Long before it became the base for a custom G-Shock movement, the Casio DW6900 was already a streetwear icon. Boxy, unapologetic, and built like it could survive a warzone, the DW6900 has spent decades on the wrists of collectors, skaters, musicians and everyday watch lovers who wanted something tougher than a dress watch and more interesting than a plain digital. That history is exactly why Retaliate builds on it. A custom G-Shock is only as good as the watch underneath the stones, and the DW6900 gives us a canvas with real cultural weight.
A Silhouette That Doesn't Need an Introduction
Part of what makes the DW6900 such a strong base for G-Shock customisation is that people already recognise it. The chunky case, the negative-display screen, the resin band, it's unmistakably Gshock. That recognisability matters. When we set VVS1 stones into a DW6900 bezel, we're not asking anyone to learn a new silhouette. We're taking something familiar and elevating it, which is a very different proposition to building a luxury watch from scratch that nobody has context for.
From Everyday G-Shock to Custom G-Shock
Every Retaliate piece starts life as a genuine Casio DW6900, never a generic blank, never an imitation case. That's a deliberate choice. Authentic Casio DW6900 custom builds carry the shock resistance, water resistance and daily-wear durability the model is famous for, and that foundation doesn't disappear once the bezel is modified. A lot of what gets called G-Shock customisation online is really just cosmetic, a sticker, a strap swap. What we do is closer to jewellery-making: hand-setting stones into a 925 sterling silver bezel, then fitting that bezel back onto the original case. The result still ticks, still takes a knock, still survives the wear a G-Shock is built for.
You'll also see the term "Bustdown Gshock" used online to describe fully iced-out builds where stones cover the case and sometimes the band. Retaliate's approach is different, we focus on bezel-set VVS1 stones. It's a style choice, not a compromise: a bezel-only iced out G-Shock keeps the watch wearable day to day, keeps the case profile original, and lets the stones do the talking without turning the whole piece into spectacle.
Diamond G-Shock: What's Actually in the Bezel
Every stone we set is in VVS1 clarity. Moissanite is a separate gemstone engineered for exceptional brilliance and fire, often outperforming diamond on sparkle under normal lighting. Each stone is GRA certified, and every watch ships with its certificate as proof of exactly what's been set into the bezel. We'd rather be precise about this than let the search term do the talking, because trust is worth more to us than a keyword.
The Handset Process Behind Every Custom G-Shock
This is where the DW6900 earns its place as "the perfect canvas." A flat, symmetrical bezel gives our setters a clean, consistent surface to hand-set stones into, no awkward curves, no compromised sightlines. It's a slower process than most people expect from a G-Shock mod. Each stone is placed individually into the 925 sterling silver bezel, checked for alignment, and secured before the bezel goes back onto the case. It's part of why every handset diamond G-Shock custom takes 2 to 4 weeks to complete. That wait isn't a delay. It's the time it actually takes to do this properly.
Streetwear Roots, Luxury Finish
What makes a DW6900 build feel different from a traditional luxury watch is the tension between where it comes from and where it ends up. This is a case that grew up on skate decks and in hip hop videos, not in a display cabinet. Setting GRA certified VVS1 stones into that same case is what creates the high-tension custom luxury Retaliate is built around, a streetwear luxury watch that doesn't ask you to choose between the two worlds. You get the durability and attitude of a G-Shock with the credentials and finish of a fine jewellery piece.
Built in Australia, Made for the World
Every Retaliate DW6900 is hand-finished in Australia, from an Australian-made watch brand working at the intersection of streetwear, custom G-Shock culture and luxury jewellery. The base watch is proven. The stones are certified. The setting is done by hand. It's a straightforward formula, and the DW6900's decades of durability are exactly why it holds up as the foundation for it.
If you're exploring what a custom G-Shock could look like on your own wrist, the current colour way range is a good place to start with each one built to order and each build shipping with its own authenticity and GRA certificates.
So what are you waiting for? Shop the DW6900 Collection now.