This month marks the 40th anniversary of the original G-Shock digital watch, and to help mark the occasion, Casio is releasing a handful of variants based on the original design, including a model that packs it all with state-of-the-art fitness tracking technology and an optical heart rate monitor.
Originally developed by a Casio engineer as an attempt to design an ultra-durable watch that could withstand a 32-foot drop, the first G-Shock model, the DW-5000C, was released in Japan in 1983, thanks to multiple layers of rubber, steel, and shock-absorbing foam. Inside it protects its electronics, it can survive a beating and a dip and only needs a new battery every 10 years. It also features a design that has become a symbol of perpetual digital time display.
Among the DW-5000C tributes coming from Casio this year is GW5000U-1, which looks very similar to the original version. I got A basic split LCD screen, but it also has A few upgraded features including improved waterproofing, a rechargeable battery powered by solar panels built into the face, and a broadcast capture antenna that allows the watch to set the time precisely on its own. functionally, G-Shock GW5000U-1 A far cry from the smartwatches available today, but the new G-Shock DWH5600 comes very close.
Available in two colorways, the new Casio G-Shock DWH5600 watch features the same recognizable square face as previous entries in the line, and although it’s slightly larger than the DW-5000C, it takes advantage of its size to add an optical heart rate screen, and a scale. Accelerometers to track steps and other physical activities, Bluetooth connectivity to a smartphone so it can display notifications and take advantage of the phone’s GPS for more accurate fitness tracking.
The new DWH5600 also includes solar charging, but sunlight alone isn’t enough to keep the watch fully charged when using its more advanced features regularly, so a wired charger is also included. On a full charge, which takes about three hours, the watch will run for about a week when using the added fitness features for an hour a day. wLeft the whole time, they will die in about 35 hours. There is also a watch-only mode It bumps battery life to about a month, but turning that on seems to negate the whole reason to choose this upgraded model.
Fitness tracking isn’t as solid as what you’ll find in Larger G-Shock models are now available, but they can keep tabs on walks, runs, and even gym workouts, and thanks to a partnership with Polar, the health data collected can also be leveraged to calculate a user’s cardiac load, blood oxygen levels, and even sleep quality. All of this data is also presented on a new full-pixel display with improved backlighting, which is the most visible upgrade over the DWH5600, and a welcome improvement over the retro-looking piecemeal LCDs this line has been using for decades.
Other features on the DWH5600 include the standard functions you’ll find in most digital watches today, including 200-meter water resistance, world time adjustments with sunrise and sunset times, a 100-hour stopwatch, a 60-minute countdown timer, and four daily alarms. With snooze, and silent vibration alerts. Both colors on the G-Shock DWH5600 are Available for pre-order through the Casio website for $299with full availability beginning May 19.
(tags to translation) Casio