G-SHOCK and XG - how Casio changed its course from "survival watches" to neon style for the TikTok generation
There's something symbolic about Casio, a brand that built its reputation on reliability for labourers, special forces and those who fight gravity on construction sites, now betting on hip-hop band XG. This alliance looks like G-SHOCK has taken off its helmet, changed its camouflage to a shiny suit and gone to a party in Seoul.
XG (an acronym for Xtraordinary Girls) is the seven "extraordinary girls": JURIN, CHISA, HINATA, JURIA, COCONA, MAYA and HARVEY, formed in 2022 by the Japanese company Xgalx. They made their debut on 18 March 2022 with the English-language digital single "Tippy Toes". Based in South Korea, they perform English-language rap and RB and position themselves as an international project. A five-year preparation period, collaboration with the director of the Street Woman Fighter show, and their own X-Pop genre have turned them into a symbol of the new generation that thinks in hashtags and TikTok steps.
And now they are the global ambassadors of G-SHOCK, the legendary brand that until recently was associated with the slogan "can take it all". The current promotional video with the slogan "No Destination" under the creative direction of YOSHIROTTEN looks like Casio wants to be not only in the pockets of fishermen or motorcyclists, but also in the hands of K-Pop and RB fans.
Is this a betrayal of the roots? Not really. It's more of an adaptation. In a world where Apple Watches have become commonplace and watches have lost their utilitarian magic, G-SHOCK plays into style and culture. And if the new generation chooses not the "triple 10" (the legendary formula with which G-SHOCK began in 1983: 10-metre drop, 10-bar water resistance, 10-year battery life), but the XG dance challenges, Casio decided to adapt.
The G-SHOCK poster with the XG band. Illustration: Casio
A watch as a symbol of resilience or an accessory that complements the "fashion look" in the video? For XG, it's obviously the latter. But for Casio, it's a chance to prove that even the good old G-SHOCK can stay in trend. And today, no one can make an accurate prediction whether this strategy of transition from brutal black watches to pink ones will be successful. Because the world in which TikTok exists has changed so much that it has become extremely difficult to navigate.
The modern G-SHOCK watch line. Illustration: Casio
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Co-founder and editor-in-chief of gagadget.com. Graduated from the Journalism Department of Kyiv National University in 1998. I made my first publications in mass media in my school years (there were still newspapers then). Observed the evolution of smartphones in the front row since Nokia 7650 on Symbian. Since 2002 he has specialized in the topic of smartphones, mobile communications and analysis of the development of the consumer electronics market.
