G-Shock Model Reviews

Welcome back to our regular column (and for those just joining us, where have you been??)! Today I’ll be reviewing the GBA-400 series of watches, also known as the G’Mix.

Now, we stock these models come in three different colours. Red, Grey and Black, so it should suit quite a few different tastes. What makes these watches different is the Bluetooth capability. I’ll talk about all this in the next few paragraphs, as well as what other features make the GBA-400 stand out. As always, if I find something negative to say, that’ll be in this column as well (I want you guys to get the full picture before committing to the watch!). So let’s get to it!

We’ll start with the basics. The G’Mix is an analogue/digital combo watch, so you have a digital display at the top and bottom, and through the whole face of the watch you have the analogue hands. A great advantage of that is this makes the display area much larger, so you don’t have to squint your eyes trying to see small numbers (which can happen with some digital only displays).

Now, some people complain that ana-digi combos have one glaring weakness; the hands get in the way of the digital display. So, Casio decided to fix this. If the arrows get in the way of the display, there’s a button you press, which will move the analogue hands out of the way, and after a while put them right back. This helps the visibility tremendously.

Now that we’ve got the basics over with, let’s get to the real meat of these features. First of all, the watch is radio controlled. Now, for those who don’t know what that means, it doesn’t mean you can control the watch with a remote, but the time is automatically updated every night, so you don’t have to worry about daylight savings, or when you’re travelling overseas. Your watch will automatically know the correct time and adjust itself accordingly (just like a smartphone)!

And speaking of smartphones, that’s what you need to get the full benefit from these watches. What you do, is download an app called G’Mix (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.casio.gmixapp&hl=en or . https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/gmix-app/id878523026?mt=8) This connects your phone with the watch and if you have music on your phone, your watch will find it and you’ll be able to turn the music on just by pressing a button or moving the rotary switch.

The app doesn’t just give you control over the music. There’s a Shzam-like software as well. Now for those who aren’t in the know, Shazam is an app that’ll give you info about any background music (IE what the song is called, the name of the singer, etc…). This puts all of the information right on your phone, and it shows up at the top of the screen.

Another cool function is what’s known as the “Sounder” mode. Say you have a favourite song in your playlist (up to 6 favourite songs). Instead of looking for it in your playlist, assign it to one of the watch buttons, and when you press that watch button, the song will start playing. No more searching through tons of files just to find the one you’re looking for near the bottom of the pile!

So this watch really makes things easy if you like music, and easy to read because of the large display. Now while it does sound like a smartphone, you can’t send any SMSes or see who’s calling. But on the plus side, smartphones, while light, don’t have enough material covering them in case you get in an accident or bump your wrist. The Shock Resistance Casio is famous for makes that issue a moot point in the GBA-400 series).

Now while there are lots of positives to this model, there are a few negatives I have to mention. Quite a few people have complained about the positioning of the rotary dial. If you wear the watch on your right hand, then the dial is a bit difficult to operate.

The Battery life as indicated by Casio’s website is also a bit misleading. They say it will last two years, but it depends on how much you’re using the Bluetooth features, since from experience Bluetooth does take quite a chunk of power. Still it’s better than most smartwatches that I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of trying. Those needed to be recharged pretty much every day.

The other bad thing is the compatibility. Now, while the app is compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S5, some older models as well as some Note models aren’t represented (including the Note 4). This is bound to be fixed soon but still a bit disappointing to see.

Well that’s all for today. Hope you enjoyed my article and if you have any questions, comment and I’ll do my best to answer.

Until Next Time! Jimmy B.

Welcome back to my column on specific G-Shocks. This week I’ve decided to focus on a very sturdy exploring model, the Gulfmaster. There’s a reason why it’s earned the moniker of MASTER, and you’ll get to find out why in the next few minutes. Excited yet? Here we go!

Knowing that this watch would be used by explorers, Casio knew they would have to make it tough enough to withstand any environment. Well, this watch definitely delivers. On top of the 200m water resistance and 100m shock resistance, it has a unique feature called Tough Movement. This is a godsend if you’re  in rough terrain or trip and jostle the watch. You see, when an analogue watch is hit, the arrows would most likely get knocked out of place. With ana-digi combos, that will mean your analogue and digital time would be different. Tough Movement gets around that issue by automatically putting the hands back to where they belong, so you’ll never have to worry about that issue!

To complement this, we have Tough Solar. Now, I have talked about this in my previous columns, but for those that are new (or have a bad memory), Tough Solar is a small range of solar panels fitted around the display. These panels are so powerful that even the smallest amount of light is enough to charge up the battery, giving you a practically unlimited supply charge, so unless things go catastrophically wrong, you won’t have to change your batteries.

One of the most impressive features is the “Smart Access”. This is kind of hard to explain but stick with me. Casio inserted a special crown switch, which allows you to switch to almost any function just by turning the crown. So you don’t have to keep tapping on the buttons to get to a compass, altimeter, stopwatch, etc. It’s impressive and really helpful!

Of course this wouldn’t be a review of the Gulfmaster without talking about why it is so good for explorers. Toughness aside, this has a triple sensor (which is actually four different sensors but for some reason Casio kept it as “triple sensor”. You have a digital compass with a bearing memory (so you can tell whether you’re still walking in the right direction). The thermometer helps you know how cold it is outside, so you know how many layers to put on. An Altimeter is there if you’re a mountain climber, as it can tell you how far up you’ve climbed. The barometer is the final piece of this triple sensor puzzle. If you’re up in a plane, this helps not only measure the pressure outside but will also give you an idea of what the weather will be like, helping you prepare for any turbulence.

