G-Shocks anyone?

I have exactly the same as yours. Bought from Ebay brand new at $96.00. I own 5 g shocks now!

As an ignorant idiot to wristwatches, I have seen a lot of talk on various forums about G-Shocks. Why do you think they are so popular? Good price/quality, cool looks, size, reliability?

When I wear a watch, which I'd say is about 25% of the time, it's a Suunto vector. About ten years old, if memory serves. The other 75% of the time I have no idea what time it is as I don't have a cell phone. Ya, I'm an outlier.

That said, there are some really cool looking G-shocks that I'd like to own, but for some reason, and despite my multiple collections of other types of EDC gear, the watch collection just never seems to materialize. I am thinking of getting the all red and all blue versions for my sons who have their own growing color coordinated EDC collections.

I would enjoy seeing more of your collection though. Or anyone else's, for that matter.

I suppose quality and durability are near the top as well as all the variations of them. The Mudman pictured above by a member is a very popular model known for extreme durability.

Way back when on WUS (watchuseek) a G-Shock collector did an interesting video. He had access to the roof of a 30 floor hotel, he tossed a G-Shock off of it onto concrete...couple of scuff to the bezel was the only damage. People have made all sorts of videos beating the snot out of them with bats, hockey sticks, running over them with cars and so on and they tend to survive it. I have no need for something that will handle that much abuse but I like the idea that it can.

Others have frozen them in blocks of ice, boiled them and all sorts of crazy stuff.

They can get expensive though...try searching Amazon for various models of the "Frogman"...some of the older ones can go upwards of 600 to 800 dollars.

You can also find very well priced ones, a good place to start is a current production DW-5600, very similar to the original. Poke around and you can find them for 40 to 50 bucks and wear it for a month. Its a watch that if you dont like it you can sell it on the various watch forums and make most of your money back.

Kind of like flashlights I guess, those who are not "into them" just dont understand. Nothing wrong with that.

Kind of a neat video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C1Y9kWAEQY

Nice, thanks watchcollector1968 I will check them out!

My wife is an OU Sooner fan:

The digital displays on this one are a little too small for me.

begin rant

casios. press the light button. light turns on. press any other button e.g. to change mode. light turns off

WTF??? can’t operate them in the dark!

casio’s got all kinds of tech: compasses, altimeters, atomic receiver, solar, etc, etc. but they still can’t get that little thing right.

now try the compass. then press light button. compass pointer doesn’t update anymore. bummer…

end rant

The two I own. Left: DW-6600 Right: DW-5600E

Overclocker, most watch lights only stay on for 3 seconds or so that I’ve had. That’s to preserve the battery. Are there any that stay on?

To everyone with G-Shocks…has anyone changed the band out for a nylon/Velcro one or a canvass one? Is it possible?

I’ve had the plastic straps before but I now much prefer one of the ones mentioned above.

yeah 3 seconds or until you press a button which makes them practically unusable in the dark except for telling the time

Check this out for adapters.

I like the G-Shocks to a degee but even though they have many models they never quite have what I want.

The resin bands aren’t for me. They have adapters for other bands but I don’t care for the adapters. The models with the “circle” on the screen are distracting to me as well.

In general they don’t make good use of a large display screen. The time display usually only takes up a third of the screen. I don’t need for the day display to be as large as the time nor do I need to constantly know what the tides are doing :slight_smile:

The “specialty” info should be on a separate screen IMO (everything currently displayed in the middle third of the screen).

A large face with the time taking up most of the screen and displayed in negative form with a nylon band would be attractive and functional I think.

Has anyone seen a G-Shock like that?

Some of the g-shock features are pretty cool, but I’m sorry, I think the g-shock has the aesthetics of a watch that came out of a 25 cent vending machine. They just look like the cheapest/crappiest watch to me, and I would never wear one no matter what features it may have… My daily wear is an Omega Seamaster. Classy without being rolex-gaudy. It tells me the time and the date… Anything else I’d like to know, I have an internet connected android on my belt.

But that’s just me…

PPtk

Haha…I have a $30 Timex analogue in black with black face that does the same :slight_smile:

It’s not just you — I agree. Although I prefer digital watches, I definitely don’t like the whole clunky techno look of the G-Shock.

Ditto. They look to me also like vending machine watches I had as a kid. Bad use of space in display but they do look very rugged an I have heard they really are!

Pilot: what age your Seamaster is? i especially like the older ones…

It’s a more recent vintage. I don’t recall exactly when I bought it, but I would say it’s been 5-7 years. Its my EDC and has held up amazingly well, especially considering how rough I am with my watch. Had to replace the crystal once, but that was 100% my fault, not the watch.

PPtk

Fathers seamaster has lasted some 30yrs of rough work use… I think they last pretty well if you replace the crystal in time before moisture gets in.

Pics from repair:
http://watchguy.co.uk/service-omega-seamaster-600-135-011-calibre-601/

I can explain why I like my G Shock.

This is my 8 year old G that I traded for on another forum.

I took it off to mow the grass and set it on the hood of my truck.

I went to the store later and completely forgot it was there.

Realized what happened on the way back home, but it was run over by at least 4 cars in the meantime.

Since then, it’s been diving and in the jungle and……

They are the ultimate beaters. Ugly or not.

If that had happened to my Omega, I would have been in the ER.