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Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 By John Mayer
We've always been big supporters of the concept that watches should be fun. And what's more fun than this Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer? The 6900 series integrates two key features that have made it such a beloved model for a quarter-century. The first and possibly most remarkable feature is the four-screen display, with three separate indicators in the upper half of the watch that have come to be known as the "Triple Graph." These three circular graphics work in tandem to enrich the LCD face, adding features like a stopwatch and a seconds display for the kind of ingenious face design only a digital watch could have. This unique dial configuration first appeared on the DW-5900C-1 in 1992 and has since become a trademark of the 6900. The second key feature is the front button for backlight, taken from the DW-6600-1V that launched the year prior to the 6900. Designed and developed to control the backlight, its sense of stability lifts it out of a merely functional role and cements it as an icon of strength on the G-SHOCK's exterior. The front button is grounded in precise design, balancing the button guards and in a shape and angle that is easy to press. The combination of these two elements creates the look that endeared the original 6900 to the trendsetters of the 1990s and has carried it through to the 2020s, where it serves as a frequent platform for collaborative designs, like the Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer. The Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer builds on the foundation of the 6900 series with an all-new colorway that features a predominantly grey construction for both the case and strap, which notably lacks any graphics. On the case and dial, there are accents of both yellow and blue, which directly pull from the color scheme of the Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard that inspired the watch. Altogether, the monochromatic color palette, subtle accents, and absence of superfluous text make the Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer a surprisingly clean and versatile watch you could easily wear in situations that you might not think would call for a 6900 G-Shock.
John Mayer has a longstanding presence in the watch community as an astute collector. This includes his love for Casio products as well, dating back to the Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard he played as a skinny kid growing up in Fairfield, CT in the '80s. So, when Casio approached him about the possibility of working together on a G-SHOCK, something "cosmically felt right" about it being his first watch collaboration. When contemplating inspiration for the design, Casio's keyboards stood out as much as their watches, in particular the Casiotone SK-5. It was the perfect bridge between Mayer's double life as a musician and watch enthusiast. The Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer takes a revered classic – the G-SHOCK ref. 6900 – and combines it with Mayer's love for the Casiotone SK-5 keyboard released in 1987. Pulling inspiration from the Casiotone SK-5 sampling keyboard, the Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer incorporates a similar color scheme with a grey tone and texture that's a first for G-SHOCK. To achieve the look, Mayer used Photoshop to grab colors from a photo of the keyboard along with a line drawing from Casio to lay out the colors then Pantone-match the plastic on the Casiotone SK-5. While the aesthetic ethos of the Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer undoubtedly echoes the Casiotone SK-5, the foundation of the watch is based on the tried and true 6900 series. The collection first debuted in 1995 and put G-SHOCK on the fashion and streetwear map. Twenty-five years later, the 6900 is one of the most recognizable G-SHOCKs on the market. The model is notable for its unconventional circular shape, which represented a new look for G-SHOCK who had previously been defined by its distinctly rectangular watches, like the original DW-5000. We love Mayer's playful approach to this classic watch and hope you do too.
