So far, AI’s contributions to society have been a decidedly mixed bag. Kittens at a barbecue? Love it. A Kendall Jenner bot that dispenses life advice? Bad. Today, I’m pleased to give a first look at a watch that might just tilt the scales in favor of the robots: a sumptuous gold G-Shock collaboratively designed by humans and AI. The watch is coming to auction at Phillips in December and, with an estimated sale price of $70,000 to $140,000, appears destined to become the most expensive Casio ever.
The one-of-one G-Shock G-D001, crafted to celebrate the brand’s 40th anniversary, certainly doesn’t look like something a human mind could dream up alone. The AI designer that Casio’s team employed seems to prize negative space over everything: The bracelet links are punctured and airy, and pieces of the bezel appear to simply dangle off the side of the case. The coolest detail comes at the lugs, where a honeycomb network of oozing, Venom-like tendrils attaches the watch to the bracelet. “A human couldn't do this on their own!” said Paul Boutros, the head of watches in America for Phillips, with a laugh.
But what role, exactly, did AI play in creating the watch? Designers used it to develop the exterior aesthetic and to help make the overall structure as light and shock resistant as possible. “We created a design framework,” a Casio representative explained, “and then fed the AI model data about the ways impacts occur when watches are dropped, which Casio had gathered over 40 years of G-SHOCK development.”
The watch is one of the centerpieces of an auction Boutros describes as “wild, wonderful, and weird.” It’s yet another sign that both the watch industry and collectors are ready to embrace the unusual, whether it’s Rolex’s embrace of emojis or a golden G-Shock designed by AI. And like all great auction superstars, the G-D001 looks distinctive and will make for a killer dinner party story.
The AI-boosted design isn’t the only special feature here, either. Inside the watch is a six-channel radio that can set the time automatically using radio waves. That radio is powered by gallium solar panels set in a ring around the perimeter of the dial. And when you need an extra light source, that same ring glows red at the press of a button.
In many ways, AI has long since infiltrated the watch industry. Cartier uses it to gather customer insights, designer George Bamford compiles moodboards with it, and Jacob & Co. lets it write social media posts. Many watchmakers, however, remain steadfast in their belief that while AI is a useful tool, it can’t design a watch. “AI is not ready, it has no sense of humor and no taste,” William Massena of Massena Lab told the Financial Times. “It is watches designed by committee.”
In the case of the G-D001, Phillips and Casio are hoping that committee can deliver a record-breaking sum at auction.
