MHL. x Casio G-Shock gives the classic 5600 a minimalist grey makeover for ¥24,200

MHL. has taken one of Casio's most recognisable G-Shock shapes and dialled the styling right back for its latest collaboration.

The new MHL. x G-Shock goes on sale in Japan on 12 November for ¥24,200, through participating MHL. shops and the brand's online store.

The square watch gets a grey dial with light-grey markings and restrained MHL. branding, set inside a matte resin exterior. G-Shock is hardly a range known for shrinking into the background, but there are no exuberant graphics or conspicuous colour accents here. Understatement is rather the point.

A sizeable premium for the MHL. treatment

The design may be minimalist, but the price premium is less so. Casio currently lists the standard Japanese donor version at ¥14,300, meaning the MHL. edition costs ¥9,900 more, or roughly 69%.

There is plenty of history behind that familiar square shape. Casio dates the first 5600-series model to 1987, four years after the original G-Shock made its debut.

Underneath the quieter wardrobe, the familiar G-Shock credentials remain. The standard model is shock resistant and rated for 200-metre water resistance, while its CR2016 battery is rated for approximately five years. It also offers a stopwatch, 24-hour countdown timer, multifunction alarm and white LED backlight.

The standard watch measures 48.9 × 42.8 × 13.4 mm and weighs 52 g, keeping the familiar compact square proportions intact.

For this collaboration, the changes are primarily aesthetic. MHL. has taken a G-Shock design lineage with nearly four decades behind it and made it look almost conspicuously quiet, which for a G-Shock may be something of an achievement.