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The Casio G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER is Casio’s very own way to ring in the Chinese New Year. 2023 is the year of the rabbit. Fittingly, the traditional golden-red MT-G impresses with charming details and even manages to weave in a lunar theme with crater engravings. Will we also be able to do something with the golden rabbit watch?
Happy New Year!
At least in China. Because there, the Year of the rabbit begins on January 22, 2023 of our calendar, just as it has eight times before in the last hundred years. According to Chinese tradition, the New Year in the world’s most populous country is not only celebrated on a different day than in the Western world, but the zodiac signs are also different. According to legend, when the Yellow Emperor introduced the calendar, he named the signs of the zodiac after the twelve animals that were the first to cross a river. Unlike in our country, however, the signs of the zodiac do not change monthly, but annually. Consequently, each person is born under a particular sign of the zodiac. According to the belief, he is characterized by its character traits. This concerns strengths as well as weaknesses.
You are born in the Year of the rabbit if you were born in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 (or improbably 2011). Would you like a little horoscope? Perhaps you are in need of harmony, delicate and sensitive. You prefer to avoid arguments, to stand in the second row and to act diplomatically? This also applies to rabbit-born people.
The Moon-G-SHOCK?
But that should be it with this little digression. Whether you believe in astrology or not – the fact is that Casio has been celebrating the New Year with its G-SHOCK watches in a very special way for several years. Right on time in January, the Japanese watch manufacturer delights Chinese customers with wristwatches in gold and red color accents. By its own account, Casio has even established a small tradition with this. One example: in 2022, an MTG-B1000CX-4AER was released to match the Year of the tiger.
This year, too, the company has chosen the high-quality MT-G series as the basis for a special model. It is not necessarily the golden color of the case that makes this model so unique. Apparently, the rabbit theme was not enough to create a full-fledged special model. So, the zodiac is combined with a planetary theme and a design inspired by the surface of the moon. Don’t worry; you won’t find any parallels to the polarizing MoonSwatch here. However, the idea is not entirely new within the G-SHOCK world either. Recently, a special GM-110EARTH-1AER appeared in the design of our planet.
Casio’s G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER thus combines two “design lines”, to put it this way. Rabbits, craters, a golden watch – it all sounds pretty crazy. In the following, I want to find out whether the New Year’s watch is also suitable for us or whether the timepiece rather fits into the colorful nightlife of Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The Casio G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER on the wrist – my first impression
Do you still remember the CASIO G-SHOCK MTG-B3000BD-1AER, about which I made a YouTube video last year? There, I hammered the timepiece to be the flattest MT-G ever with a bit of tongue-in-cheek. The MTG-B3000CX-9AER is also based on this current generation of the metal-twisted G-SHOCK, which was introduced in 1999.
The ultra-flat case design still inspires me half a year later. Despite its huge dimensions of 51.90 millimeters in length by 50.90 millimeters in width, the MTG-B3000CX-9AER doesn’t look too brute. That can easily look ostentatious and cheap, especially with the angular case design of the MT-G series and the omnipresent golden color scheme, but that’s not the case here. It is the flat build height of just 12.10 millimeters that counteracts this.
Admittedly, I still find the overall work of art a bit weird. By the way, ‘work of art’ is no exaggeration here. The circular timepiece is peppered with details at every turn, which you discover bit by bit. The cratered landscape of the bezel, the cartoon-look bunny on the back and the red color accents make this MT-G special edition a loud and confident watch that never takes itself too seriously. On the wrist, it’s anything but understated. So you have to be 120% convinced that this watch is the one for you. If you are interested in the MT-G concept, but still unsure about the look – then choose one of the basic models of the MTG-B3000 series.
All watches of the MTG-B3000 series weigh in at 148 grams. Within the G-SHOCK family, this is not a fabulous value, but it has never been the strength of the MT-G series.
Details of the case
When it comes to the case, you can definitely answer the question with ‘yes’, because it indeed has more to offer than just looking splendid. Casio was only able to realize the flat construction height with a newly developed module, which houses the battery. It is enclosed by the gold-colored case armor, which is made of carbon reinforced stainless steel. The final touch is an IP finish that covers the surfaces of the wristwatch and protects it even better from bumps and scratches in everyday use. This is also ensured by characteristic protrusions between the pushers. Everything contributes to the overall goal, the eponymous shock resistance. I like the workmanship and it lives up to Casio’s premium claim.
The watch glass, which is fortunately made of sapphire and noticeably upgrades the overall impression, also matches this. Not outstanding for a G-SHOCK, but overall very solid is the water resistance of 20 bar. Thus, the Casio G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER would still pass as a diver’s watch. Thus, it is clear: this watch is without a doubt practical.
What the other MT-G models don’t have is the ornate decoration on the bezel. Here, crater landscapes have been incorporated in miniature, resembling that of the moon. The rabbit, on the other hand, can be found on the back. I personally find the design of the motif really good. This watch is fun to wear! In addition to stainless steel, the bracelet is made of resin.
The smartwatch light
The Tough Solar System is now standard on current MT-G watches, a technology in which Casio is a pioneer on the market. Solar cells supply the battery in the module with power. They are located under the dial. Surplus energy is stored and called up when needed. Due to the efficiency of this environmentally friendly drive, your fully charged MT-G is hardly dependent on light sources when it lies in the dark for a longer period of time.
The best way to use the MTG-B3000CX-9AER is via the CASIO WATCHES app, which you can download for free. Once you have connected the smartphone and watch via Bluetooth, you can choose from a variety of functions. The Bluetooth connection also ensures that the time is always accurate and does not need to be adjusted. A dual time display, a timer, an alarm function, a phone finder, a stop and a world time function cover what you need in everyday life. Without a smartphone, these can be set using Smart Access technology. This is done via the electric crown.
The fact that the dial does not have a digital display is not a drawback. The information can be read intuitively via the color-contrasting totalizers.
My conclusion about the Casio G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER
You don’t necessarily have to live in China, be born there or be familiar with Chinese culture to like the Casio G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER. Even in our Western cultural circles, you can get excited about the golden MT-G, provided you have a soft spot for the eye-catching design of the stainless steel G-SHOCK. Apart from that, the same applies to the B3000CX-9AER as to its sister models of the 3000 series. Those who previously thought G-SHOCKS were cheap plastic watches with digital displays will be proven wrong here. Casio shows that its products have long since arrived in the premium segment and can easily take on the competition established there. The analog dial is another approach in the direction of traditional wristwatches.
Technically, we look further ahead and the app offers numerous possibilities to adequately replace a smartwatch in (some) areas. The watch, which will be available in stores from February 2023, costs 1,250.00 euros. Thus, it is about 200 Euros more expensive than the base models.
Below you’ll find all the important information about the watch and G-SHOCK!
More about Casio and the G-SHOCK MTG-B3000CX-9AER
Here you can find the watch in the store
The whole MT-G series at a glance
All Casio watch reviews in my blog
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