G-Shock NASA Limited Edition DW6900

What We Know

Casio's G-Shock is back with its fourth NASA-inspired watch. This time, it's given the NASA treatment to the DW6900: the resin case and band are rendered in a white case, the "NASA" logo is on the bottom strap, and the stars and stripes are emblazoned on the strap holder. The backlight, when glowing, displays an image of Earth.

It's a limited edition (Casio doesn't say how many), and if you're interested, you'll have to go to Casio's website to enter the contest for a chance to win the G-Shock DW6900NASA237 for $130. Entry closes on July 16, and winners will be notified the next day.

What We Think

This is G-Shock's fourth NASA-inspired release, following 2020's NASA DW5600. It stays true to the aesthetic of that last release, with a crisp white case and band and the "worm" NASA logo. Nowadays, NASA-branded clothes can be found in malls, streetwear brand collections, even on expensive Hermes bags. But pairing the techie G-Shock with NASA just makes sense. Pretty much anyone can use the NASA logo, the proposed usage just has to be submitted to NASA's Office of Communications for approval, and the U.S. government's space agency approves most uses.

There are strict guidelines as to how the NASA logo is used: it has to be used against a solid background, separate from other company logos or trademarks, and companies can't use the NASA name to suggest a product is a collab. But, no license or associated fee is required. This explains why you'll often see the NASA logo on all-white products (like this G-Shock), and the Casio and G-Shock branding remains subtle.

G-Shock's far from the only brand that's taken to the NASA logo in the past few years. The worm logo had been retired in the '90s, but in 2017, NASA allowed Coach to use it for a line of space-themed apparel and purses. It took off from there. NASA told CNN that before 2017, it'd get five to 10 logo requests a week; as of that 2022 article NASA said it received on average 225 requests a week. The NASA logo has proved to hit the perfect note of nostalgia, and combined with its license-free usage, companies have been happy to slap it on everything. Still, G-Shock stands out as a natural fit for the space program's logo.

As with any potentially popular watch nowadays, there's also the matter of acquiring said watch. The comments of that 2020 LE reminded me that there were some complaints from customers who had their orders canceled after seemingly having purchased the NASA DW5600 online. So, the "contest" (essentially a raffle, I'd have to imagine) seems like a logical way to manage where demand might outstrip supply. Hopefully, the bots don't come for our watches the way they have sneakers.

The Basics

Brand: G-Shock
Model: NASA DW-6900
Reference Number: DW-6900NASA237

Diameter: 53.2mm
Thickness: 18.7mm
Case Material: White plastic/resin
Dial Color: LCD screen
Lume: EL backlight
Water Resistance: 200 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Plastic/resin