Seems to me when you talk about shocks they appear to come in waves. A bit like their planetary namesakes the Earthquakes/shocks, which apparently number somewhere a round 500,000 per year! Well obviously not in the same league here, but it would appear to me that Casio G-Shock models change and evolve just about weekly. New versions and new technology every time and somewhat expensive if you have to have the latest thing and I’ve known a few collectors in my time who did just that!
Anyway here’s one I’ve just spotted – the G-Shock Gulfmaster Triple Sensor Black/Blue . . .
Casio G-Shock Gulfmaster Triple Sensor
And I like this one as it seems to not only add a few wrinkles but has improved the night capability lighting and comes now with the addition to the usual ABC sensors, a Tide Graph and Moon complication. It also uses the newish “smart Access” crown switching system which apparently makes it easier to use – and that has to be a good thing. Solar Tough, so no battery issues, Radio Controlled with 6 Receivers and that Double LED lighting system in a case where the dimensions are not too bad for once.
Full LED double light system – much better at night.
44.9mm wide, 55.8 lug to lug and maybe still a bit thick at 16.2mm – but it looks smaller. I particularly like the analog time functions with decent solid hands, large hour markers and the numerical bezel, which incidentally make it look more like a conventional watch than most G-Shock models – and I like that. It also manages a reasonably uncluttered dial and that’s also good.
See what I mean about the night clarity – looks much better if this image is anything to go by and not before time in my opinion from Casio.
Price point is around $500 or less if you can get one so relatively light on the pocket and it’s still a light weight wrist item too at just 101 gms. So all in all I have to say I’m impressed.
But what to do with all my existing ones is a problem, which I have to say is an issue I’ve never had with my Patek Philippe! So maybe I’ll just watch and wait for the next one as there bound to be another shock tomorrow!
The technical wizardry of the 175 years celebration model from Patek Philippe is the Grandmaster Chime 5175. 7 years in development and 2 years to construct, this video give just a hint at the incredible vision and skill to produce such an amazing timepiece. One will stay at the Petek Philippe museum collection, so that makes 6 (only 7 are to be completed) – so maybe that Christmas present you were agonizing over is not too late?
The details I’ll leave to my friends at “A blog to watch” as it’s just a tad over my budget this year . . . . . . Another friend of mine said that it was about the size of his watch but heavier, I mean what’s better than my G-Shock? he said. . .
Of course I shot him and buried him just last Tuesday! Well he wanted another shock . . . 😉
If you haven’t seen it yet – here’s the video . . . .
Price I understand is (if you have to ask you’re out of your league) around $2.6mil – and no dud checks please!
Another model for the woman in your life, especially if you are not concerned about price. Nice if you have no concerns, though for the rest of us mortals who worry about bills, then I’d look elsewhere – but of course dreams and love are what makes the world go around, so who knows?
Laurent Ferrier Lady F
This is the Lady F from Laurent Ferrier – a Mother-or Pearl automatic masterpiece which includes the Galet Micro-Rotor. The case is a rounded 39mm to ensure a closer fit and comfort for a ladies’ wrist. As you see the dial is actually Mother-of-Pearl which in this case is stylized in texture and features “voluptuous arabesque motifs” according to Ferrier, “delicately interwoven foliage or refined detail of exquisite embroidery”. The dial also has a diamond @12 to enhance readability. The case itself is a beautifully sculpted affair with wonderful side panel in goodness knows what in stones (the web site doesn’t elaborate) though whatever they are, they look terrific. I also note the elegant little cabochon on the crown which compliments the dial. There is also an awful lot more going on in this watch than can be seen just in one image, but you can be sure it’s a special piece. Just got to make sure my better half (Wife) never sees this . . .
I’m dreaming . . . !
Note – For a mother-of-pearl dial ladies watch perhaps in a more realistic price range there is always the Certina DS Podium, which I featured recently. From one of the better Swiss Watch companies it makes extremely fine models across a varied price range. The DS Podium is a lovely watch, practical Quartz, elegant and yet very affordable.
Compass watches are always of interest to me, whether current or as in this case a Kickstarter project – which I understand is already fully funded and November this year should be available. Smith & Bradley are a fairly new US Company run by watch enthusiasts who decided that there was a niche in the market for a seriously practical model that might well be suited to the Law Enforcement profession or indeed any outdoor enthusiast too.
