Casio G-Shock

Stronger from the Core: Casio G-Steel Carbon Core Guard GST-B200

by Darren Ho . Jun 4, 2019

The Core. You’ve probably heard it in fitness and workout articles, or when you’re watching YouTube videos about planking. Your core supports the rest of your body and so strengthening it is crucial to your physical health. In watchmaking, the core refers to the movement within the watch case, which drives all of its operation. The more powerful the movement, the more functions the watch can perform. With quartz movements, it’s all about the precision of the quartz oscillator and the chip that controls the rest of the movement’s operation.

Watch cases are designed to support and protect the movement of a watch while displaying its functions, but within the case, there are still opportunities for the movement to be damaged, through shock, heat and cold environments, water and dust, among other factors. When Mr Kikuo Ibe invented the G-Shock series of timepieces, he had the aim of creating a watch that would meet the requirements of a 10-metre drop onto a hard surface, and 100-metre water resistance. Casio’s G-Shocks have more than met this expectation, and deliver greater performance than the original G-Shock watch, with Bluetooth and other functionality built in.

Such addons mean Casio has to go further to ensure their watches remain in fine working condition under any circumstances. That’s why it’s introduced a brand new Carbon Core Guard Structure to ensure its latest G-Shocks are built to endure. In the first generation of G-Shocks, the cases were crafted in resin for ruggedness, and a second generation of G-Shocks in metal offered enhanced structural support. The third wave of G-Shocks are now constructed in carbon fiber for shock resistance and a high strength-to-weight ratio.

What is Carbon Core Guard?

Casio's new shock resistant structure that protects the time modules inside with a carbon fiber reinforced resin case

Carbon fiber is a material that’s created from bundling very fine fibers of carbon and then weaving them into a fabric. This material offers a very high strength-to-volume ratio, is incredibly light, offers high chemical and temperature tolerance and low thermal expansion. In the G-Shock’s Carbon Core Guard, layers of carbon fibre are bonded with an epoxy resin, pressed together and moulded into a case structure. This new inner case has multiple benefits as it can be shaped into smaller diameters, is lighter and stronger than resin and removes the need for shock-resisting button guards, simplifying the structural integrity of the case.

Casio G-Steel Carbon Core Guard GST-B200-1A (Image © Revolution)

Casio G-Steel Carbon Core Guard GST-B200B-1A (Image © Revolution)

Casio G-Steel Carbon Core Guard GST-B200D-1A (Image © Revolution)

On the back of the watch, a dual layer construction for the watches with a stainless-steel cover that’s screwed down. Other versions of Casio G-Shocks with the same structure offer an additional outer reinforced resin case back that protects the watch against impacts. With select models such as the Gravitymaster, the use of carbon fiber enables the construction of a monocoque case, which means a single shell that protects and houses the entire watch. This ensures the movement sits perfectly within the carbon case and is protected from shock.

The Casio G-Steel Carbon Core Guard GST-B200 series of watches feature a carbon fiber reinforced mid-case (Image © Revolution)

Casio's new shock resistant structure that protects the time modules inside with a carbon fiber reinforced resin case

GST-B200, the Carbon Core Guard case houses the movement, with a steel bezel and case back that are screwed down, along with push buttons that fit onto the case middle, each sealed to ensure water resistance. The smaller case construction made possible thanks to this new technology also means that the watch can house a bigger display within the leaner and more compact case, while maintaining the same shock and water resistance. The new GST-B200 is smaller by 2.6mm in diameter, with a 2.8mm larger dial.

The bezel itself also acts as a stabilizer for the watch module, which integrates the display and movement housed within the carbon fiber resin case. The hour markers, which are crafted in steel on the GST-B200, secure the watch module together with the screwed-down three-part case, thus holding it firmly in place in the event of impact. The multiple levels of safeguards in the new G-Shocks with Carbon Core Guard Structure ensure these watches will still live up to Kikuo Ibe’s standards, in a lighter, harder and more durable design.

What is Carbon Core Guard?

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