G-SHOCK Shock: Smaller Watches, Bye-Bye China!

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Casio’s G-SHOCK brand makes some shockingly large, brutally ugly watches. Although the new G-SHOCK Analog-Digital GA2100-1A1 won’t give Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon owners a case of buyers’ remorse, the 11.8mm thin G-SHOCK is a big break from the brand’s gigantism. And sold out. Maybe that’s because . . .

everyone who wanted a “I swear I’m not a convict wearing an ankle bracelet on my wrist” G-SHOCK has got one. Or maybe it’s a value thing.

Built to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, the $99 carbon-cradled Analog-Digital GA2100-1A1 combines all your basic digital watch functions (31 timezones, five alarms, a stopwatch and calendar) with a pair of time-telling hands.

Then again, there may be another reason aspiring GA2100-1A1 owners are currently SOL. gcentral.com reports:

As a result of President Trump’s “List 4” tariffs which took effect on September 1, 2019, Casio is shifting the production of its wristwatches (destined for the U.S. and including G-Shock) from China to Thailand.

According to a report from Japan, this change of production facilities was implemented on September 3, 2019. Casio already has factories in Thailand where a lot of G-Shock watches are produced for worldwide markets, so the transition is likely to go smoothly and without any disturbance to consumers.

I’m not going to bang-on about China’s human rights record or the low pay and hazardous conditions Chinese workers endure. Or the fact that the Chinese dictatorship government does sweet FA to stop cheap Chinese G-SHOCK knock-offs, sometimes produced at the same factories as the legit stuff.

I’l just say this: any watchmaker making or selling watches in the PRC is making a deal with the devil. Hands up if you know the price of that arrangement.

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