But let us be clear, this is where that comparison ends. Compare the new and vintage Casio models and you can clearly see the family trait, nevertheless the moniker of “CasiOak” has stuck and the GA-2100 will forever be known as such. 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.
For a G-Shock, it feels slender at 45mm and with a short 48.5mm lug to lug and no weight, it’s a perfect daily wearer. The bonus is the clever world time mode allowing me to keep up with the editorial team in Melbourne while being locked down here in Norway. While I love mechanical watches, this is just an understated, feather-light presence that does its job quietly.
And at retail of between £90-£110 they are incredibly good value for money. Dimensions of 48.5 x 45.4 x 11.8mm mean it is impressive on wrist but has an incredibly slim profile, due to its Carbon Core Guard Structure. This means that it has incredible wrist presence but still feels ridiculously light and easy to wear.
Much of this is thanks to the fact that its slim size allows it to wear comfortably on the wrist despite its big diameter. The GA A is a fresh take on the Casio G-Shock and one that has exploded in popularity amongst watch enthusiasts since it was released. It’s easy to see how people find charm in this watch, regardless if you are a fan of the G-Shock design or not. The watch looks extremely rugged and sporty, but at the same time, Casio has successfully given it a sleek and elegant look. And with its performance and durability, this watch, just like the other G-Shock watches, is incredibly durable.
But with this said, no one buys the Casioak as a tool. The lack of weight and mass can be attributed to the use of Casio’s propriety Carbon Core Guard which surrounds the movement and claims to offer full protection. The watches have been designed to allow the carbon composite shell to be visible and this really adds to the ultra-modern look. The dials share a common design and are uncomplicated with the lower right quarter given over to a digital timekeeping unit and the area around the nine-hour showing the day via a pointer. The analogue hands on both models are large and lume coated. There is no doubt that the similarity has garnered the GA-2100 a lot of attention online, which gave it more publicity than other recent models.
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. The module is protected with a carbon fiber-reinforced resin case. Running through the functions and setting the watch is straightforward – with a bit of optional theater.
That nickname should give you a clue as to why it’s so popular. Sure, G-Shock has had a cult following for a long while now. Its collaborations with the likes of musicians streetwear titans and movies have thrust the brand firmly into the world of limited-edition, high-resale-value ‘it’ fashion. But like the recent Bamford London G-Shock, the CasiOak positions itself in the part of the venn diagram where ‘hypebeasts’ overlap with ‘watch nuts’. You know you’ve fallen down the horology rabbit hole when you spend your evenings reading r/Watches on Reddit. And if you are following that subreddit , you will know that one of the hottest watches of the moment is also – for once – one of the most affordable.
Rich blacks, lots of dial detail and an ana-digi display make this a joy to look at. But this joy is only achievable in lower light situations to those who have a good level of eyesight, or possibly their own set of night vision goggles like the Dark Knight himself. The whole dial is protected by a mineral crystal which has no obvious AR coating g shock watch and probably will scratch in time but still affords 200m of water resistance. However, at the opposite end of the scale, there was a sub-£100 release which caught all of us off guard and became one of the unexpected stand-out hits of last year. The Casio G-Shock GA-2100 Octagon Series and its derivatives – colloquially known as the CasiOaks.
You might have to adjust the hand zero position of your subdial. Press the a button for about 6 seconds and the screen should read “SUB”. Adjust the position of the day hand using the B and D buttons and finish the process pressing the A btn. As a genuine G-Shock enthusiast and purist I really struggle to like the CasiOaks.
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