Scandal around Casio: rare watches sold for $11000, but checking their authenticity is almost impossible

Rare Casio G-Shock watches periodically appear at auctions, costing tens of thousands of dollars, but verifying their authenticity is almost impossible. Adding to the absurdity of the situation is the fact that the watches are not made from space metals, not covered in leather from extinct animals, and their glass is not made from rock crystal. These are ordinary plastic G-Shocks, whose only feature is their rarity — only 35 pieces were produced at the time.

In 2018, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of G-Shock, Casio released unique models DW-6935-4 and DW-5635-9. Their creation involved designer Nigo (author of the clothing line A Bathing Ape) and Kikuo Ibe (creator of G-Shock). These plastic watches were specially manufactured with a fluorescent paint added to the translucent plastic and covered with a scratch-resistant layer and a UV-resistant layer so that the plastic would not yellow over time in the sunlight. Casio valued them at $135 and raffled 35 pieces among brand fans.

However, Casio made a serious mistake. By releasing a very limited series of watches, the company did not implement a system for verifying the authenticity of the products. Likely, the Japanese just wanted to please loyal fans, but the exceptional exclusivity turned the watches into a unicorn, eagerly sought by adventurers almost immediately after their release.

Theoretically, all watches have a serial number. But Casio did not publish the serial numbers of the original models, at least there are no official open databases. Enthusiasts have created a database called ShockBase themselves, conveniently entering the 35 numbers manually. But now on sale, there are models that do not have serial numbers at all, raising questions about their authenticity.

Current prices are not even the peak. In 2020, with the pandemic, their prices reached a peak, with signs of $90000, but with demand came counterfeits, so the price began to decline.

Experts advise not to buy these collectible watches online, but to rely on a physical verification by an expert before purchase. However, even this will not protect against buying a high-quality fake, as Casio simply did not foresee reliable verification mechanisms at the time. For those wishing to simply join the image of exclusive G-Shock, Casio offers modern models Casio G-Shock DW-5600UE-1V which are now priced at only $60.