Today, the Japanese multination electronics company Casio Computer Co. Ltd. launched its first digital assets project called the ‘VIRTUAL G-SHOCK‘ NFT collection.
The collection consists of 2,000 NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain that come with special rewards and real-life experiences for holders. According to the press release shared with Rarity Sniper, the drop went live at 3 a.m. UTC on December 15th and will last until December 16th — or until the collection sells out.
To strengthen its community, Casio will reward holders with behind-the-scenes footage of product testing and early access to Casio products. Folks lucky enough to snag an NFT can also tour the G-SHOCK Endurance Test Laboratory in person and attend roundtable discussions with product creators to discover more about the production and design processes.
Oh Takahashi, the Senior General Manager of Timepieces at Casio, said that Casio aims to incorporate the G-SHOCK community into “the heart of our innovation process with in-person experiences.” The goal is to celebrate and expand “the G-SHOCK legacy in this new digital age.”
Casio, established in 1957, is one of the biggest manufacturers of consumer electronics worldwide. Its G-SHOCK watch, created for durability, was first launched in 1983. It has since become an iconic timepiece often dubbed as ‘the toughest watch of all time.‘
Casio also mentioned that it intends to collaborate with holders to co-create future digital products in hopes to tap into the ethos of Web3 to develop a blend of community, legacy, and innovation for the G-SHOCK brand.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Polygon blockchain, Casio offered a G-SHOCK CREATOR PASS to give holders early access to the NFT drop. Holders of a VGA-001 or VGA-002 digital collectibles will have first dibs on future releases from VIRTUAL G-SHOCK.
Watchmakers Have Embraced Web3
For fans of the G-SHOCK line of watches, news of the new NFT collection with exclusive perks is exciting. But this isn’t the first time a watchmaker has delved into the realm of NFTs. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several articles about creators of timepieces launching corresponding NFT collections. Here are the top three stories.
First, about three months ago, Diesel partnered with Fossil Group for NFT player avatars, a VR gaming experience, and a new line of physical watches. Only 300 NFTs were released along with the real-life watches, and holders can interact with the brands‘ new metaverse world called ‘Metamorph.‘
Next, about ten months ago, the legendary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami teamed up with Hublot for an exclusive collective of 13 distinct physical watches paired with NFTs. Considering the physical watches were 1:1’s and extremely limited, they commanded a high price tag — $54,000 a piece.
Finally, about a year ago, TIMEX partnered with the Bored Ape Yacht Club for 500 Ape-themed timepieces that correspond to an NFT wearable collection. The watches featured Bored Ape and Mutant Ape themes and were only available to holders of those collections.
The NFT launch from Casio is a bit different from the three stories above, in that holding the NFTs opens token-gated experiences instead of being linked to physical watches. That said, if the launch is successful and Casio can grow its digital community, it wouldn’t be a surprise if NFTs linked to physical products lies ahead. At Rarity Sniper, we’ll be on the lookout for any future drops or Web3 initiatives from Casio.