The Final Season of ‘Stranger Things’ Will Include the Perfect Affordable Watch
For a show obsessed with '80s detail, Casio watches made perfect sense — except one icon was always missing, until now.
Yesterday, Netflix dropped the official teaser for Stranger Things Season 5 — and unsurprisingly, the internet is ablaze. With fans already decoding every frame for clues about the Upside Down and Eleven's fate, something much smaller (yet no less iconic) caught our attention: a blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpse of a new watch on Lucas Sinclair's (portrayed by Caleb McLaughlin) wrist.
After a series run loaded with era-appropriate wrist candy, it appears that Stranger Things is finally giving screen time to the most legendary '80s digital watch of them all.
We've set the start time of the new official teaser trailer for Stranger Things 5 to the exact point where a classic Casio G-Shock appears on Lucas Sinclair's (portrayed by Caleb McLaughlin) wrist. - Credit: Netflix
In one way, it makes up for a glaring missed opportunity from the costume and set design team nearly a decade ago when the show first launched in 2016.
On the other hand, it's also an eloquent ending to a multi-season love letter to Casio Digital watches, not to mention a fun timeline easter egg for watch nerds and 80s nostalgia heads alike.
A Long-Term Relationship
David Harbour's Jim Hopper character has been regularly shown wearing what looks like a Casio B640WD-1AV, a dressier vintage Casio digital dress watch straight out of the 1980s. In reality, it's a modern watch that channels various 70s and 80s design details from past Casio models.
Fans of the show — and watch enthusiasts in particular — will know this isn't the first time Casio has been featured on Stranger Things . Far from it.
The show's prop department has long displayed an eye for detail, including fitting the characters with at least seemingly authentic, era-correct wristwear.
In Stranger Things season four, Eddie Munson (portrayed by Joseph Quinn) was seen wearing one of the most famous budget digital watches of all time, a.k.a. the F-91W. - Credit: Netflix
As the thorough breakdown by the
Wrist Enthusiast
lays out
, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) was seen rocking a black Casio F-91W
— a budget classic that's arguably as iconic as its more rugged cousin.
Meanwhile, Jim Hopper (David Harbour) sported a Casio B640WD-1AV
, which certainly looks exactly like the kind of classier digital watch on a metal bracelet that a sheriff (or my dad) would've worn in the 80s. But it's actually a neo-vintage-style model that Casio released relatively recently, though it is inspired by the brand's past designs.
Back in 2023, Casio even collaborated with Stranger Things to release a quirky version of the Casio A120 with some obvious graphic elements inspired by the show. - Credit: Casio
These appearances didn't go unnoticed by Casio either. The brand even partnered with Netflix f or a limited-edition Stranger Things collaboration in 2023 , though the result, a quirky inverted display Casio A120, leaned more kitsch than collectible.
The Missing Piece
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the recently released official teaser trailer for Stranger Things season 5 finally gives Casio's iconic G-Shock line its first appearance in the uber successful streaming series set through four years in the 1980s. - Credit: Netflix
But now, with the final season about to air this fall , the stars appear to have finally aligned to showcase one of the early founding fathers of Casio's beloved G-Shock family.
In the new teaser trailer, Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) is briefly shown sporting what appears to be some version of DW-5600C while squeezing the hand of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), lying in a hospital bed.
The costume design team might've spent time locating an original version, but they could've just as easily picked up a modern reincarnation of the watch on Amazon for less than $60 that closely adheres to the original.
Perfect Timing
When Casio employee Kikuo Ibe smashed his prized watch, he was inspired to create one that "wouldn't break when you dropped it," and the first G-Shock debuted in 1983, which is also the year the first season of Stranger Things was set in. For one reason or another, though, the show's costume designers decided not to include it in the series for years. - Credit: Casio
So what's fun about picking this particular watch? The answer is timing.
The first G-Shock was introduced to the world back in 1983 , and given that the first season of Stranger Things is set in the fall of that very same year, the show's costume or prop team could've easily flexed their '80s style savvy by including the watch in the show back then.
But they didn't, though one could argue that young kids living in Hawkings, Indiana, might not have feasibly had access to the new watch so quickly.
It now looks like, however, that the show's costume team wasn't about to let another golden prop opportunity slip through their hands again.
That makes this not just a fun retro watch Easter egg, but a historically accurate one.
The DW-5600C was one of the first significant follow-ups to the original G-Shock DW-5000C . It retained the signature square face and hard-as-nails reputation but featured improvements in the module and design that helped define the G-Shock line going forward.
It also first launched in the summer of 1987, and the final season of The Strange Things is set in—you guessed it—the fall of 1987. That makes this not just a fun retro watch Easter egg, but a historically accurate one.
The DW-5600E is not the original G-Shock from 1983 , though you wouldn't know from looking at it. So Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) could easily be wearing this model in the final season of Stranger Things . - Credit: Photo by Andrew Connor for Gear Patrol
We'll never know if this is truly the result of savvy recognition by the show's prop department or part of a coordinated behind-the-scenes effort with Casio (who, let's not forget, already collaborated once with the series).
But regardless of how it came about, it feels like a fitting capstone for the show and the brand.
Stranger Things has always been more than just nostalgia — it's a meticulously crafted love letter to the '80s, down to the cassette tapes, Eggo waffles, and yes, digital watches. And few accessories scream 1980s youth rebellion and resilience more than a G-Shock.
After all, Stranger Things
has always been more than just nostalgia — it's a meticulously crafted love letter to the '80s, down to the cassette tapes, Eggo waffles, and yes, digital watches. And few accessories scream 1980s youth rebellion and resilience more than a G-Shock.
It'll be a while, though, before we'll know exactly how much screen time the Casio G-Shock DW-5600C will receive.
That's because Stranger Things season 5 will be released in three parts, with the first four episodes dropping on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. The second volume, containing three episodes, will be released on Christmas Day, and the final episode, "The Finale," will be released on New Year's Eve. All parts will be available to stream on Netflix at 5 p.m. PT on their respective release dates, according to Netflix .
About the Author: Ben Bowers is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Gear Patrol. Throughout his tenure in media, Ben has written and reported on everything from consumer tech to whiskey, watches, cars, camping, and personal style. These days, he gets to write less than he'd like to.
