GWR-B3000 Gravitymaster G-Shock's pilot watch gets steel and sapphire

What is new about the GWR-B3000 Gravitymaster?

The Gravitymaster is the pilot's model in G-Shock's Master of G line, and the GWR-B3000 is the first one built around Casio's new TOUGH MVT. 2 analogue module. Casio announced it in June 2026 and opened UK pre-orders in July, with Notebookcheck reporting a £750 price for this black GWR-B3000-1A and shipping four to six weeks later. Two dearer colourways sit above it: the blue GWR-B3000A-2A at £800 and the grey GWR-B3000B-8A at £870.

The headline change is inside. The original TOUGH MVT. already ran on light and set itself by radio and phone. Casio says the second version adds two things aimed at cockpits: after a hard knock, the hands check and correct their own position, and in a strong magnetic field they pause, then resume once the field has gone. An optical sensor also checks the zero position of the hands every hour. The case is new too, a "dual hollow" structure that mixes metal-injection-moulded steel parts with resin shock absorbers, which Casio says makes it slimmer and more comfortable than before. The previous GR-B300 used a mineral crystal; this one moves to sapphire.

How big is it, and how will it wear?

Casio quotes 47.3 mm across, 56.7 mm lug to lug and 14.1 mm thick, with a weight of 102 g on the bio-based resin strap. That is a big watch by any measure other than G-Shock's own. For comparison, Casio lists the older GR-B300 at 54.7 mm wide and 59 mm long but only 71 g, so the new one is smaller on paper and noticeably heavier, thanks to the steel.

The 56.7 mm lug to lug is the number to watch. On a wrist of roughly 17 cm or more it should sit inside the edges; below that, expect the lugs to reach the sides. The strap fits wrists from 145 to 215 mm, so length will not be the problem. Width will.

What movement does it use, and how accurate is it?

This is solar quartz, not a mechanical watch. Casio rates it at ±15 seconds a month on its own, but that figure rarely matters: Multiband 6 radio reception picks up the UK's MSF signal and five others up to six times a day, and the CASIO WATCHES app can correct the time over Bluetooth. On a full charge Casio quotes about five months of normal use, or roughly 22 months in darkness with power saving on.

The app also adds a flight log, a phone finder and around 300 world time cities. On the watch itself you get world time across 38 time zones with a UTC display, a 1-second stopwatch, a 24-hour countdown timer, a daily alarm and an LED light with afterglow.

How well is it built?

• Crystal: sapphire with an anti-reflective coating, plus a new matt dial that Casio says diffuses glare in direct sun.
• Case: stainless steel and bio-based carbon, built around the hollow, shock-absorbing structure.
• Water resistance: 200 m, so swimming and diving are no issue.
• Strap: soft bio-based urethane with a standard buckle.
• Origin: Casio lists Japan as the country of origin.

It is shock resistant in the full G-Shock sense, which is the point of the whole range. Casio says it used AI-assisted shock analysis and simulations of impact, centrifugal force and vibration while designing the case.

Is it good value against its rivals?

At a £750 RRP it sits in an awkward spot. The obvious rival is Casio's own GR-B300 Gravitymaster, which UK retailers such as Beaverbrooks list at £279. That gets you solar power, Bluetooth time setting and the same pilot styling, but a mineral crystal, the older movement and none of the new steel case parts.

From outside Casio, the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T JY8148-08L is listed at £599 by UK authorised retailers. It is a 46 mm Eco-Drive pilot's chronograph with radio time setting and 200 m water resistance, and it is the more traditional analogue take on a pilot's watch.

So the GWR-B3000 asks you to pay nearly three times the GR-B300 for steel, sapphire and the smarter TOUGH MVT. 2. If you will use a watch hard, those are the parts that matter. If you want the look, the cheaper model covers most of it.

What is the catch?

Size and price, mostly. At 47.3 mm and 102 g it is not for small wrists or for anyone who wants a watch to disappear under a cuff. It is also new enough that there is no meaningful body of owner feedback yet, so long-term reliability of the new module is unproven. And it is a quartz watch at a price where some buyers will expect a mechanical movement, even though this one will keep far better time.

“You pay nearly three times the old Gravitymaster for steel, sapphire and hands that fix themselves after a knock.”