Casio G-Shock GMWB5000TB-1 Titanium: A Collector's Hands-On Review

Okay, sure, it’s not exactly a “Purist’s” timepiece, but it is a for-sure beater that can be appreciated.  For starters, it has the classic G-Shock case – only difference is this one is made from Titanium – and it is practically indestructible.  It weighs almost nothing and the comfort level on the wrist is fantastic.

Feature wise, it’s loaded with everything you’d expect from a watch with a chip inside of it.  For the sake of respecting our highfalutin horological community, I will put quotes around the complications: 1) “Perpetual Calendar”; 2) “Dual-Time Zone” Display; 3) “World Time” - Tracking of Five Different Time Zones; 4) “Alarm” With Five Separate Alarm Settings, Plus “Hourly Chime” On The Hour; 5) “Countdown Timer”; 6) “Reminder”; 7) “Time & Place” – A Super Cool Function That Allows The Wearer To Push A Button On The G-Shock And The Smartphone App Will Capture Current Latitude and Longitude, Current Address Along With A Map; 8) “Phone Finder”; 9) “DST” Can Be Set On/Off Per Country; 10) “Chronograph”; 11) And, Oh Yeah, TIME MODE

Pairing the G-Shock with a Smartphone is super easy.  Just download the app from your phone’s corresponding store and away you go.  Once the watch has been paired, a wizard walks the user through the setup, such as customizing the name of the G-Shock, etc.  Every time the watch and the phone subsequently connect, the phone syncs the time on the watch, as well as any settings the wearer may have changed on the watch or on the phone (such as the adding/editing/removing of an alarm or reminder, etc.). The home screen shows the five selected time zones and the battery level of the watch is displayed in the upper-left-hand-corner of the app.

There's a super cool function - Time & Place - that captures the wearer's Latitude and Longitude, as well as current address and map, with just the push of a button.  

A great tool for the Real Estate Agent in all of us.

All of the watch's features can be addressed from the app, such as the Alarm, Countdown Timer and Reminder functions...

With any new timepiece, there are things we love, things we hate, and things we can live with. For example, I love that there is an accelerometer in the watch which activates the display light when it senses the wearer’s wrist turning over.  That said, I’m not crazy that the G-shock is not a fully-connected “Smart Watch” per se, in that it does not display text messages or allow for the control of the phone from the wrist, something I can live with. Wearing the watch for several months now, there is nothing that I hate.  The bracelet is well crafted and for some reason, the links do not catch the hair on my arm – something that cannot be said about a Rolex bracelet.

PROS:

• Extremely Lightweight
• Extremely Easy To Read
• Loaded With Cool Functions
• Easily Controlled With Smartphone App

 

CONS:

• Takes about three full days in the sun the completely charge.
• This is NOT a “smartwatch”.
• It does not display mobile phone information, such as text messages or email.
• Does not allow for the control of a smartphone from your wrist.

 

At the end of the day, I highly recommend this G-Shock. Casio has a couple of different styles to check out, including one that looks like camouflage (shown above). And sure, a sticker price of $1,700 may (G) shock you, so it's not for everyone. Of course, I hear you all saying, “But Scott, it’s not mechanical. It doesn’t have moving parts. You can't wind it. It doesn’t have a soul…”  And I really have no argument against those arguments.  What I do know is that I love it and it has a worthy place in an otherwise eclectic collection.

Cheers, Everyone.

-   Scott

SS [Some pictures courtesy Casio G-Shock Website]