Smith & Bradley “Ambush” watch
This is the “Ambush” analog/digital model (I have a love of combi’s I admit) and this one appears to be pretty well specified. It uses a Swiss Quartz movement a digital display not unlike a Breitling Aerospace and a compass step motor function not unlike the Tissot T-Touch (though without the touch display). On first looks I rather like it. The 316 Stainless Steel 44mm diameter case (ex crown) is black PVD coated and the crystal is a coated Anti-reflection Sapphire. The case back is stainless steel and screw fit. Function wise it features Alarm, Digital Compass using the analog hands as pointers, Dual Time and Chronograph.
Great night vision – Superluminova analog and digital back light.
It also caters for night use by having SuperLuminova analog hands and also a selectable blue digital back light which seems pretty good. Battery life is around 39 months (Renata) and there is a low battery indicator. The Compass mode uses the Minute hand to point to True North (there are declination settings you can set) and interestingly the Hour hand with the red dot shows your heading in compass mode. The digital display will show all data for direction and heading in degrees.
I also like the fact (as in the night image) when the digital function is being used the analog hands will move out of the way to a default 10 -2 position, thus not obscuring the displays ( a feature of the Tissot T=touch also).
So an interesting watch on many levels for me in that they are non mainstream and yet have put a lot of thought into their watch. They have used a solid Swiss ana/digi movement and planned out the features very carefully and avoided the pitfall of many larger Brands – dial clutter. This dial in comparison is neat, functional and very legible – and they have my congratulations. Another feature is they use standard lug strap arrangements so NATO and other standard alternative straps can be easily used. Again well done!
This model also feature a 10Bar (100m) Water Resistance.
Sadly I never spotted this watch or indeed the Kickstarter promotion when it first appeared, so am very late to the table, but I’m sure once it appears and hopefully (or eventually) available to the general public – I’ll be there!
Once again I’ve chosen a watch model that represents not only a traditional elegance but also a masterpiece of Swiss watchmaking, the Laurent Ferrier Geneve Galet Traveller. This first appeared back in 2013 but as so often the case with true elegance models, is still as relevant today as it will be in 100 years.
This particular model is quite unique in it’s approach to dual or world time and use an interesting complication which at the same time is very simple to use. A single press using one of the two oblong push buttons on the left side of the case move the central hand forwards + or backwards -. At the same time the Date @3 automatically changes at midnight, to reflect your new setting, and the subtle 24hr Date @9 shows your true Home Time day and position.
The case is either white or red gold and the solid silver dial is in midnight blue with those elegant hour and minute hands plus a sub dial seconds @6. Note the centre of the dial is vertically brushed compared to the circular brushed minute ring, such is the attention to detail.A self winding automatic calibre with an offset micro rotor which encompasses the dual time functionality took over 2 years to fully develop, such is the technical challenge of this movement. Accuracy is exceptional and is certified Chronometer by Besancon Observatory.Each year another masterpiece appears from this excellent maker, though if you have to ask the cost, then you are unlikely to be able to afford it. But when you consider such a timepiece with many of today’s resin cased quartz complication watches – well there’s simply no comparison at all, for this watch is timeless perfection and as a collector – wow! (just checked my Stocks – and things are not looking good!) 😦
As everyone knows the Swatch watch is a bit of a collectors buzz. Watches that have color and whacky design features but that never stray off the fact that these are – watches. Their almost always easy to read, easy to ear and easy on the pocket. Some folks of course wouldn’t wear those cheap looking plastic things on their wrists if you paid them – but conversely will wear the latest G-Shock which if course if made from – you guessed it – plastic resin. However one of the good things about Swatch models is that invariably they do actually feature decent Swiss made quartz modules and some are surprisingly good. I am not going to talk about their new System 51 Automatic mechanical range, which I will touch on in a later Post.
Swatch xxSpeed model Chronograph Date watch.
Now I’m not a collector of Swatch (not their branded watches anyway, though I have Brands that are part of the Swatch group, though really feel I should be, being eclectic in my choices, so perhaps I’ll look at these a bit closer and maybe get one or two, just for fun.
