I am old enough to remember when the G-Shock came out. I remember how we handled watches before that, holding them oh so carefully with two hands. I remember the G-Shock made that seem so silly, and then those old watches seemed so weak and frail. The G-Shock was the future. It had the accuracy of quartz, with a 10 year power reserve or battery life. It had the familiar design of 80s Casio watches and it was tough enough for anything you could throw at it.
When the G-Shock came out, kids my age thought that all Casio watches were tougher, thanks to the same resin construction, acrylic crystals and quartz movement. We pushed our other Casio watches to the limit and sometimes past it. We knocked batteries loose and celebrated when the battery was reinstalled and it still worked. We wore nicks and scuffs as badges of honor.
Most of the kids my age had a Casio, but some were lucky enough to have a G-Shock. I was not that lucky. I remember seeing them on my friends wrists and going to the mall to look at them. My friend got bull bars put on his G-Shock at the mall to make it even tougher. Seemed so much cooler than the rubber bumper I had on my Swatch in Junior High. The older I got, the more G-Shocks I saw. In High School they were every where. Then when I was in the military, they were the watch, for in the field. It was then that I started seeing round G-Shocks on wrists. With limitless varieties, it was hard to decide which one to get, but in the end, I decided my first G-Shock should be a square G-Shock. I went with a Casio DW-5600E-1V G-Shock that I got on a Black Friday sale from JC Penney online. The pricing on that sale was so good that I also bought a Casio GWM-5610-1 Solar G-Shock for a future comparison and review. Here are some of the specs according to Casio:
Model | Casio DW-5600E-1V |
Case Size (L× W× H) | 48.9 × 42.8 × 13.4 mm |
Weight | 53 grams |
Battery Type | CR 2016 |
Battery Life | Approximately 2 years |
Glass | Mineral Glass |
Illumination | Blue Green Electro-luminescent backlight, Afterglow |
Alarm | Hourly time signal & Multifunction alarm |
Calendar | Full auto-calendar (to year 2099) |
Accuracy | Plus/Minus 15 seconds per month |
Other features | Stopwatch, Timer, Bluetooth Link |
I have to say, I like it a lot. It is very rugged and tough. When I was younger, camping, hiking, and in the military it would have been an ideal watch. Now that I am older and more careful with things, the ruggedness is no longer a critical need, but I still appreciate it. My kids however are at the age where they love it. With 8.25" wrists I find the protective nature of the watch strap design a bit uncomfortable. I get that it is a design feature for added protection when you drop the watch. My kids with their smaller wrists don't even notice it. I love how legible it is and how easy it is to use and adjust. Speaking of adjusting. My top left "adjust" button is so recessed that you can't see it half the time. I had to use a stylus to adjust the watch. But since it is a battery powered quartz digital watch, the power reserve is measured in years. So it is set it and forget it. All the important info is right there to see. If it is dark the electro-luminescent backlight gives off a cool blue green glow. I wish that was standard on all Casio digital watches. I love it! It has a stop watch and timer which is handy for cooking. All in all, it is a great watch that is easy to see why it has become so popular.
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