Casio's new G-Shock 2500 'CasioNaut' line holds its watch hands on magnets instead of pins

Casio has unveiled its new G-Shock 2500 series - nicknamed 'CasioNaut' by fans for a dial that evokes the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The headline feature is a magnetic hand mount: hour and minute hands are held by magnets rather than pins, so they give way under impact instead of breaking. Full-metal models start at about $318, resin versions at about $134, with a November 2026 release in Japan.

Key Takeaways

Casio has unveiled its new G-Shock 2500 series - nicknamed 'CasioNaut' by fans for a dial that evokes the Patek Philippe Nautilus.
The headline feature is a magnetic hand mount: hour and minute hands are held by magnets rather than pins, so they give way under impact instead of breaking.
Full-metal models start at about $318, resin versions at about $134, with a November 2026 release in Japan.

AI synthesis3 sources4

Casio has unveiled an entirely new G-Shock line that watch fans are already calling the 'CasioNaut': the 2500 series returns to the design language of the very first G-Shock - and mounts its hands on magnets instead of pins.

The new series arrives in two tiers. The full-metal GMC-2500D-1AJF (black) and GMC-2500D-1A2JF (blue-gray) models are priced at ¥49,500 (about $318) each in Japan, while the resin-based GAC-2500 line comes in four colorways - black, green, white and yellow - at ¥20,900 (about $134) apiece. Both lines are scheduled for a November 2026 release in Japan.

The dial echoes the design of the original G-Shock, the DW-5000C from 1983, reworked into a two-eye analog layout: a small-seconds subdial sits opposite a three-digit rolling date window. That arrangement - with its porthole-like composition - is what has reminded so many observers of a Patek Philippe Nautilus, earning the series the 'CasioNaut' nickname in leak forums. Wired has framed it as a follow-up to the legendary 'CasiOak.'

The real headline, though, is mechanical. The hour and minute hands are not pinned to a shaft; they are held in place magnetically. Under a hard impact the hands give way and shift instead of bending or snapping, and Casio says the minute hand can briefly move under a heavy knock before settling back into position within a few minutes. The mechanism can also sweep the hands clear of the date window when they would otherwise sit over it.

The metal models feature a stainless-steel case and bracelet (46.7 x 43.8 x 12.9 mm, 138 g), a mineral crystal and 200 m of water resistance, powered by a battery rated at roughly two years. The resin versions are far lighter at 47 g and use partly biomass-based plastic. Neither tier offers solar charging or Bluetooth - a deliberate distance from Casio's pricier GMC-B2100 full-metal line, which costs about twice as much. Accuracy is rated at ±15 seconds per month, with an amber LED backlight.

With the 2500 series, Casio delivers an affordable, rugged entry point to a design usually reserved for luxury watchmaking - plus a clever mechanical solution to the problem of keeping G-Shock's legendary toughness intact. Whether the watches will follow their Japanese launch to other markets has not yet been confirmed.