I’ll be honest… artist collaboration watches aren’t usually where I spend much time. Too often it’s a gimmicky cash grab, a name applied to an existing colorway with a small premium tacked on. So when Casio announced a partnership with visual artist Joshua Vides built around two of its most iconic G-Shock silhouettes, I wasn’t expecting much. Looking at the press photos though, I think there’s something here worth taking a look at.
The two new limited-edition models are the DW5600JV-7 and the DW6900JV-1, both built around Vides’ “Reality to Idea” concept, which renders three-dimensional objects as though they’ve been sketched entirely by hand in high-contrast black and white. The 5600 and 6900 families are about as established as G-Shock gets, so using them as the foundation for this kind of treatment makes sense. These aren’t obscure platforms chosen to generate buzz and they’re obviously watches a lot of people already have a relationship with. Myself included.
The execution is more considered than you might expect. Casio used multi-angle printing techniques across the band, case, and dial so the hand-drawn illusion holds from different viewing angles, not just straight-on. The DW5600JV-7 goes white with bold black marker-like strokes across the whole thing. The DW6900JV-1 flips it, matte black with stark white line work that reads almost like contour shading. Dial text on both is rendered in Vides’ handwritten style, and if you activate the LED backlight, a hidden graphic of his signature traffic cone motif appears.
The case back carries a custom engraving with the artist’s signature. Both models retain the full standard G-Shock spec underneath all of it: shock-resistant construction, 200-meter water resistance, a 1/100-second stopwatch, countdown timer, and multi-function alarm. At $180, they’re priced the same as a lot of standard production Casio G-Shock releases, which is worth noting for a limited collaboration that could have easily gone higher. My guess is the white DW5600JV-7 will be the more divisive of the two. The sketched lines are bold and there’s a lot going on.
The black DW6900JV-1 is the one that’s got me more curious—if I’m being honest, the white line work against the matte black finish reads less like illustration and more like an urban camo pattern from certain angles. Whether that’s by design or just a happy accident, I’m not sure. Both models debut at a G-Shock x Joshua Vides pop-up event in Los Angeles on March 13 and 14, with wider availability through JoshuaVides.com, the G-Shock SoHo Store, and select retailers starting March 16.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.