Casio, a Japanese manufacturer of watches, will introduce its G-Shock series to the metaverse, starting with a non-fungible token set. The NFTs, called G-Shock Creator Passes, will allow holders to join an official Casio Discord where they will take part in co-creation projects, shaping the future of the G-Shock watches in virtual worlds. The drop will occur in two waves:
- September 23rd-26th: For users with a CASIO ID
- September 26th-29th: Public mint
All told, there will be 15,000 initial G-Shock Creator Passes, and they will be free to mint. For the drop, Casio has partnered with Polygon Labs, a company that runs the Polygon blockchain, known for its fast speeds and low transaction costs. The design of the Creator Pass will vary:
- Minters of the 15,000 will receive artwork containing an early prototype of the G-Shock
- Minters of later drops will receive art that has the original G-Shock, the DW-5600
Minting will be limited to residents of the following countries: Japan, USA, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Portugal, Australia, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Roadmap for the Casio NFT Project
The Roadmap for the G-Shock NFT project is simple and follows the pattern of other major companies launching collections in the Web3 space. According to the Casio virtual G-Shock website, there are currently four steps outlined:
- Open a Discord server on September 5th
- Hold the initial G-Shock Creator Pass mint
- Launch experience projects and allow the community to contribute to designs
- Debut a second collection of G-Shock NFTs, with these being in 3D
For the project, Casio has set up a dedicated website for information about the G-Shock NFT drop. In addition, it has created an X account, which currently has less than 200 followers. However, the Discord appears to be popping, with many reactions to the initial message from Casio. Keep in mind that the message is not in English.
A Senior General Manager at Casio Explains More
Takahashi Oh, senior general manager at Casio, said that the company is launching this collection to create points of contact for previously unreachable fans of the brand. The move comes in conjunction with a stronger global interest in decentralized virtual worlds, otherwise known as the metaverse.
According to Oh, the goal is to establish the trend of people outfitting their avatars with watches, which so far has not really occurred. The company would like to realize a world in which more avatars wear wristwatches, including the G-Shock. Of course, sparking this trend could lead to more revenue and exposure for the company as well.
So, why Polygon?
Oh said that the virtual G-Shock was meant to be accessible, innovative, and inclusive. Therefore, the minting experience needs to be “frictionless and simple.”
Casio will join a bevy of companies that have launched projects on the Layer 2 sidechain, including Starbucks, DraftKings, and Meta. Polygon, with its fast speeds and low transactions costs, is often the natural choice for companies that want a seamless Web3 onboarding experience for their customers.
Watchmakers Take to Web3
While it may seem unusual that a watch company is entering Web3, Rarity Sniper has seen differently. Over the past two years, many watchmakers have debuted NFT collections or filed trademarks to build in the next iteration of the internet. The allure of a producing watches that don’t need raw, IRL materials seems strong. Plus, Web3 has no limits.
Here are some of the stories: