Casio just took three of its most unapologetically rugged watches and gave them a surprisingly sophisticated gold-and-brown makeover

Gold isn't usually the first finish that comes to mind when you think of G-Shock's hardcore Master of G watches, but Casio's latest collection makes a convincing case for it.

The new Master of G Horizon Gold collection takes three familiar models from the Gravitymaster, Mudman and Mudmaster families and dresses them in a shared combination of light yellow-gold ion plating, brown metal details and dark brown resin straps.

Casio says the colour scheme is inspired by the point where the earth meets the sky at the golden horizon, but the end result feels less flashy than that description might suggest (in a good way).

More importantly, these aren't fashion-first G-Shocks with the rugged bits stripped out.

All three retain the brand's shock-resistant construction and 200-metre water resistance, while each offers a slightly different collection of outdoor and connected features.

Three different flavours of tough

The Gravitymaster GR-B300H-5A is perhaps the most aviation-inspired of the trio, with a carbon fibre-reinforced resin case, Carbon Core Guard construction and a bezel design "inspired by next-generation aircraft" (whatever that might mean).

It also gets Tough Solar charging, Bluetooth connectivity and dual-time functionality, plus a rotary disc indicator that can display alarm status, stopwatch operation and battery level.

The GW-9500MH-5 Mudman goes in a more traditional expedition-watch direction.

Its dust-, mud- and shock-resistant construction is joined by radio-controlled solar timekeeping and Casio's Triple Sensor setup, giving you compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer readings.

There's also a duplex LCD designed to make the display easier to read outdoors.

Finally, the GG-B100XMH-5A Mudmaster – a watch I'm very familiar with – mixes a stainless-steel bezel with a carbon fibre-reinforced resin case and adds Quad Sensor technology, including a step counter alongside the compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer.

It also connects to the Casio Watches app over Bluetooth and supports Mission Log, which can record altitude information from the watch alongside route data from your phone.

G-Shock has produced plenty of gold watches before, but pairing the metal with earthy brown cases and straps gives these oversized outdoor models a warmer, almost vintage-tool-watch quality without disguising what they are.

The G-Shock Master of G Horizon Gold collection is available now at Casio US, with prices ranging from $330 to $460.

Only the Mudmaster GG-B100XMH-5A seems to be available in the UK for now, priced at £365. EU and AU prices and availability TBC.