Machida to do a bit fun shopping on the last day I was in Japan. He knew a Book-Off store that might carry some second hand G-Shocks. It looked like a small paradise. So what did I see there. A W.C.C.S. Frogman for ¥9000, a M.I.N.K. Mudman for ¥5000, this great DW-6900FL-4MJR for around ¥4500 and a DW-5025D (Ocean Gray) for a good price.

Unfortunately the Frogman and Mudman were already reserved (arghhh, I love that Mudman, it was a steal and also it was in awesome condition too…). I pulled a DW-9550HB-9T from the display (¥5000) to ease my pain. I ended up leaving the shop with the Ocean Gray DW-5025D, that DW-9550HB and this DW-6900FL. The Ocean Gray G-Shock was actually a gift from me and my friend to DragonJade for his hospitality and as a souvenir to our stay in Tokyo. I must start saving money to go back in a few years again.

Although the Frogman and Mudman could not leave the shop with me, I was very happy with my DW-6900FL-4MJR. You don’t see this models around very much and I think I was very happy to find one in that store. A funny coincidence is that my friend Yamazaru-san was wearing the G-2000FL-2MJR, when I we met him in Kyoto a few days before I bought mine. Although his G-2000FL is blue, that model is also a very impressive metallic watch. It also matched perfectly Yamazaru-san’s colorful personality.

The color of the watch is not bright red, but the shade looks more like bricks of houses. It’s red, but it bends a little to orange and brown. This makes the appearance of the watch look pretty unique. In 2007 Casio released the Metallix-G series. The red DW-6900M has a similar shade of red.

Not only the metallic finish of the straps and the bezel are special about this models, the EL backlight is pretty funny. Fr4ankly I have no idea what it is. It can be a guy standing next to a mushroom, or is it a turtle that is drying his shell on a stick. Pretty special about this graphic is that it is multi colored, while a backlight design normally is all in one color.

If you want to have this model, do not expect exorbitant prices. I bought mine for about ¥4500 in Japan. I have seen this model 2nd hand for sale only a few times at a seller in Hong Kong, who is specialized in selling 2nd hand rare G-Shocks. Still the prices were far under $100.-. It is as far as I know not really a sought after model and the color might not be too attractive for most. Still I think this is a very nice model and a great addition to my collection.