When G-SHOCK and Lucasfilm announce a collaboration, the watch community takes notice. This collaboration, timed to the theatrical release of Star Wars : The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 20, 2026, blurs the line between fandom and horology. Unlike most licensed watch drops, this project is executed with great thought.
Two watches. Two characters. One of the most culturally significant cinematic universes ever. On paper, it sounds like something CASIO’s marketing department dreamed up in a single afternoon. However, after spending time with the actual pieces — the GM-2100 and the BA-110 Baby-G — it’s clear that this collaboration is more deliberate than just slapping on a logo and applying some themed paint.
To understand why this collaboration makes sense, you have to go back to 1983. That year, CASIO engineer Kikuo Ibe set a seemingly absurd goal: to build a watch that could survive a three-meter drop onto concrete without a scratch. After two years of dropping prototypes out of a bathroom window at the CASIO offices in Tokyo, he arrived at the DW-5000C, the first G-SHOCK.
The watch sold modestly in Japan. Then, in 1984, a CASIO America salesman named David Johnson handed units to friends in New York City’s hip-hop scene. G-SHOCK took root there before ever becoming a mainstream product. Over the following decades, G-SHOCK made its Hollywood debut on Keanu Reeves’s wrist in the early 1990s and has since appeared on BTS members, Rihanna, Eminem, and A$AP Ferg. The brand has also collaborated with the Wu-Tang Clan, KITH, BAPE, and Kid Cudi. The brand built its credibility not through boutique positioning or precious metal cases but through genuine physical and cultural resilience.
This resilience is a near-perfect match for the mythology of Din Djarin, the armored bounty hunter at the center of The Mandalorian.
The GM-2100 is the centerpiece of the collaboration and the more technically interesting of the two pieces. The standard GM-2100, informally known in watch circles as the “Casioak” due to its resemblance to the Royal Oak’s octagonal bezel, features a 44.4-millimeter stainless steel case, a mineral glass crystal, 20-bar water resistance, and a battery life of approximately three years. The Star Wars edition reinterprets that familiar architecture with a color scheme referencing Beskar, the nearly indestructible metal forming the Mandalorian’s armor in the Star Wars universe. The forged metal bezel has an industrial finish that looks closer to purposefully austere than a costume prop.
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The BA-110 Baby-G is the counterpart and is dedicated to Grogu. While the GM-2100 is serious and utilitarian, the BA-110 is deep green, compact, and expressive. It is unmistakably Grogu in spirit while retaining the full shock and water resistance demanded by the G-SHOCK line. Neither watch abandons what G-SHOCK has always stood for. The Star Wars aesthetic is applied with restraint, not excess.
The detail that sets this release apart from a hundred other licensed timepieces is the “Bounty Hunter ID” display stand included with both watches. For the first time in any G-SHOCK collaboration, the brand has created a collectible accessory that transforms from a flat, character-specific bounty hunter identity card into a rigid, three-dimensional watch display stand using integrated magnets.
It’s a small thing. But it’s also a genuinely clever thing. Watch collectors spend real money on display solutions. A branded, character-accurate stand that ships in the box elevates the unboxing experience and gives the watches a purpose beyond being worn on the wrist. It acknowledges that some people buying these watches will want to display them rather than wear them daily. CASIO understood its audience.
The marketing campaign accompanying the launch adds another layer worth examining. G-SHOCK collaborated with Lucasfilm to create a short film about a father and daughter going to a screening of Star Wars : The Mandalorian and Grogu. Their punctuality is, of course, ensured by their G-SHOCK and Baby-G watches.
The choice of a father-daughter pairing is deliberate. The franchise has always centered on the emotional core of the relationship between Din Djarin and Grogu, a surrogate familial bond built on protection and sacrifice. Warren Halliwell, CASIO’s senior marketing content and campaign manager, described wanting to create “a watch worthy of a bounty hunter, capable of withstanding the most extreme space conditions,” while making clear that the campaign’s real power lies in reaching fans directly and incorporating their voices into the project. Lylle Breier, EVP of Partnerships, Promotions, Synergy, and Events at Walt Disney Studios, shared a similar sentiment, stating that the campaign “captures the shared joy of fans through the story of a father and daughter going to the cinema while celebrating iconic elements of the saga through designs that fans can incorporate into their own adventures.“
It’s carefully calibrated language, but it reflects something real. Franchise watch collaborations succeed when both sides contribute something genuine. G-SHOCK brings over forty years of proven durability. Star Wars brings one of the most passionate and multigenerational fan communities on Earth.
Notably, G-SHOCK is not the only watchmaker entering the Star Wars orbit ahead of the theatrical release in May 2023. Fossil launched its Mandalorian Collection, featuring the Everett Mandalorian and the Neutra Grogu. These watches have 42mm gunmetal stainless steel cases with beskar-layered dial detailing and Clan Mudhorn engravings on the caseback. Citizen revealed its solar-powered Star Wars Eco-Drive Duel 2.0, a mostly black piece with a black leather strap.
The coordinated enthusiasm of the watch industry for the release speaks to the anticipated cultural significance of the film. Among the releases hitting retail around May 2026, however, G-SHOCK holds a particular advantage; its identity was built for this kind of collaboration. A dress watch with a Star Wars motif requires you to suspend your disbelief. A G-SHOCK with a beskar finish does not. The fit is natural.
The limited-edition G-SHOCK Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu collection became available on May 1, 2026, through G-SHOCK stores, select authorized retailers, and official CASIO websites in the United States and Europe.