G-SHOCK Australia today announce a limited-edition collaborative release with multi-platinum selling and award-winning Australian Hip Hop royalty, Hilltop Hoods. The new GBA800HTH-1A, available June 10th, 2022, takes the
iconic GBA800 watch face and personalises it with Hilltop Hoods iconography, for a watch that is as functional as it is stylishly slick.
Since their inception in 1996, the rise of Hilltop Hoods has seen the trio achieve 10 ARIA Awards, 6 chart-topping #1 ARIA Albums, sold-out arena tours and over 60 platinum accreditations thus far. Most recently, the release of single ‘Show Business’ ft. US soul singer Eamon gave fans the first taste of a much-anticipated new studio album. The limited-edition collaborative watch is a true expression of mutual appreciation, respect, and the pinnacle of a longstanding history of Hip Hop partnerships for Hilltop Hoods & G-SHOCK globally. The ‘Living In Bunkers’ single from their #1 ARIA Album, Drinking From The Sun (2012) is testament to this, with featured artist Black Thought referencing G-SHOCK for its enduring legacy in the lyrics.
Available in matte black with a black dial that features Hilltop Hoods’ monogram logo in white, the GBA800HTH-1A emulates Hilltop Hoods’ carefully curated aesthetic. The watch band sports the full Hilltop Hoods logo in the band’s iconic purple colourway that is further complimented by purple accents throughout. This impactful design is paired with G-SHOCK’S fitness functionalities, including a 3-axis accelerometer, a key feature to capture Hilltop Hoods’ unique movement and energy onstage and equip their fans 2 to do the same. Other features include Shock Resistance, 200M Water Resistance, 5 Daily alarms with Flash Alert and 300-City World Time settings.
In celebration of this historic collaboration, there will be a limited release of the GBA800HTH-1A in VIP packaging, exclusively available at gshock.com.au. This VIP packaging will be the only place fans can gain exclusive access to a short documentary for full insight into the lives of Hilltop Hoods aka Suffa, Pressure and DJ Debris, and how they navigated the changes that came with the global pandemic, all while designing their first G-SHOCK.
G-SHOCK Australia Marketing Manager, Phil Chester, is excited for the launch of the collaboration.
“G-SHOCK’s history of working with Hip Hop artists spans decades and multiple continents. When the opportunity came to work with arguably the largest Australian Hip Hop band, it was a no brainer for us.”
“The key with a collaboration of any kind is authenticity. With Hilltop Hoods we have a true alliance of cultures and a band that has a history intertwined with G-SHOCK in one way or another spanning their 20+ year careers.”
Suffa expressed the band’s long-term admiration of G-SHOCK.
“We’ve always been fans of G-SHOCK. In the nineties when we were coming up, there were a lot of writers, skaters and so on rocking G-SHOCK.”
Pressure continued: “One of the things that we wanted for this collaboration was for it to have ‘G-Squad’ tech in it. It just happened that our favourite looking piece had all the extras.”
The collaboration will be available June 10th on gshock.com.au & at select Australian retailers.