Watchlords

ONE OF THE more seriously sought-after watches released last year was the $180 Casio G-Shock Ref. 6900 digital ticker made in collaboration with the musician John Mayer and the watch blog Hodinkee. Hodinkee is the sort of site that attracts horological fanatics who could spend hours ravenously reading up on the idiosyncrasies of different Omega reissues or uber-rare Swiss-made watches about to hit the auction block. These wonks regularly lust after four- or even five-figure timepieces, yet the modest Mayer G-Shock seduced them. (Tellingly, Hodinkee followed it up with a $14,400 Swiss dive watch by Blancpain.) When the limited-edition G-Shocks were released in December, they sold out in under 15 minutes. Like a rare pair of Nikes, the watch is still being flipped on eBay for nearly thrice its price tag.

Its profile was certainly boosted by its association with Mr. Mayer, a Grammy-winning singer and self-proclaimed “watch guy.” But these days, when the whole world has gone casual, choosy watch collectors are also falling for standard G-Shocks and other robust, thrifty timepieces like a $100 rubber-strapped Timex or $125 minimalist, metal-banded Swatches. “Everybody needs a utility watch...they’re great for washing dishes or any kind of tasks that you may not want to bang up your Swiss- or German-made higher-end timepiece [undertaking],” said Jason Buccieri, 28, a watch aficionado in Carmel, N.Y., who works in art operations and owns three beefy-cased, water-resistant G-Shocks.


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I'm digging my $1,700 G-Shock