G Shock

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

I keep breaking mechanical watches. My 78 Sub, twice. 2 Seiko’s dead beyond value. And now a Dura Ace branded Seiko from the Dura Ace 25th anniversary group, questionably done.

I bought a G Shock DW5600E-1V for $50 online and thought I’d give it a shot to see if I like it.

Maybe I’ll love it or maybe it’ll make me want a fancier G.

Anyone have any experience with these watches, everyone seems to love them on the watch forums but none of those dudes actually beat up their stuff. Though folks with fancy watches dig these so I’m guessing they have something to them.

???

[DCT]

I have a larger version of the one you ordered and it never dies. I also don't wear it anymore but it's been through about 16 years of wear and tear.

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

I have a larger version of the one you ordered and it never dies. I also don't wear it anymore but it's been through about 16 years of wear and tear.

Bring it through, it’d be cool to check it out.

[AngryScientist]

they are very good watches, but they look a little dorky. i find the hard plastic bands a little too rigid and uncomfortable, but at the end of the day - they are, by all means, bulletproof watches.

some may know, i have a merchant marine/navy background. spent plenty of time in the engine room of ships and crawling/running through submarines. if you wear a mechanical watch in such an environment, it's only a matter of time until you wack it against a bulkhead, hatch threshold, steam pipe or other very firm, metallic structure. g-shocks are the survivors in such environments. beyond the marine industry, they are almost certainly the most worn watches of all military personnel and law enforcement. guys who beat the hell out of gear, and rely on it, sometimes for their lives.

the bands can and do crack and wear out. the best chance of killing one is when changing the battery (solar ones have answered this question), but generally speaking, you wont do any fatal damage to a genuine g-shock.

personally, i like the "baby G" line, which are in the 42mm size range - which fit my skinny wrists better.

i'm a diehard automatic mechanical dive watch guy, and own a slew of good, reputable divers, but when i know i'm likely to thrash a watch around, the g-shock gets the call.

[cash]

I've had a solar powered atomic G Shock for a decade +. It was my daily wear when I was a street cop. It was beat to hell, abused, forgotten about, neglected and worn daily. It's not as pretty as when new, but it still works perfect. I pull it out every week or 2 just because. Since I wear a suit and work mostly behind a desk now, I wear the nice stuff to work.

Mine is the previous version of this one: GWM53A-1 - G Shock | Casio USA

[theflashunc]

If you want the unkillable quartz watch, it's your huckleberry.

But just like any zombie that refuses to die, they're also generally uglier than sin. They last though.

[Blue Jays]

”...Mine is the previous version of this one: GWM53A-1 - G Shock | Casio USA...”

Same here. Entirely suitable for riding when who-knows-what-conditions may present themselves.
I do wish they would discard the absurd and utterly illegible sub-dials to make the TIME bigger.

[bigbill]

My 18 year old wears my old G shock. I've got a picture of me wearing it holding him as a newborn. Probably on it's 5th battery. It's been to the North Pole (X6), crossed the equator, has done 4 submarine special project missions, and four carrier deployments. It's a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. When it eventually dies, I'll give it a Viking funeral.

I recently got my son a Luminox blacked out chronograph for his 18th, but he likes the G Shock.

[Mabouya]

I recently got my son a Luminox blacked out chronograph for his 18th, but he likes the G Shock.

OT, but I can't resist: Sounds like your son has some mighty big footsteps to follow, if he chooses to do so. (I hope you haven't put too much pressure on him. ;) )

Back on topic, I like my "Solar Atomic" G-Shock, and of course it's always dead-nuts on time, but it is huge. I'd wear it while riding the moto, but it's so fat it interferes with the cuff of my gloves. So for moto-wear I got a cheap digital Casio with a 10-year battery that's a fraction of the thickness and over 1.5 year's time it's gained about 2 minutes. Good enough for me.

[bigbill]

OT, but I can't resist: Sounds like your son has some mighty big footsteps to follow, if he chooses to do so. (I hope you haven't put too much pressure on him. ;) )

He's waiting on an answer from the Naval Academy and West Point. He wants to be a SEAL or Ranger. The blacked out Luminox is an authorized uniform watch plus it has a non reflective crystal so when he's a rooftop sniper, his watch won't give him away. I just hope he gets some kind of engineering degree. He has an Apple Watch but can't wear it to school.

