Watch Paparazzi

Singer JJ Lin spotted wearing Casio

JJ Lin, the Singaporean singer-songwriter who has sold out arenas from Taipei to Beijing, was recently photographed wearing the Casio G-Shock Full Metal 5000 in its all-stainless silver configuration, reference GMW-B5000D-1ER. The sighting fits a well-established pattern: Lin has long favoured pieces that balance street credibility with genuine technical substance.

The GMW-B5000D-1ER is, at its core, a faithful dimensional recreation of the original DW-5000C that Casio engineer Kikuo Ibe debuted in 1983. Where that pioneer used resin, the Full Metal substitutes an entirely stainless steel case and bracelet, finished with a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. The watch measures 49.3 mm × 43.2 mm × 13 mm — unmistakably boxy and square — and sits on a four-link solid-steel bracelet with a deployment clasp. Inside, the Tough Solar module draws power from both artificial and natural light, while Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity pairs the watch to Casio's Watches+ app for automatic time synchronisation. Multi-band atomic radio reception across six global transmitters rounds out a specification sheet that flatly outperforms most watches at ten times the price.

Among collectors, the GMW-B5000D-1ER occupies a rare sweet spot. It is not a limited edition, yet demand at launch was fierce enough to trigger grey-market premiums. The Full Metal 5000 series is widely credited with rehabilitating the square G-Shock as a credible fashion and collector object, paving the way for subsequent collaborations with A Bathing Ape, and inspiring an entire sub-genre of premium G-Shock releases. Purists appreciate that Casio resisted the temptation to resize or redesign — the proportions are authentic to the original.

JJ Lin's choice makes cultural sense. With a discography spanning over two decades and a fanbase that spans East and Southeast Asia, he operates in a public space where watch choices are scrutinised. The Full Metal 5000 reads as deliberately unpretentious — a signal that technical merit matters more than marque prestige.

At a UK list price of approximately £500 (roughly $625 USD at current rates), the GMW-B5000D-1ER remains one of watchmaking's most compelling value propositions. Grey-market pricing has normalised close to retail, making this a straightforward purchase rather than a speculative one — precisely the kind of honest, no-nonsense timepiece that fits the G-Shock ethos perfectly.