I’ve picked out three I like the look of and here they are –
First is the Swatch xxSpeed Chronograph & Date model which is the largest one I’ve selected at 42mm width x 14mm depth. It features as expected a Plastic case, Silicon strap and plastic clasp and buckle and a Swiss Quartz movement. It also in the price range of under £100 at around £70 online, so is pretty decent value for money. I feel when considering sub £100 models that each should be more than just a watch telling the time. I like it to be as practical as possible, so tend to specify a Date function as a minimum requirement and this one has a bonus with the Chronograph.
Swatch “Once Again” model with White on Black.Swatch SUOB709 Date Date
Second is the Swatch “Once Again” White dial on black strap model GB743 and this is a very neat watch at just 33mm x 10mm depth, so is very much Unisex I suppose, but is a really clear reader AND has not just the Date but also the Day – AND magnified too, which is a good feature on a small watch. It has Luminous hands and once again a plastic case and silicon strap, 30m Water Resistance and weighs in at a featherweight 18 gms and is quite striking on the wrist with the stark white/black contrast. Swiss Quartz movement of course and costs around £32 online.
SUOB709 showing Battery hatch on rear.
The third and final model in this selection is the Swatch AUOB709 Day and Date and is the medium sized one here, also a Day and Date unmagnified this time, but very clear with it’s contrasting colorway and luminous hands. 41mm x 10mm depth it is quite slim so will fit the wrist rather well. even if small.
So decent Swiss quartz and all for just £47 it is as the others and pretty decent value and all three I think look pretty half decent on the wrist and regardless of what you are doing – out and about or dressed to kill and off to dinner in the old Tux! And because they are liberally spread about in the celebrity world and used by so many these days, they are always in fashion.
And that’s always a good trick if you can do it . . . .
Note – The original Swatch Watch concept came into it’s own in 1983 and started a revolution in the Swiss Watch Industry when they used just 51 parts system in quartz models and a fully automated assembly line production process. This resulted in an amazing and very affordable range of models.
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NEWS –
Thirty years later Swatch have expanded that idea and produced what they consider is another breakthrough by introducing the Sistem51, which applies now to mechanical automatic movement watches. This is an Automatic (self winding – no batteries) movement with just 51 parts. Comprising 5 separate modules which are welded into a single unit and centred on a single screw. When you consider that conventional mechanical movements have at least twice that number of components and some 500 or 600, it is in many ways a mini-revolution in watch production. This series of watches are produced by maybe the first fully automated assembly process in the World.
However for me it seems rather ironic that with less movement parts you’d be forgiven for thinking the watch would be smaller – well, from what I’ve seen it’s not – isn’t that odd? – However, maybe time will tell and it’s early days.
Like most automatics the movement is wound by the movement of your wrist, but unconventionally and controversially, in my opinion, the watch movement is also now hermetically sealed. It is also anti-magnetic too with the use of copper, zinc alloy and nickel AND the watch never (can’t) needs serviced AND it has a huge 90-hour Power Reserve!
This of course sounds great, though personally I’m disappointed by the first range of the Sistem51 models, which dial wise I find difficult to read owing to dial clutter. This is a pity as has nothing to do with their new movement concept at all, but perhaps a poor visual design of dial features and colours etc.
Hopefully this will change with new models coming out as I write and I hope to feature a few of them in a future Post.
Note – All watches featured in this Post are Quartz and NOT Sistem51 which are automatic mechanical watches and which I hope to feature in a future Post.
And here’s some more Quartz Swatch models –
Swatch “Summer Socks” SUON110 quartz – Approx £45 online.Swatch “Generation 31” with Date indicator. Model SUOW400 – Approx £47 onlineSwatch “Dr Swatson” Chrono and Date model in Aluminium. Model: YCM006AG – Approx £115 online.
As an eclectic collector of watches the subject of favorites is always somewhat fluid, simply because my collection changes. Some models are sold on, others bought and so my “favorites” might change over the years, though I confess that over the last few years my two favorite Quartz models have remained unchanged. However with my latest addition of the Tissot Expert T-Touch Solar, I might have to make it three favorites, though it will still be on probation as it were. It takes time for any watch model to gain this exalted position and I’ll see how it fares in 6 months time. I know my two firm favorites will still be there, but will the Tissot?
Anyway here are my two established favorites and with the reasons (to me) of why they are my favorites.
