I would have to say the most popular G-Shock model to be issued during my time in the service has to be the DW6900-1V. Its a rugged compact watch which had everything we needed at the time. However, with the advances of military technology and the changing facets of modern warfare more units are begging to issue out the iconic GW Rangeman. Great watches which are dependable and extremely utilitarian in nature; a perfect fit for military life.
G-Shock is a brand of watches manufactured by Casio, which is designed to resist mechanical shocks and vibrations. They are primarily designed for sports, military and outdoor-oriented activities. G-SHOCK watches have a distinct style, and nearly all have some kind of stopwatch feature, countdown time, and light and water resistance. A good feature is the cascading countdown timer that alternates between two defined intervals. The watch also has 4 daily alarms and 1 snooze; 1/100th-second stopwatch; 12/24 hr formats; full auto EL Backlight with afterglow, very good in the dark.
The illumination button does not illuminate the digital display, only the large white blocks light up, its cool looking but the function of watching the digital display is lost in the dark. Casio G-SHOCK watches have endless combinations of features. If you want all the bells and whistles, this is not the watch, you need to spend another couple of hundred. I’m not disappointed in my choice, as this is my second G-SHOCK, my first one is 15 years old and still working, and usable. G-SHOCK is a collection, the more you spend, the more options you get.
And that’s what Casio did with this watch, they wrapped the functions in a light, tough, all-black G-Shock watch, that’s also cool looking. Other specialized features that the watch has are the moon phase and tide graph, plus the dive time and surface interval measurement. It also has the other functions a normal G-Shock has, like a 1/100-second stopwatch with several modes, alarms, battery power indicator, power saving mode, and world time. The Frogman is solar powered, which makes it a virtually maintenance-free watch.
The GWM530A-1 is one of the sleeker looking G-Shock watches with a relatively low profile and has the Multi-Band 6 function for automatic time syncing. The watch automatically adjusts the time by receiving radio signals from the transmitter stations in the US, UK, Germany, Japan , and China. An advantage of this watch is that the digits on the LCD display are very large compared to other G-Shocks.
The watch is water resistant enough and has stood up well to the salt water. I loved this watch so much I bought another for my 15 year old son. Imagine our surprise when his high school basketball g shock watch showed up with one of these on his arm. The casio box that accompanies the watch is one of the best I have ever had. However, because of its rugged looks it doesn’t look bad at all.
Casio released the G-Shock in April 1983, to fill the demand for durable watches. Sales were sluggish in Japan as people preferred dress watches. In order to promote the G-Shock worldwide, the American division of Casio released a commercial in which an ice hockey player used the DW-5000C as a hockey puck to demonstrate the toughness of the watch. The commercial gained negative publicity and Casio was accused of false advertising. A TV news channel then set out to conduct live tests on the DW-5000C to check whether it was as tough and durable as advertised. The DW-5000C survived the impact of the hockey stick, and the G-Shock gained popularity among the general public.
The world time feature is perfect for the traveling person who needs to quickly switch time to wherever they are. The watch stores 48 different cities to select from, in 31 time zones. Our complete guide of G-Shock watches includes Solar Powered G-Shocks. If you see Tough Solar option or tag #G-Shock-Solar — it means that the watch is Solar Powered.