Casio just announced the G-Shock 2500 series for November — resin at $145, metal-accent at $280-300, full metal at $350 — is the analog 2500 a real new classic, or just a 2100 repeat?
Casio America confirmed the 2500 series for November: resin GAC-2500 models at $145, metal-accent GMC-2500 at $280 to $300, and full-metal bracelet GMC-2500D at $350, sold at retailers and the G-Shock Soho store. The pitch is an analog dial inspired by the original 1983 DW-5000C, with a magnetic hand-holding structure so the hands shift instead of snapping on impact, 200m water resistance, and an auto-calendar through 2099 — but no solar charging and no Bluetooth, unlike the GMC-B2100 line. Watch forums already nicknamed it the CasioNaut. For someone who actually wears a G-Shock daily: does the analog design and the magnetic hands make this a genuine new classic worth waiting for, or is the $145 resin version the only one that makes sense?
2 answers
- Resin GAC-2500 first, bracelet later if it earns it
Buy the $145 resin GAC-2500 first. You get the same magnetic hand structure, the same 200m rating and the same analog layout, at 47 grams instead of 138 grams for the full-metal bracelet version. Wear it for a month of actual daily use — desk, gym, rain — and check whether the analog date disc and the lack of solar bother you in practice. If the design sticks, the $350 GMC-2500D is still there in the spring. Paying double up front for a bracelet on an unproven first-generation layout is the part I would skip.
- Counter-take: the full-metal GMC-2500D is the actual buy
Counter-take: if you keep watches for years, the $350 full-metal GMC-2500D is the buy, not the resin. Spread over five years of daily wear that is about $70 a year for a steel bracelet, a steel case, and a watch that will not look tired after one summer. The resin at $145 is cheaper up front, but resin bands and cases age visibly, and the bracelet version is the one collectors will still want in 2030. Check the wrist fit first — the bracelet fits 150 to 205 mm — but do not buy the cheap version twice when the good version exists.