These styles of band are also known as “crossband” in the Japanese domestic market. Resin bands for these models had open gaps or slits through the band. Casio refers to them g shock protection as drainage slits; the idea is that water will drain out with no problems while in action when surfing. These models were branded as X-Treme for the Japanese domestic market.
Other unique features of the watch include lay-flat bands, guardless buttons, dual-layer stainless steel, and resin case back, and a convenient front LED light button. If you can deal with that, then it’s a fantastic analog G-Shock pick. This simple G-Shock has an estimated 10-year battery life which is much longer than the usual 2 years. It is also one of the only G-Shock watches on this list with world time and 4 daily alarms over the standard 1. It also has a password-protected “E-Data Memory” which means it can store 40 data sets .
At first, the 200-meter resistance feature might look the same, but it’s not. The Frogmans are the only ISO 6425 certified G-Shocks, capable of diving to the 200-meter depth mark. All the other G-Shocks will go bust before reaching that point; they’re really intended for swimming and shallow diving. Here’s the video of a test on a Frogman being taken to 200 meters deep and still holding its own. Not only is it well illumined, another cool feature on the GW is atomic time synchronization, which is usually found on G-Shocks of higher price. Atomic time synchronization, for those who don’t know, is the capability that enables the watch to ”pick” its time via radio waves from the 6 atomic time centers that exist around the globe.
The GMW-B5000-TFG-9 continues to post sales in the $1300 range, as long as the watch is brand new. Remember, this was a relatively common item selling baby g shock for $500 new. Last March 3rd, I took an Uber from Chinatown to G-SHOCK Soho. I handed over my GMW-B5000-TCM camo titanium square for service.
There is a hands-free backlight mode that lets you engage the illumination with the movement of your wrist in a dark environment. Almost all G-Shocks will have a stopwatch, a countdown timer, a backlight, and 200m of water resistance. Beyond that, Casio riffs endlessly with style and functionality, from resin-cased altimeter- and barometer-loaded models to precious-metal atomic-clock referencing dual-time world travelers. In reality, it’s tough to wrangle all of G-Shock constantly evolving offerings into a coherent picture, but this guide should help you navigate your way to one that suits you. In late 2018, Casio introduced the newest addition to the G-Shock Rangeman series of models. The GPR-B1000 is a GPS centred model, which can use the GPS receiver to maintain the exact time, down to the second.
On most G-Shocks, you’ll also get the dual time feature allowing you to monitor two time zones at once. Twin Sensor – Twin Sensor models come with Digital Compass and Thermometer only – no altimeter/barometer. Twin sensor is the older version of the Triple Sensor and is the cheapest way to get yourself a compass G-Shock. The Mudman G-9300 model is a great example of a relatively affordable G-Shock that comes with a Twin Sensor. You can connect the watch to your phone through Bluetooth and adjust the time, world time, and alarm settings straight from your smartphone app. There is a phone finder feature – when engaged, the watch will visually show you where your phone is located in the room.
You might also like the oversized GA100 series which are also among the biggest G-Shocks ever made. We’ve also tested other brands who claim to make tough watches , and they just didn’t measure up to G-Shock in durability, features, and affordability. World Time – The World Time feature allows you to easily change between timezones. They usually include 31 time zones and 48 cities you can choose from.
The only difference is their display since both the GM-6900SG-9 and GM-5600SG-9 are equipped with a digital display, unlike the GM-110SG-9A whose display is both analog and digital. Other features of the watch include Multi-band 6 radio time sync, sunset/sunrise times, tide & moon graphs, hands-free backlight functionality, timer, stopwatch, 12-24h time, and other basic G-Shock functions. While there is a phone app that comes with the watch, the watch doesn’t rely on it and will work without the app. The DW9052 is one of the cheapest G-Shock watches and is consistently one of the best-selling G-Shocks, but cheap does not mean low quality when it comes to a G-Shock.
Moreover, the digital display and watch hands are illuminated. So you won’t have a tough time seeing time on this watch when it’s dark. However, the intensity of illumination is not very high but you can’t complain much at this price point. It has a 200-meter water resistance, a cool Tide Graph with 100 preset tide sites and 49 user sites, Moon Data with moon graph, both very useful features for surfing/swimming, and solar fueling ability. Nonetheless, the accuracy is very high with only a +/- 15 seconds deviation per month, easily kept in check by the atomic synchronization function. Having an analog-digital design with dual digital displays, this watch is perfect for both formal situations, and casual usage.