G-Shock marks out niche for watch sales in Bda

What’s one thing that Kanye West, Pharrell, Usher, Rihanna, Eminem, and Ke$ha have in common?

They all sport G-Shock watches. The Casio brand watch has become a must-have fashion accessory for singers.

In Bermuda, they have been flying off the shelves at The Booth for the past five years. 

The Washington Mall store recently got in a shipment of Bluetooth-enabled G-Shocks and they quickly sold out. See a product review: 'I am (G—) shocked'.

Owner Darren Booth said he was initially surprised at how popular the watch is in Bermuda.

“We specialize in G-Shocks, we have hundreds of them,” said Mr Booth. “We have people who collect G-Shock watches. I have guys who come every two to three weeks to buy a new one. 

“Some of the watches they make they only make for a certain amount of time, so as soon as they stop (making them), they go up in value. A watch that you paid $150 for could go up to $500, but you have to buy them when they first come out or they are not available.”

Mr Booth was wearing a red watch to match his shirt when the Bermuda Sun interviewed him and he said that “it’s like a piece of jewellery more than just a watch”. 

Pop culture

He said the G-Shocks are a part of pop culture with them being worn by skateboarders, movie stars, singers and basketball players.

“The kids see their idols wearing them, which helps drive fashion because they want to be like everybody else.”

He added skateboarders first popularized the G-Shocks because they could take a good knock and keep working. He said the company will do special watches in collaboration with a famous skateboarder or BMX rider.

He said in Bermuda, the popularity of the G-Shocks has been surprising.

“The supplier that we buy from couldn’t believe that we could sell so many in a little place — it’s really weird. We have a lot of turnover (of people) in Bermuda. People come for a year or two so we always have a new audience.”

He said 99 per cent of the sales are to locals and they “are very popular among the Filipinos. You would think they are cheaper in the Philippines, but they are actually more expensive. They will get a watch for their cousin back home because he can’t get it. It’s a bit weird that Bermuda has more selection.”