My Quartz favorites – The Breitling Aerospace and the Citizen AT World Time
The first, on the left, is my Breitling Aerospace model that I bought about 15 years ago and effectively my daily beater ever since. It’s well traveled, having been around the world a few times and often in places that you wouldn’t send your dog. A fitting testament to the longevity of a Titanium case and solid bracelet is that it still looks great! It has one bezel screw missing I note and I’m pretty sure that was when I had it in for a service some years ago, though I never noticed until about 6 months ago. The sapphire crystal is unmarked with not even the tiniest scratch on it and the casing and bracelet seem almost as new. I do note the bezel has a smoothness to it which has to be cuff wear (if you could call that wear) and that’s about the only thing that says it’s not showroom.
Why I bought it in the first place was that this was a multi-function model with only a single crown (I don’t like much the conventional chronograph pushers) and the dial clarity stood out even in the shop window. The fact that the deceptively exterior hides a really good digital function set and a high quality movement was of course the true bonus. In fact I’d set this against any of today’s quartz models.
It’s over a year since I last adjusted this which was during the Winter to Summer Time change and instead of just moving the Hour, I corrected the time as well and checking it today, it’s running just 32 seconds fast – and that’s impressive.
Breitling Aerospace Quartz – one of the clearest dials you’ll ever see.
However back to the watch – First the standard dial view shows the Time in analog and I have it set to show the Day and Date on the highly visible Fluorescent digital display. Using the center crown you can show the Seconds plus Date, the Time in Hours, Minutes and Seconds, Alarm Time, Chronograph, Dual Time or T2 in Hrs/Mins/Secs, and Timer. When setting the Time, this is done via the crown which has both turn and push functions and the analog hands follow as required. Each function is accompanied by an icon/text on the upper digital display to confirm your selection and all functions are selected and controlled by that single Crown.
For night use the hands, indices and numerals are coated in excellent and effective luminous material, though there is no back light so there is no digital vision in the dark. However I only ever want to see the time at night so no worries for me.
The Breitling is also a very neat size at 40mm diameter and with only 9mm depth is sleek to say the least in comparison with more modern watches, even Breitling. The Sapphire crystal with anti-reflect coatings plus the dial layout with no inner reflections make this one of the clearest watches you will ever see and the minute hand with it’s pivot overhang gives a subtle clarity when reading the time.
Probably if honest this is my absolute favorite and it certainly gets the most wrist time of all my watches.
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Favorites in Quartz
My second “favorite” is this quartz Citizen Eco-Drive World Calendar A-T CB0020-09E and in my opinion one of the best models ever produced (and still produced) by Citizen. It is 45mm diameter including the crown but only 11mm in depth and at 49mm lug to lug and whilst it appears larger is actually an easy fit even on small wrists. Stainless Steel case and 200m Water Resistance with screw down crown, Radio Controlled (5 receivers) and Solar Powered (Eco-Drive) it’s a true wear and forget watch. No battery worries, always accurate to the second and has a superb World Time analog function that’s simply unbeatable in operation.
Good luminous hands and indices, a Date aperture @3, which features a Perpetual Calendar plus a quick indicator of the Radio Control state. It will receive a signal starting at 2am and with this particular watch even worn continuously it manages to pick up the signal every time (no need for standing on a window ledge overnight), despite a considerable distance from the nearest transmitter in Germany ( I live in Scotland). This is a point I have noticed before when checking Casio and Citizen – the Citizens appear to have greater sensitivity. The signal can be verified using the pusher @4, one push and the Second hand acts as a pointer and indicates on the option window @9 (yes or no) and of course there is a manual option which is – push and hold. Summer and Winter Time adjustments are Automatic, but have an ON/Off option and if you pull the crown to position 2 it will indicate if this is selected on the small window between 4 and 5.
The Citizen AT World Time – the very best for traveling.
For travel it’s simplicity itself. Simply pull out the center crown to position 1. The Second hand will instantly point to your Home Time Zone (in the UK it’s London) which is noted around the fixed bezel. The Time Zones are also marked on the outer ring within the dial. To change the Time Zone, simply turn the crown and the seconds hand will point to the City Time Code you wish, then push in the Crown. The analog hands will immediately move to the correct time for that Zone – and that’s it – done! Possibly the easiest travel time setting you’ll ever meet – I love it.
