John Mayer’s G-SHOCK watch is inspired by the ‘80s Casio SK-5 sampling keyboard he played as a child

He’s used to playing G strings, but now guitar dreamboat and renowned timepiece enthusiast John Mayer has his own signature Casio G-SHOCK watch. What’s more, in a nostalgic move, this new piece of wrist furniture is inspired by the Casio SK-5 sampling keyboard that Mayer owned as a child.

The watch is a collaboration with horology specialist Hodinkee, and was designed by Mayer himself. It’s based on the iconic Casio G-SHOCK 6900, which was originally released in 1995, and mirrors the colour scheme of the SK-5.

“When Casio approached me about the possibility of working together on a G-SHOCK, it actually timed out really well,” says John Mayer, with pun possibly intended. “I had already been pretty deep into wearing the 'Mudmaster' models, and something felt cosmically right about a G-SHOCK being the first watch collab I’ve ever done.

“Casio keyboards came to mind as much as the watches did. Then I remembered how important the Casiotone SK-5 was in my life, and it got exciting really fast. It’s the perfect bridge between my double life as a musician and watch enthusiast."

Casio G-SHOCK John Mayer

(Image credit: Hodinkee/Casio)

In an interview with Hodinkee, Mayer says that he started out by designing the watch in Photoshop, and ultimately Pantone-matched the colour of the plastic on his SK-5. The watch measures 53.2mm in diameter, is 16.3mm thick and holds a Japanese-made quartz movement. Functions include a 24-hour clock, a 1/100th stopwatch, a 24-hour countdown timer, a multi-functional alarm, flash alert, and EL backlight.

So, it’s a ‘90s watch inspired by an ‘80s keyboard, updated for the 21st century. If it were a song, Mayer says: “It would have to be cool and future-leaning. And driving and anthemic. Power of Love, by Huey Lewis? That feels right.”

You can find out more and order the Casio G-SHOCK Ref. 6900 by John Mayer on the Hodinkee website. It costs $180.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects… image
Get over 70 FREE plugin instruments and effects…
…with the latest issue of Computer Music magazine