Actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson spotted wearing a Casio

In the 2013 crime thriller Empire State, Dwayne Johnson plays a determined New York City police officer, and the production's wardrobe department made a quietly sharp choice strapping a Casio G-Shock DW-9052 to his wrist. The decision reads as deliberate costume work: a cop on a modest city salary doesn't wear a Rolex, and the DW-9052's rugged, utilitarian aesthetic sells that story instantly on screen.

The Casio G-Shock DW-9052 sits within the foundational 9050 series, a direct descendant of the original DW-5000C that Kikuo Ibe introduced in 1983 after the legendary 10-metre drop test onto a Tokyo bathroom floor. The DW-9052 carries Casio's proven digital module with world time across 29 time zones, a 1/100-second stopwatch, countdown timer, five daily alarms, and an EL backlight — all housed in the signature triple-layer resin case construction that distributes shock energy away from the movement. Water resistance is rated to 200 metres. The whole package runs on a single CR2016 battery for approximately seven years. This is orthodox G-Shock engineering at its most efficient.

Among collectors, the DW-9052 occupies an interesting position: it is simultaneously one of the most accessible G-Shocks ever made and a legitimate gateway piece that introduces wearers to the core philosophy of the line. Vintage and limited-edition G-Shocks can command thousands at auction, but the DW-9052 in its standard black colorway has remained in production at a price point that makes it nearly disposable — which paradoxically explains why it appears so often in film wardrobes seeking authentic working-class credibility.

Johnson's relationship with watches is well documented — he has appeared publicly in everything from custom AP Royal Oak Offshores to Richard Mille tonneau pieces. That makes the DW-9052 sighting in Empire State all the more interesting: it demonstrates that strong on-screen character work sometimes demands the opposite of glamour, and that a $40 Casio can carry a scene as effectively as a six-figure complication.

On the grey market, the standard DW-9052 trades at or even below its original retail price, making it one of the few watch references discussed on this site that any reader can own outright today. Its cultural capital, however, has only grown — the G-Shock DW-9052 is now a staple of prop houses, street style, and serious collectors building complete G-Shock archives alike.