Now – does the Tissot T-touch warrant a “favorite” title – well maybe time will tell . . .
My model has a very flexible Citizen rubber/silicon deployment band with a twin button release and is very comfortable and I almost forgot, IF you need to change the Date (though you should never have to as it’s Automatic and Perpetual anyway) it can be adjusted with a small pin push just above the crown.
I’ve had this watch now for 5 years and it’s never missed a beat and is as good as new – what can I say? In fact if honest I rarely use the many functions that are available on watches these days and the Citizen does what I want. And as I do travel a bit to various Countries even today, the Time Zone change function is perfect for me.
So for a good few years now those two have been my wearable “favorite” quartz models and I’m toying with the idea of adding the Tissot Solar T-Touch Expert – though that’s a still a “maybe” for at least the next 6 months. But one thing I do know – the two models featured above will still be there as my quartz favorites whatever the outcome of any new acquisition and that’s a fact . . . .
The most stylish and refreshingly “wow factor” model I’ve seen from this new Brand, which once again is inspired by the 1950’s Italian roadster racing cars and in this particular color combination is my favorite model.
The fabulous Autodromo Stradale
Unlike the last model, the Monoposto which sported a Meca-Quartz hybrid design movement, this is a full mechanical automatic, the Miyota 9015, which I have always reckoned a very good movement indeed. It has useful features such as – seconds hacking, 24 jewels, quick date correction, second hand reset and good shock resistance. I also prefer the styling of this model, though I personally love every model that Officine Autodromo have produced so far. I understand the Brooklyn based Company was founded in 2010 and the first models launched in 2011 by designer (industrial) Bradley Price and there are some designers I reckon – and he is one of them.
Exhibition back view of the Miyota 9015 Automatic
The Stradale is a really stylish and beautifully finished model with Sapphire Crystal and is a neat size at 40mm diameter by only 10.8mm depth. The “floating” appearance of the K1 glass numerals disc gives the dial a subtle “depth” and clarity. And the slightly eccentric vintage position of the wire attached lugs being low on the case, give the watch a real stand out look on the wrist and coupled with the 18mm padded leather strap is just perfect.
Best described by simply seeing it’s picture.
It’s really nice to see a watch a million miles away from the macho, high tech look of the ubiquitous “military” style shock this and shock that, which seem to dominate the market today. I know as I have plenty of them! But this – is something rather special.
Wow! I think I MUST have one! (at around $750 (£550) – it’s a lovely thing) . . . . 😉
Addendum – One of the problems I tend to find, with a watch like this one – it’s so good, that I can guarantee you won’t find it anywhere, say in a couple of years time. So, if you want this one – my advice is – get it now!
My last Post featured the fashion watch Infantry but got me thinking. One of my passions today is the combo watch, that is one with both analog and digital displays and I also like the concept of the “military” watch and whilst maybe not the official Mil Spec, I like to get as many of the same attributes I can. What I’m NOT looking for here is a “fashion” watch, but one with serious features and functions that work as they are supposed to.
The finding of a serious military combo watch however is surprisingly difficult as so many models fall short in some manner. Such as back lights that don’t illuminate the dial data effectively, or luminous hands that are not, or over cluttered dial configurations, or even lack of intuitiveness requiring an instruction booklet with you at all times! Now the watch can be simple or complicated but it has to have the basics right, such as good Water Resistance, shock resistance, solid case preferably matte and non-shiny, good night legibility and a sensible function set.
Now funnily enough it’s quite easy to find a digital only model that fits the requirements and one of the better ones (and there are quite a few I have to say) is the Casio 120CM-5 and @$130 easily manages the brief – as do many of it’s variants.
Casio 120CM-5 Camo Digital only
So when looking for my ideal “Mil Spec” style “military combo” model, whilst I could list the requirements, it’s actually easier to check out what’s available and then judge them accordingly as OK or not OK and say why . . .
I checked out quite few Casio models and was surprised when it came to combo watches that this was much more difficult than first thought. Often the models had non luminous analog hands and many were skeleton and often not easily seen against considerable background dial clutter, what with all the various indicators on the dial face. Needless to say none of those interested me at all and each for one or other of these reasons failed to meet my requirements
One feature that really annoyed me was the apparent lack of decent illumination for night use. Without luminous hands Casio have attempted to light the entire face with a light at the edge of the dial, which was only partially successful if, at all – lighting analog hands from the side just doesn’t work too well. But in providing such a dial light the digital display was left in darkness without a dedicated back light. Now OK that doesn’t bother me too much as at night I basically want to see the time, not fiddle around with digital settings and so on.
