Overall, it simply looks classier than other analog-digital G-Shock models in the same price range. The hour markers are large and clear rectangles with easy to read hour and minute hands. Of course, there is no second hand as this is taken care of by the digital display. That is done using a unique angled screen between 3 and 6 o’clock and helps you control all the other functions. As I mentioned previously, the time may be difficult to read at night using the analog hands, but the digital display solves this problem. A small light can be activated that perfectly illuminates the digital display and provides enough light to adequately read the time using the handset.
Nor can you help but read the Royal Oak’s integrated bracelet into the way that the CasiOak’s strap meets its case. But this G-Shock also has a host of features that tap into broader notions of good taste that prevail within the watch world. It’s slim for its ilk – at 11.8mm, it’s the most slender that G-Shock currently makes. It’s also a predominantly analogue piece, with two hands and a physical day indicator.
Those needing a more readable LCD display will be better off with another G-Shock, but will have to settle with either an all-digital model or a larger analog-digital one. Personally, I find the GA A1 to be a fine daily watch, but only if I’m using it for the sole purpose of telling the time. If I need to use the digital functions or need to check the time at night a lot, then I would prefer to use another G-Shock. (Other GA-2100 models would be better suited for nighttime use than the GA A1.) For me, the GA-2100 could never be my only watch, but I’m happy to have it as part of my small collection. On the left there is a retrograde style day of the week arc, followed by a two hand central analogue time display. The hands are black with dark grey lumed inners which really do beam a lot of light well after dark, something that truly surprised me.
When the black version of the 2100 came out of its box, Omair who had already ordered his elsewhere online, turned into a giddy school kid and bought another one there and then so he didn’t miss out on those new watch feels. Zipping past looking over the new Seiko 5 range Simon had just landed plus a visit to pick up a repaired Tudor and it was off home to play with the new toy. Thoughts change though and last year I spotted the release of the 35th anniversary Red Out limited editions but as with most things G related they were all sound out.
This would make sense and be on-brand for Casio as G-Shocks have always fit a variety of personal styles. It’s not only remarkably affordable for a watch that is basking in such intense hype, it’s also notably affordable for a G-Shock. At £99.90, it sits at the least expensive price point across the entire brand. Frankly, for that amount of money, if you want to see what all the fuss is about, it’s almost hard to justify not buying it. The watch is made to take a beating and can handle shocks and bangs without any issues.
Most G-Shocks are light by design, incorporating plastic and rubber into their construction, but this watch takes it one step further. Casio has integrated carbon fiber into the CasiOak which makes it even lighter on the wrist than most other G-Shocks available today. The new GA-2100, dubbed the CasiOak due to its case’s resemblance to an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, breaks away from the square-shaped case. While G-Shocks have been analog before, the GA-2100 presents the handset front and center, overtaking the digital display, giving the watch a familiarity that mechanical watch wearers will love.
All the functions can take a bit of time to get used to, but they are otherwise quite straightforward. A clever feature that this watch has is an anti-block function that makes the hands change their position when you press the light mod. This is so you can read the digital screen even if the time is such that the analog hands block it. As we expect, the watch is digital, but still presents the analog time with an hour and minutes hand.
Instead, once you set the home time digitally, the hands adjust by themselves. That in itself is a neat touch, and it’s these less traditional features that lend this piece fizz. It isn’t a cheap Royal Oak wannabe, it’s unmistakably a G-Shock – and it works as a watch on its own terms. If you were at school in the 1990s, you’ll remember G-Shock-wearing classmates slamming their watches on the ground to prove their indestructibility. We have been wearing the CasiOak this past fortnight and it has that same hard-as-nails quality.
I’ve not seen any additional straps to buy yet but hey, new stuff! The strap itself feels a little thinner and more rigid than my other resin G-SHOCK and other Casios in general but this may be because it’s new and I’ve not broken it in yet. The buttons are easy to use and the adjust button top left is not recessed like on other Casio and G-SHOCK models. This is welcome as its a pain in the arse sometimes to activate it on other watches in the collection.