Its Carbon Core Guard structure has stood the test of time in providing next-level toughness in a lightweight format. An auto-LED light also provides great legibility to the analogue-digital dial and LCD display. The resin band combined with 200-metre depth rating makes the GA-2100 the go-to piece come rain or shine.
The case made from a robust resin material and reinforced with carbon fiber engulfs the analog-digital dial and gives the entire contraption the G-Shock level toughness. What makes the GA-2100 the perfect complement to any streetwear ensemble is the colour palette. It comes in full black ‘blackout’, full grey ‘greyout’, red, yellow, green and contrasting accent combos. Underneath the hood, the GA-2100 has more than enough invested in engineering to match its good looks.
If you can do without radio sync and Bluetooth, this is the G-Shock to buy. If you have had any experience with a resin-cased G-Shock, there aren’t going to be any surprises here. The matte black case and strap have the feel of rubber but don’t feel cheap.
Also new, but not released in the U.S., is the yellow and black GA-2110SU-9A that was released in Japan, Asia, Europe, and Australia. We wouldn’t be surprised to see more GA-2100 models released in 2020. These new models inherit the octagon form that was also employed for the original DW-5000C. Analog-digital timekeeping comes packed into a no-nonsense simple design without sacrificing G-SHOCK level toughness. Move the day of week arc to the 6 position and the LCD up to the 12 and make it all on the one line so the hand don’t obscure vision.
By design, the strap is angled down so that there’s little room at any point between the 48.5mm case and the watch. There’s something else notable about the case, and that’s the Carbon Core Guard tech that’s incorporated. The case is constructed with a thin layer of carbon fiber in order to bolster its strength so the overall amount of material used in the case can be decreased, without sacrificing any sort of material strength.
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.
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.
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.
So how does this sub-$100 watch manage to charm like the best of them? To start, it’s the thinnest G-Shock currently in production. The case is 11.8mm tall, and even more, it wraps around the wrist in a way that makes it feel even thinner. Its plastic case is practically weightless if you’re used to wearing an even a modestly proportioned 316L case.
The performance is exceptional, the design is modern and clean, and despite its large size, it wears exceptionally comfortably on the wrist. With that said, it takes the watch from being purely functional to being a design watch that has a sleek and modern design, whilst retaining the features that the G-Shock is known for. The Casio ”CasiOak” GA A is equipped with the Casio 5611 module. As discussed above, this module displays analog and digital time, stopwatch, world time, perpetual calendar, has five daily alarms, and a countdown timer. In the standard display, the digital screen shows running seconds, but it can also be set to display the stopwatch, timer, alarms, as well as different time zones. After all, it is a G-shock, and we expect it to handle almost everything we subject it to.