Toyota Land Cruiser Diehards Need This Special-Edition G-Shock Watch

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If the Rolex Submariner is the Porsche 911 of watches, then Casio's G-Shock can only be the Toyota Land Cruiser. Both are rugged legends that garner seemingly endless respect from their cult fan bases, and both have been tested time after time. It's fitting, then, that they've come together to celebrate Toyota's 11th straight victory at the Dakar Rally. Toyota Auto Body (a Toyota Group manufacturer of minivans, commercial vehicles, and SUVs) teamed up with Casio to produce the new special-edition GW9500TLC.

Formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally, the Dakar Rally is an off-road endurance rally that got its start in 1978. If you've never seen footage of the event or don't really know what it's all about, you should do yourself a favor and check out some of the madness that ensues over the two or so weeks the rally requires. Toyota, never shying away from motorsports, has entered the Land Cruiser in the event every year since 1995. During the 2024 rally, two Land Cruiser 300 GR Sports finished first and second in the stock (production car) class.

The G-Shock was launched in 1983 and has since become one of the best-selling watches ever made. This is probably due in no small part to its reliability. (After all, the U.S. Army's Delta Force operators have been known to sport G-Shocks on actual combat missions.) This new version (GW9500TLC) is based on one of Casio's toughest existing models, the Mudman GW9500.

So what sets this special edition apart? Well, it's in the ethos. Casio set out to imbue the already rugged Mudman with some of the tough-as-nails character of the Dakar-conquering Land Cruisers. The black and red color scheme is a nod to the colors of the Cruisers that completed the rally, and a sand-colored rubber strap sports a black splatter pattern inspired by the splatter a truck would be covered in after thousands of miles.

Red accents abound, and the case back and band both feature the Team Land Cruiser logo. Another TLC logo is visible on the display when the backlight is illuminated. The GW9500TLC also uses a bio-based resin for many parts of the case and band, helping reduce its environmental impact. Likewise, the watch's special packing is made using recycled materials. A limited number of these special-edition watches will be made available, and they're already sold out through Casio. So grab one now before they're all gone.