The GA2100-1a1 appeared on the gram and elsewhere online and the case shape and dial just grabbed me. It looks like a stealth Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, possible a carbon off shore even. Blacked out with darkened lume, inverted LCD and that tell tale octagon bezel, it just looked stunning. I personally love the design, G-Shock has surprised with it’s a sharp and sleek design, after all, it is similar to the historical ‘Royal Oak’. But it is very important to understand in the matter of ‘Tech’ no one can beat the ‘Japanese Technology’ and in no space, they have given so many functions. I admit it is no match to the G-Shock ‘origin’ (GMW-B5000) but still it is classy and powerful.
This means that the watch no longer beeps when switching from one function to another. Preset alarm or countdown timers remain active when the button tones are deactivated. Every watch available in Watchard is original, has a manufacturer’s or Polish distributor’s warranty, original packaging and instructions.
I wanted another G-shock Casio, but not one with buttons sticking out all around, and not too big and fat. Had a couple of Casios in the past 30 years, no problems with them. This button opens a dialog that displays additional images for this product with the option to zoom in or out. Select a color by clicking on a colored square located at the left to display all the watches matching that color. The hands of this model have a luminous layer that glows in the dark. You can measure the amount of time between two events using this watch.
There is also an day of the week sub-dial at around 9 o’clock, with matching coloring on the markers. The dial of G-Shock GA-2100 is classic in many senses, but still comes with a few unique layout features. Had to go online and seek out a tutorial to get settings correct. Great watch, but be advised, you must learn how to set it.
The watch straps have been wrapped in the iconic tentacles graphics of OCTOPUS Brand, which is a bandana pattern for G-SHOCK in full black or black/red colours. Watches are sold in a special packaging, decorated with Octopus X G-SHOCK bandanapattern, and contain a bandana as special gift. Everyone will remember the toilet paper shortage of 2020, as panic buying took hold of people around the world, but watch collectors will remember another shortage.
The apparent global scarcity of Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A ‘CasiOak’ models from retailers’ displays, with a frenzy of buying that led to the humble G-Shock selling way above its retail price on the secondary market. If you told me in 2019 that a standard production G-Shock was going to effectively have a wait list, I wouldn’t have believed you. But then again, I wouldn’t have believed much of what was going to happen in 2020. Coming from the world of landscapes and architecture, watches were something he never thought he would photograph. In 2018 he founded The Watch Clicker to bring his love for watches and photography together. Photographing watches quickly turned into also writing about watches and the reviews you see today are the product of that evolution.
But the so called CasiOak takes it a step further, blending not just the dial but it’s associated furniture into the same hunk of red plastic. While not something you’d wear as a dress piece (unless you’re being willfully transgressive, which I’m on board for) the case has an undeniable ability to slide gracefully under a shirt cuff. While this is a full featured G-Shock with timers, alarms, multiple time zones, and so forth, that, to me, isn’t what this watch is all about.
From the dive watch enthusiasts who haven’t touched an ocean in their life to the armchair businessmen wearing their dress watches while eating a burrito – watches are often an extension of your personality more than a tool. Every watch has a relationship between the dial and the case. The GA-2100 is interesting because the dial and case seem to all be part of the same object, as opposed to being distinct elements that make up a complete timepiece. Here is where the Royal Oak comparison actually makes the most sense – that’s a watch whose style is built on a harmony between the angular case and its integrated bracelet.
The backlight is a dial illumination that allows you to use this watch in the dark. There are a few features missing from the CasiOak that buyers are most likely going to be looking for. The most common question I was asked about this watch leading up to the review was whether it had radio sync and Bluetooth connectivity.