However this is a poor do – conventional watches with luminous hands, if decent quality, are fine for night use, whereas many of these modern analog/digital models don’t feature luminous hands at all – and I don’t understand why not. Surely specifying luminous hands eliminates the need for a dial light and by having it allows for the usual relatively simple Casio digital back light (as the Casio 120CM-5 watch shown here). Surely this makes sense?
But it doesn’t appear so as almost all current models feature rather poor dial and digital lighting and few luminous anything – indeed judging my comments on many video reviews it’s a bone of contention, though tacitly accepted whereas I won’t accept it at all. And this is a shame as I’ve discounted most combo Pro-Treks and the majority of G-Shocks for not only that issue but a few other basic reasons as well, such as lack of clarity either owing to dial clutter and/or poor night use, or for being too large. Two downsides it has to be said with many G-Shock case covers is that some models are too big for my wrist and the control buttons difficult both to find and operate amongst what I see as over-protective shrouds.
So, did I find anything that does suit me and meet my basic needs – and here I look at alternatives to Casio first.
Leaving the G-Shock style for a moment this Divers model from St Moritz – the Momentum Format 4 is actually a very good combo and though not military in any sense, it certainly features many of the required elements and does them very well.
St Moritz Momentum Format 4 Combo Divers model
Good broad luminous analog hands and numerals, an excellent clear pair of digital displays and a decent function set too, such as World Time, Chronograph and Alarms etc. It also has a very tough construction stainless satin finished case with screw down crown and 200m Water Resistance. For night use this combination of lume plus excellent digital back lighting is not far short of perfect and is well worthy of consideration in my view.
Another Brand to consider obviously is Timex and this model, which I’ve owned for some time now is the Timex Expedition T49967. It has a decent analog dial with luminous hour/minute hands and a digital display, shock proof resin case construction, 200m Water Resistance, non-reflective body and what I’d call a sensible function set of Chronograph, Time and Alarm, which is fine for most of us and in my opinion a really underrated model and at around £60+ mark is still currently great value.
As for night use, it uses the patented Timex “Indiglo” back light system. This is a light source behind the dial and everything is read in silhouette and within the digital display the black digital numerals intriguingly stand out light against a dark background, which is the opposite to what shows in daytime. It also has a standard strap fitting which I replaced with silicon deployment strap. I can confirm I’ve been very, very pleased with this Timex ever since I bought it as it’s a get and forget type of watch, good value and I’d recommend it to anyone.
There are some other models around that I’m also interested in, one of which has to be the new Tissot “Touch” Solar which could well be in a class of it’s own (watch out Casio – it’s ABC, neater, smaller, light and at night it’s brilliant). Not available till September though, so in the meantime I’ll feature another combo model, which I’ll review possibly in my next Post. And this is a Casio again and currently has to be one of my favorites. And with so many variants of G-Shock, Solar Tough and Pro-Trek it’s sometimes overlooked, though has an interesting function set – and at night it isn’t too shabby . . .
Very often a bone of contention are the straps and bracelets used on G-Shock models and some are easier than others to change. My old favorite the Casio DW5600-E is one such model and fortunately the PU strap/bracelet is one of the easier ones to manage.
New deployment strap fitted.
The original strap is a buckle type and I’ve never really suited these divers style affairs as my wrist is relatively small and I much prefer the rubber deployment style – easier and quicker to get on and off and is flat on the wrist side, so always more comfortable. OK you do have to cut them to fit, but of little consequence as they’re not expensive, easily obtainable and not tied to any particular watch model or type.
So what did I do to get my silicon deployment strap fitted?
First off, the DW5600E is a favorite for a few reasons. One it is a neat size for a G-Shock as it’s 43.6mm across the center though the lug to lug is over 50mm and actually larger than it needs to be with the standard Casio strap fitted, owing to the under-strap molding that holds the strap out from the case. This in fact is another reason for the strap change, but more of that later.