[chris7ed]

I bought one in about 1990. Wore it for a year or so and put it away. Took it out this year. The plastic around the face crumbled but it was still telling time. Same battery for +/-27 years.

[theflashunc]

G-Shocks, if memory serves, were built to the 10/10/10 rule. 10-year battery life, 10 bar/atmosphere water resistance, and survive a 10 meter drop onto a concrete floor.

If you kill one, send it to Casio. They may want you as a test sled.

[charliedid]

I have been wearing that watch since 1984

I'm on my second one.

[Hoonjr]

I bought one after I broke my Swiss Army quartz diver chopping wood. It's been a workhouse and I haven't looked back. I wear it anytime I'm doing anything remotely active. I would prefer one of the analog/digital ones with lumed hands but that's just a personal preference. Wear it in good health!

[11.4]

I broke my second Rolex Seadweller (actually, broke the first one and dinged the bezel so badly on the second that it wouldn't rotate and the repair would have been $1200). I've sworn off watches for a while, but since Neiman Marcus sells g-shocks and there are a thousand specialty versions out there, what has the salon found that's both unbreakable and not dog-ugly? And reasonably priced? There are g-shocks in Japan going for thousands. If it costs that much, it's a certainty I'll break it too.

[cp43]

I have this one:

Casio G-Shock Black Digital Watch GW69-1 - G-Shock - Casio - Watches - Jomashop

It's reasonably priced, and it's been flawless for ~5 years now. You'll have to decide on the dog ugly part. I like it though.

Chris

[dogrange]

Timely thread. My wife and I dipped our feet into the fancy watch thing a few years ago when we bought each other Omegas for our 10-year anniversary. I got an automatic Speedmaster and she got a quartz Constellation. Mine has been OK, but hers has been a total bummer - after 3 years the movement died, $500 later it worked again, but after that the fancy diamond-studded bezel thing has fallen off. Of course the retailer is utterly worthless and it is out of warranty which is amazing to me given how much these things cost and the short time of ownership before it went totally tits-up. They are sending it back to Omega (of course we get to pay shipping/insurance) and I'm sure the repair quote will be hair-raising.

Anyway f___ the luxury watch thing - I'm sticking to non-offensively priced Seiko, G-Shock, whatever from here out. I have had a couple Seiko automatics and quartz in the same timeframe and treated them much worse and they have been fine.

[Blue Jays]

”...I would prefer one of the analog/digital ones with lumed hands but that's just a personal preference...”

Same opinion here.

I wish my current Casio GW-530A dispensed the microscopic subdials and simply had white analog hands/markers against a black dial for maximum legibility. There is even a superfluous “graphic” of how many minutes we are past the hour. Ditch that utterly absurd silliness, Casio! :-)

[Matthew Strongin]

Timely thread. My wife and I dipped our feet into the fancy watch thing a few years ago when we bought each other Omegas for our 10-year anniversary. I got an automatic Speedmaster and she got a quartz Constellation. Mine has been OK, but hers has been a total bummer - after 3 years the movement died, $500 later it worked again, but after that the fancy diamond-studded bezel thing has fallen off. Of course the retailer is utterly worthless and it is out of warranty which is amazing to me given how much these things cost and the short time of ownership before it went totally tits-up. They are sending it back to Omega (of course we get to pay shipping/insurance) and I'm sure the repair quote will be hair-raising.

Anyway f___ the luxury watch thing - I'm sticking to non-offensively priced Seiko, G-Shock, whatever from here out. I have had a couple Seiko automatics and quartz in the same timeframe and treated them much worse and they have been fine.

That's nuts that you had problems like that. I wouldn't give up on the fancy auto thing, unless you're JustinB since he seems to be the watch killer.

[rmplum]

This is the G Shock I've been eyeing

https://www.seiyajapan.com/products/g-gw-s5600-1jf

G-GW-S5600-1JF_a2_1296x.jpg

JDM Yo.

RP