Just Because: A Real Frog Professor Reviews The G-Shock Frogman Borneo Rainbow Toad - HODINKEE

Meet Professor Indraneil Das. He likes to go by Neil. He's a Professor at the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, Universiti of Malaysia Sarawak. His field is herpetology (which means he studies amphibians), and in 2011, he rediscovered the Borneo Rainbow Toad – a species thought to have been extinct since 1924 – in the tall trees of Gunung Penrissen.

The discovery of this reclusive rainbow toad caused quite a stir, and not only among herpetologists. It also inspired the designers at G-Shock to create the Frogman Borneo Rainbow Toad Limited Edition, a rare watch created to celebrate the rare amphibian.

As we were considering who should review this highly specific piece, we determined that no one in the world is more qualified than the man who has given his life to the rainbow toad – a man without whom we would not even know the animal existed. So we sent a watch out to Malaysia and awaited the professor's grade.

Last week, we sat down with Das to get his hands-on impressions of this wild timepiece – and even managed to learn a bit about the actual Rainbow Toad along the way. Pay close attention to the images of the watch (taken by Das). They were shot in the same style he uses to photograph frogs in the wild.

HODINKEE: So, what do you think of the watch?

Das: I think it's a good nod to amphibian conservation and to the fact that cool scientific discoveries can make the general public – meaning people outside of science and conservation – interested in us. I knew about the Frogman series, but I was shocked to learn about this watch. I think it was a fantastic idea to promote an endangered species this way.

Do you usually wear a watch?

I'm going to wear this now, but I used to wear a Swiss Army Watch. Primarily, our watches need to be quiet because when you're recording frog calls, there should be no other sound. So even the faint ticking of a watch would be recorded.

Tell us about the Borneo Rainbow Toad, and how you discovered it.

So in 1966, an American researcher in Borneo by the name of Robert Inger, who passed away a couple of years ago, discovered this species. He had not seen it alive, and he was only aware of two museum specimens, one from the 1800s and one from 1924 collected by old British researchers.

The Borneo Rainbow Toad subsequently became nominated as one of 10 species which were lost. In 2011, we started looking for it on our own in places far away from where it was known to be – because of climate change – and we finally managed to hit an elevation 200 meters higher than that recorded for the species.

And of course, we are a team. I had a couple of grad students on that project, and we were lucky to hit upon a very unusual frog. We didn't expect it to be so colorful. It was electrifying: Red, green, yellow, and all the colors of the rainbow.

Later, when we confirmed the identity to be the Borneo Rainbow Toad, I, being the naughty person that I am, showed it to Bob Inger and said, "Hey Bob, do you know this frog?" He was a gruff but kind man. He said, "No, never seen it." I said, "Bob, this is the species you described!" And he was thrilled as well.

Could you describe its colors?

Like in most frogs, they're colorful on the top – the bottom is not colorful. Ansonia latidisca, the Rainbow Toad, is brightly colored only on the dorsal surface, and the belly is grey.

Once you heard about the watch, what were you expecting to see?

Well, I Googled, and I was surprised it looked just like the real thing. It could pass off for one if you threw it in the forest.

If you were designing a watch based on the Borneo Rainbow Toad, would you do anything differently?

What I would have changed is maybe the strap. I would have made it like a toad-skin texture. And maybe if there's an alarm – which I haven't tested – I would make it like the call of the toad itself, which is quite melodious. But the box the watch comes in is a bit of a toad skin-like texture. That was very cool.

How would you describe how the watch wears on the wrist?

I'm getting used to it. It's heavier than what I'm used to, but, when I look at it, I feel a certain amount of joy, the beauty of the watch. The strap is also very secure.

I saw some people complain about how the strap is, but for me, it isn't a problem at all. We work mostly at night recording calls and finding frogs, so the luminous dial is a big help to find the time – which we need to record when we encounter animals. The stopwatch and the timer are all useful scientific gadgets as well.

Did you press any of the buttons on it?

A little bit. I made it work. I set it to Malaysia time, but I have much to learn from this fat little book that came with it. It will probably take me weeks to figure out everything – not being very tech-savvy, apart from equipment used for research. But I'll get there.

Has anybody commented on the watch after seeing it on your wrist?

Yeah, yeah, all the students – and many of them are saving to buy one. It's a beautiful watch, but there's also the backstory. And many of them who were involved in this discovery would like to have it for a keepsake or memento.

Will you be continuing to wear this watch?

Yes, yes, but maybe not every day. I want to keep it in pristine condition as long as I can, especially when it comes to taking it on location.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.