1) Remove the G-Shock case cover – using recessed side screws. (note 16mm spring bars)
So first thing is to get at the strap/case fitting and the spring bars (fortunately this model still uses the tried and tested spring bars between the lugs for the strap fixing). For access it’s much easier therefore to remove the outer G-Shock resin over-case and this is easy by simply unscrewing the 4 screws on the side of the case (not the false indents on the top of the case). These are recessed but easy to access. Once removed simply hook your finger nail under one side of this case cover to clear the push buttons and the case cover is removed completely as shown. Now we can get at the spring bars much more easily and remove the original strap.
Note that the spring bars/strap fittings are only 16mm but the case at the lugs is actually 25mm wide.
Now a standard 16mm strap whilst it would fit easily, would look silly being far too narrow on the watch, so I’m going to fit a 24mm wide silicon deployment strap, but cut down to 16mm at the ends. And this is very easy to do with a Stanley knife or similar as you’re basically just cutting off the corners of the strap end. Measuring my 16mm I cut perhaps 4mm back into the strap (any more you’ll get gaps showing where the strap meets the case) both side of the strap and fitted it to the case to see how it looked.
2) Corners cut off replacement deployment strap to 16mm and check fit to case (with G-Shock case cover removed) and note cut strap parts on bench.
This was fine and I slipped on the spring bars with a bit of WD40 as they are quite chunky and the strap hole at the end is relatively narrow and fitted the strap with spring bars to the case.
I then replaced the G-Shock case cover which also covered the strap ends, so it looked really neat. And here is where the dimension of the finished watch differ from the original. The top to bottom or lug to lug measurement is now under 50mm and the strap can flex down to fit smaller wrist than before and look great. It also has the benefit of allowing the watch to sit upright on a table as for this first image and not have to sit on it’s side.
New strap fitted – looks good.
As you see the 24mm wide deployment strap fits nicely to the case and looks as if it was made for it – which it was of course!
So that’s my favorite G-Shock re-strapped to suit me and it wasn’t difficult to manage at all – no conversion parts required and the total cost around £7 for the new deployment strap and around 20 minutes of my time with basic tools and a coffee after I checked the fit of the strap before refitting the G-Shock cover.
Strap now flexes direct from spring bars – fits small wrists. (note side recessed screws for G-Shock case cover removal).
This watch will now fit smaller folks with a small wrist as the strap flexes around the actual spring bars and not held stiffly out from the case at right angles. This is a bug bear I have with other models with molded bracelets and strap as you cannot lay the watch down on it’s lug ends, upright, but rather you have to lay them on their sides. I can take this watch off my wrist, put it on the bedside cabinet upright and facing me and I can easily read the time.
Tools required – Bergeron spring bar tool, screwdriver, knife (Pliers not needed after all here).
As to other straps – you can very also easily fit a NATO strap and again make sure you get a 24mm wide one, then at the position of the spring bars, cut out small areas either side to fit the 16mm lug neatly. Just a pair of scissors and a spring bar tool required and that’s it – job done. The neat thing about the G-Shock case cover is that it extends slightly larger than the actual watch case, so hides any intolerance you may have done when fitting/cutting. In fact I fitted a fast wrap strap to a friends G-Shock a few months ago (he’s one of those rugged types that climbs things and treks everywhere) and his friends have been really, really envious when they see his particular G-Shock combo.
It sometimes amazes me the odd conversions people do to change straps and yes often they can be tricky to manage and yet I’ve found that the simplest ways are invariably the best. All too often a complicated solution can be looked at again and re-appraised in the light of simplicity. Could I do this simpler way, a better way and more often than not – a cheaper way?
Might be one of the other reasons I like this particular Casio DW5600E.
It’s really quite basic function set is absolutely fine for me, Time, Day, Date, Month, Year and 12hr or 24hr selectable time display, an Alarm (daily, by date or monthly with auto repeat) function with selectable dial light flash. It also sounds for a decent 20 seconds. A Stopwatch and Countdown function. I also like the fact that when using other functions, the Time is always indicated on the upper right portion of the dial – very useful. It’s got a 200m Water resistance and it’s as tough as old boots!
And now it’s got the strap I like on it – what could be better?
New strap fitting – neat and the right size width at 25mm.New strap fitted – job doneDeployment means flat on the wrist – for a neat fit.
Watch space 
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