It’s hard to believe that 1983 was 30 years ago. Somehow, it’s easier to believe that Casio has been making its G-Shock line of rugged watches for that long; this year marks the three-decade birthday of the groundbreaking G-Shock DW-5000C.

If you wanted a shockproof watch before the first G-Shock came out, you were pretty much out of luck. If you wanted a water-resistant watch before the G-Shock came out, you had to be willing to spend a ton of money on a specialty wristwatch for divers. If you wanted a fashionable-but-throwable watch during the dawn of the ‘80s, keep in mind that the Swatch wasn’t around yet.

The success of the original $150 G-Shock set the bar for a slew of “digital sports watches” through the 1980s, most of which tried to emulate the G-Shock’s feature set: an alarm clock, a date-and-calendar display, a battery-life rating of 10 years, a face that you could light up, a flexible and durable resin band, a built-in stopwatch, a water-resistance rating down to 650 feet, and the ability to withstand drops onto concrete from 32 feet up.

G-Shock’s now-more-diverse lineup is still going strong, but it’s never had a watch as executive-suite-friendly as the 30th Anniversary G-Shock MT-G announced this week. According to chief engineer Kikuo Ibe, who created the first G-Shock watch and has been doing so ever since, the MT-G was the result of two years of development. Casio wanted to make something truly special for the G-Shock’s 30th birthday.

From the look and feel of the analog-display MT-G, Casio certainly pulled that feat off. The watch that had a lot to do with the entire concept of geek chic is now wearing a luxurious tuxedo.

Photo: Tim Moynihan/WIRED

The stainless steel body of the MT-G (which stands for Metal Twisted G-Shock, by the way) makes for a heavier watch than fans of the G-Shock series are used to–it weighs 6.6 ounces (188 grams), a significant step up from the 2.8-ounce weight of the original G-Shock. The forged metal backing of the watch is just 3mm thick, but it’s been pounded down from an 8mm-deep plate. While the outer surface of the watchband is raw stainless steel, the inner band is lined with a smooth, soft resin material to make it feel comfortable on your wrist.

According to the engineering team, the watch’s extra weight presented new shockproofing challenges. Internally, the beefier MT-G uses layers of resin and a shock-absorbing material Casio calls “alpha Gel” to help protect the internals from heavy jostling and free-falls of up to 32 ft. The watch face is covered with sapphire glass, which should be hard to scratch unless you take a diamond to it. The MT-G’s internal radio receiver receives updates from atomic-clock transmitters, which means you don’t have to manually set the time or adjust it to Daylight Savings time. You don’t have to worry about winding it up, either, because the MT-G has a solar panel that doubles as its watch dial. Casio says the watch battery will run for five months without a solar charge, so it’s vampire-friendly.

Three versions of the G-Shock MT-G will roll out later this year and early next year, but don't expect original G-Shock prices. The stainless-steel version pictured in this story will launch in November, priced at $900. An all-black ion-plated stainless steel version will drop in December for $1,000. The creme de la creme, a limited-edition 30th anniversary black ion-plated design with gold details, will be available in January for $1,100.