The radical-looking GA-V01 is an ordinary G-Shock on the inside

The all-new G-Shock GA-V01 series was officially unveiled in China on February 16, and it is now apparent that the unique innovations of this watch are mostly based on its appearance rather than its functions. Along with what looks like an integrated band and bezel structure (like the GA-B001), the watch has a very unusual design in that the 3D hour markers appear to be on the outside of the display glass and integrated as part of the bezel rather than the module. The watch appears to be on the very large side at 58.2 millimeters wide and 19.6 millimeters thick, with a total weight of 74 grams.

The section for the indicator and LCD display has a shape that resembles cartoon-like eyes, which G-Shock China dubs “CoolEyes.” The packaging includes a case that resembles a toy-like character that was featured in several animated promotional videos. (It’s not confirmed if this packaging will also be used outside of China.)

As the first “GA-V” series, there was speculation that there would be something innovative about how the watch operates. As far as we can tell, there isn’t, and all of the functions are what you would expect from the usual analog-digital G-Shock (as listed below). G-Shock China continues to mention the “OpenVWorld” in its social media posts, but that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with how the watch functions as a timepiece.

Update: The description on the full product page states that “V” stands for “Vision” and the “01” stands for “Breakthrough.” It also states that the GA-V01, “with the theme of “Open V World”, aims to establish a future world with no rules and restrictions through this brand new model, embracing a wide range of popular cultures and allowing modern young people to dare to show their unique personalities.” (Translated by DeepL.) It also states that the glass is spherical and curved, and that the minute hand is magnetic and shock absorbing. The special ball-like packaging is a tribute to the development of the original G-Shock that tested impacts of a watch module in a rubber ball and led to the floating module structure.

Perhaps the most surprising feature is that the GA-V01 has a battery life of approximately ten years, which makes it one of the only battery-powered (non-solar) G-Shock series with a 10-year battery.

The launch models include the black GA-V01-1A, purple GA-V01-2A, lime green GA-V01-9A, and silver GA-V01A-8A, which have a price of 1,090 yuan each in China and will start shipping there on February 21. We expect the U.S. price to be around $140 based on comparably priced models, if it ends up being released there. (Update: The GA-V01 is now listed with a price of 990 yuan at casio.com.cn, which makes the expected U.S. price $120. The original 1,090 yuan price appears to be for the pre-order version at casiostore.com.cn with the special packaging.)

The following information is according to Casio China at www.casiostore.com.cn, which may not be entirely accurate. The full specifications and manual link will be posted in our Specs Catalog when available.

Update: Full specifications are now available at casio.com.cn, which have been updated below.

G-Shock GA-V01:

Price: 990 yuan in China
Protection: Shock resistance and 200-meter water resistance
Dimensions (L x W x H): 49.1 x 58.2 x 19.6 mm
Weight: 74 grams
Compatible Band Size: 145 to 215 millimeters (same as GA-2100)
Strap Material: Resin
Battery Life: Approximately 10 Years with CR2025 battery
Dual LED Light: 1.5 or 3 second duration. The LCD display has a backlight like the GA-2100.
World Time with 48 Cities
5 Daily Alarms
Hourly Time Signal
1/100-Second Stopwatch: (1/100-second first 60 minutes, 1-second after 60 minutes up to 23:59’59, with elapsed, split, 1st-2nd place)
Countdown Timer: 24 hours, settable from 1 minute to 24 hours
Other: 12/24 Hour Format, Button Tone On/Off, Hand Shift, Lume

View Full G-Shock GA-V01 Specs in our Specs Catalog