Japan-cased watches carry the JF suffix, at a price premium of about 40 to 100 percent. Considering G-SHOCK’s automated assembly, I’m not sure it makes any difference where the factory is located, at least in terms of quality. That said, the GA-2100’s still a hundred dollar watch. Under a macro lens you can see that the hands’ finish is a bit spotty.
An attractive, minimalist feature analog/digital G-SHOCK that puts a traditional spin on classic Square aesthetics. A smart brand extension that’s entranced both G-SHOCK fans and traditional watch enthusiasts. The G-SHOCK GA-2100 doesn’t all the digital bells and whistles associated with the brand. It’s form-follows-function minimalism combined with G-SHOCK durability, reliability and rugged good looks.
With that case shape and integrated bracelet, if you like to wear your watches snug on your wrist, you will need a large wrist not to have this wear slightly loose. For comparison, my wrist is 7.5, and I felt it wore fine, but I do tend to wear my watches on bracelets somewhat looser than my strapped watches. A few other notables include 5611 quartz movement, a resin and carbon composite case, stainless steel case back, super illuminator with Auto Light , and 200-meter water resistant. The digital g shock protection display is tiny in comparison to other models by Casio – you are not using this easily to track your run times or check the time in Moscow even if it is capable of both. The lume has also decided to take the stealth option, it’s there on the hands but it’s so faint and discreet it might be unnoticed 5 minutes after the light being switched off. The digi display has a light but this has a time limit so you will find yourself pressing it multiple times in order to read anything useful.
20 BAR means water resistance to 20 atmospheres. Watches marked “200m” have the same water resistance as 20 BAR watches. I’d sworn never to buy anything larger than 42 mm.
Analog-digital timekeeping comes packed into a no-nonsense simple design without sacrificing G-SHOCK level toughness. High-strength resin material, which is reinforced with carbon fibers, makes it possible to create a case that is a mere 11.8 mm thin, which is the thinnest among G-SHOCK combination models. The budget G-Shock model with an octagonal case and the latest Carbon Core Guard protection. The GA-2100 form factor resembles the first G-Shock DW-5000C, but with a pronounced octagonal shape and more streamlined corners – this way the Japanese pay tribute to the glorious past of the high-impact direction. The carbon fiber that is used in the GA-2100 case makes the watch more durable and lighter, not to mention the case thickness of 11.8 mm – the series can be called the thinnest among all G-Shock with an analogue dial.
Nothing else about the GMAS2100 series has been downsized. It offers the same carbon core guard structure and 5613 movement (with 24-month battery life) as the GA2100. This ana-digi hybrid features world time, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, and five independent alarms. And, like the GA2100, water resistance is rated at 20 bar . These new models inherit the octagon form that was also employed for the original DW-5000C.