G-Shock #31: MR-G 7500 G-Elegance

Today's guest article is written by my friend DougFNJ. Probably you already know him of his Youtube channel, where he reviews quite special high end G-Shock models. He recently bought an MRG-7500BJ-1AJF. This model is part of the MR-G series, which is G-Shock line in the higher segment. With a retail price roughly 10 times a basic collaboration model, this high quality watch is not affordable for everyone. Of course I think the high end G-Shock pieces should not be missing on 50 Gs. When I asked him to do a guest article about this MR-G, he already said "Yes", before I knew it. Doug shows you around in this watch appearance and functionality. Enjoy reading his article!

A few years ago, a friend on Watchuseek put together a bulk purchase of the annual collectible Casio G-Shock book. On the cover was the MRG-7500 BJ. Riley had posted a little translation of an article in the Magazine about the making of and valuation of the MRG series and why the cost was as high as it is. MRG-7500 was out for 1 year, and they regularly updated the MRG Line so finding an MRG you want is a fun challenge, particularly at a price you want to afford a lot more than retail.

So I went on the hunt on and off, periodically I would see one for sale, and I was either a little too late, someone else bought it, or it was too much for what I could budget at the time. A few months ago, going through the sales forum at Watchuseek, I saw one available, and really didn’t want to let it slip away. We negotiated a fair price, unfortunately it didn’t come with the Wood Box Casio typically sends these in, but for the price I paid, and the fact that the box would sit in a closet after opening it, I was OK with it, you wear the watch not the box. 2 days later, I opened my highly anticipated package and was pleasantly surprised at the presence this watch commands.

For those who have not researched this watch other than casual reviews or looks, it is made of Titanium. For protection from scratches and marking. Casio used a hardening process many have heard before, DLC, or Diamond Like Coating process. Titanium is a very strong metal and does not rust or corrode. It is extremely light, and unfortunately it can tend to scratch or mark very easily. Processing it like this gives you the benefits Titanium offers, without the disadvantages. The finish that Casio presented is a very attractive gun metal brushed look, this is utilized on every part that is on this watch, and the Titanium keeps it very, very light.

There are 4 screws on the front of the bezel that adds to the rugged part of its look as well as the buttons having a knurled texture. There are a lot of links that make it very flexible and comfortable to wear. They etched in the wording in the bezel and polished the inner bezel ring rather than painting or using etched plastic, this watch is ALL metal. There rear gives a solid back plate that is attached securely with 4 screws, and has a highly textured G-Shock MRG logo.

Casio wisely utilized a Sapphire Crystal. The typical Mineral Crystal used on many watches offers good shatter resistance, but can scratch easier than Sapphire, that’s not to say it scratches easily, just easier. Sapphire on the other end is highly scratch resistant, buy it has more of a glass consistency so it can shatter easier than Mineral. Many prefer Sapphire over mineral as it is a little heavier, and there is a bit of clarity in the display you don’t tend to find in Mineral. Please keep in mind these differences are very subtle and extremely minimal. These are the little things a watch collector and enthusiast notice a lot more than the casual wearer of watches. This model also offers Anti-reflective coating on the inside which reduces glare, and gains more clarity viewing the display.

MR-G-7500BJ-1AJF next to the MTG-1500B-1A1JF

The dial is beautiful. It offers a different elegant look in just about every way light reflects off of it. The indices are polished Stainless Steel which add to this effect. Casio’s design efforts came through so uniquely on this dial. The lume is also brighter and stays lit longer than any other analog G-Shock I have owned or seen. In my opinion, they really should look at using this on future analog G’s, it definitely adds to function of an analog. The Lume is placed on the Markers, hands, as well as the subdial hands.

The outer ring surrounding the dial prints the City’s in different time zones for the World Time mode. Between the markers at the 3:00, 7:00, and 11:00 positions are indicators for the alarm, Atomic received, and Daylight Savings. The Date is indicated between the 4:00 and 5:00 markers.

The 3:00 Dial offers day of the week in timekeeping mode, and points the selected modes when changing modes. The 6:00 subdial represents seconds in timekeeping mode, and 1/20th second reading or minutes in Stopwatch mode. The 9:00 subdial offers 24 hour time.

Mode changes can be a little tedious. The hands coordinate with each mode change and you have to wait for the hands to stop before advancing or changing anything within that mode. Pressing the mode button once moves you to World Time which covers 27 cities over 29 time zones.. The Chrono hand coordinates around the dial and points to the city time zone you are in. World Time the hands move in one hour increments to display the time in that zone, and the date reflects the current date in that Time Zone. The Alarm Mode sets the hands in motion to the alarm time where you change and set the alarm to on or off, a 3rd press of the mode button takes you back to timekeeping.

Pressing the Reset button zeros out the dials for Stopwatch Mode. Pressing the Start/Stop button starts the Stopwatch, pressing it again stops it and shows its reading. Reset button zeros it out again, and pressing reset again beeps and brings you back to timekeeping mode. This module is very simple to learn and use.

The MRG-7500 is Tough Solar with a nice long 2-year power reserve with low battery alert. It also offers the Multi-Band 5 atomic calibration to synch to 5 towers around the world.

The MRG line is a top end line with high end prices, and distinct personalities to each version released. They are made to look great with a suit, but tough enough to handle anything hard you want to throw at it. This is a very tough model to find. With patience and creativity, it can be found at much lower prices than one would find on Ebay.