Before I begin, I am not in favor of calling Maison Kitsuné a lifestyle brand. Just so you know, it is, to me, a fashion label. That is it. Muji is a lifestyle brand. But that’s beside the point. Maison Kitsuné is the undisputed king of cool, and when it touches a product like a rugged timepiece, it somehow makes it both cooler and instantly collectible. Case in point, the G-Shock Maison Kitsuné Collaboration Model GA2110MK-5A.
Introduced back in November, this is one for avant-garde fashion geeks who like their watches tough but dressed well. Maison Kitsuné takes G-Shock’s 2100 series, the already street-approved GA-2100, and gives it a proper Parisian makeover. The result is a sharp analog-digital watch that looks just as comfortable next to tailored fits as it does surviving daily abuse. It is like a 38-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger in full Balenciaga getup, strutting confidently through the wilderness. You get the idea.
Visually, the watch leans into a calm, neutral camaieu palette inspired by Haussmannian architecture, then punches you in the face with a bold orange bezel that mirrors the Paris sunset. It works. A fox, Maison Kitsuné’s calling card, shows up as an indicator on the inset dial at 9 o’clock and again where the band meets the case. The brand logo also appears on the band loop and case back, just in case you forgot who styled this thing.
Under the fashionable skin, it is still very much a G-Shock. You get a Carbon Core Guard structure, 200-meter water resistance, mineral glass, Neobrite, world time across 31 time zones, stopwatch, countdown timer, five alarms, full auto calendar to 2099, and Super Illuminator LED lighting. The case measures 48.5 × 45.4 × 11.8 mm, weighs just 51 g, and runs for about three years on dual SR726W batteries.
Special packaging seals the deal. You probably won’t want to remove it from the packaging.
Available now for US$210. Keep going for a few more looks.
Images: G-Shock.
