The G-Shock is a tough watch to love. They’re Casio’s answer to the Timex Ironman and, while they’re quite rugged, the line has drifted towards Swatch-esque fashion models. Well, I’m glad to report the GA-100 brings it all back home with a world-time feature and stop watch that brings to mind the Citizen Skyhawk series with its dedicated readout windows below bold hands.
The so-called “Three Eye” design (I guess the three dials – one analog and two digital – are the eyes? Whatever) and huge hands make this thing quite readable. The watch is light – about 70g – the watch is surprisingly cheap at about $99. It has a 1/1000th of a second stop watch, countdown timer, 29 time zones, and four alarms. It is shock and magnetically resistant, so you can wear it in the hatch in Lost.
I wore this piece for a few days and was pleased by the size and readability. My biggest pet peeve is the lume/light combo that is just silly. The pips and hands are lightly lumed – you can technically read the time in the dark – and there is a small LED light at six o’clock that casts a pale orange glow over the face. A little backlighting would have been great here. Instead, you get something that looks like it should be flickering inside a pumpkin.
That said, for under $100 you’re doing just fine. It comes in multiple colors including black-out (dark face and hands), orange, and white. It’s a great sports watch and should survive underwater without many problems. If you’re looking for a weekend beater, this is one to watch.
Here’s a bonus video… in Russian. Just turn down your speakers.