To be honest, the only negative I’ve found with this watch is that it’s NOT for beginners. You need to know what you’re doing and why you’re getting this watch. But in all other respects this watch is an amazing piece of technology.

There are tons of other features, which would take at least a few more pages to discuss, so I’ll leave you here. If you’d like to see our full range of GWO watches, click HERE

The next generation of the G-LIDE is here! Welcome to Jimmy B’s Guide to Casio Watches and today, I’ll be talking to you about the latest in a series of models designed to help surfers (whether professional or amateurs).

The G-LIDE series has been around for a long time. First released in 1996, the G-LIDE had many features that surfers needed. Apart from a tide graph, it was the first watch in the Casio range to feature a countdown timer (which was primarily used so that surfers would know how much time they had left). It also had 200m water resistance, and its straps were designed to hold and slowly drain the water while you surf, so you didn’t have to worry about your watch in the middle of the competition.

Now of course there were some downsides, (such as having to manually enter the coordinates to receive the correct tide conditions, as well as the battery not lasting as long as people wanted), but for its time, the GLX was considered one of the best watches for its market. Well, as Bob Dylan famously sang, “The Times, they are-a-changing!” The GLX has transformed into the GWX, and the design, along with the features have only improved!

With the early GLX series, the watch display was square, as Casio thought it might make things easier to see. The GWX8900C keeps the band design the same, but the display is more rounded. Now, usually you would only see the rounded display in the analogue/digital combos, but here this turned out to be a good idea, because all of the features are much easier to see (especially the tide graph).

Now, remember how I said one of the problems was always having to input coordinates? Casio decided to simplify this by adding Multi-Band 6 Atomic Time Keeping. That’s technical talk but it basically means wherever you are in the world, Casio would at specific times receive a satellite signal, which will change the time automatically. This also has the happy side effect of the watch already knowing where you are and updating the tide graph accordingly.

If that’s not enough, if for some reason your watch hasn’t updated yet, one of the added functions of the tide graph was to have 100 global preset tide sites! That means practically any competition you’re at, you should be able to find the graph just by going through the menu.

The second issue people had, as mentioned earlier, is the battery power. Well Casio thought, if you’re always outside, why not take advantage of this? So in the GWX Series, the battery is Tough Solar, with panels going all around the face. This means whenever you’re out practicing or in a competition, you’re already charging your watch, so it will last you a LONG time!

Casio knew they had a winner on their hands, but of course they were worried people would lose these watches. That’s why these watches needed a little something to ensure that if you do lose them, there’s a good chance you can find them again. All of the GWX series, along with the earlier GLX and BLX (the female version of the G-Lide), come in extremely bright colours (the model I’m reviewing for instance, is bright green), so you can find them a lot easier!

One final feature I’ll be talking about is the backlight. Now, if you’re familiar with Casio watches, you know they all have a backlight to help you see the time more clearly. With this model though, they increased the brightness, as well as leaving an afterglow for a few seconds. This makes things so much easier to see than before, it definitely deserves the name of Super Illuminator!

Now, this wouldn’t be a review without bringing up the downsides, and unfortunately there were a couple that I found. Not deal breakers or anything, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting this up without letting you know.

Firstly, the watch is BIG. So if you have a small wrist, this will look too big on your wrist. Now this doesn’t mean it’s heavy (it only weighs 71.2g), but it might look weird unless your wrist is big.

The other issue is with the display. While it is pretty big, the design has the Tide Graph sometimes overshadowing the numbers, making them a bit smaller than what you might be used to, and if you have bad eyesight, you might sometimes struggle to read the time.

That’s about it though. I personally loved the design of this new generation, and think if you’re a surfer, then this watch is perfect for you.

Until Next Time,

Jimmy B.

When you’re out and about, whether hiking or just exploring the great outdoors, there are quite a few essentials. Welcome to Jimmy B’s Guide to Casio, and today you’ll be learning about one such watch that not only has the basics covered, but is one of the go to watches for the pros. In case the title didn’t give it away, I’m talking about the Casio ProTrek PRW6000Y-1D.

The latest in the popular ProTrek series, this watch is tough, from the strap to the functions. It uses the next generation of Resin Bands and adds carbon fibres to it, so that it’s practically impossible to rip, no matter what conditions you’re in.

The display is protected by a mineral glass, which is hard to scratch and should keep it safe when you’re buffeted by winds or falling over due to obstacles (or inebriation, but I’m not here to judge).

Now, while this is technically considered an analogue/digital watch, this model is 90% analogue based, reserving the digital display for the many sensors. You can still use it for time keeping of course, but just thought you should know that’s not all the digital display is there for.

The Protrek technically has two compasses. There’s the one that uses your analogue arrows as the bearing, and then it also shows up on your digital display, which I personally think is great since it’s sometimes hard to tell whether you’re going north west, south east, or so many other directions. Plus it also has a bearing memory, which means it saves the last few directions you were going in, and you can tell whether you’re heading the right way.

If you’re climbing mountains, there are two major features you need. Firstly is the Altimeter. Again this is where the digital display shines. It will tell your altitude in meters and feet. Since it also comes with a barometer, it can help you cope with any drops in atmospheric pressure, so you can be ready for anything (which if you’re a mountain climber can save your life!)

The other important feature to have is a thermometer. If your trip takes a few days, you need to know how much to get rugged up and what to leave in your bag. The thermometer has a range of between

-10^oc to 60^o

Also vital to your success, and sometimes your survival when you’re climbing mountains, is to keep track of exactly how high and far you’ve gone. It’s also useful to know if you have to document it. Well the ProTrek doesn’t let you down in this regard either! Just like the compass remembers your bearings, the watch logs exactly how high you’ve climbed, your accumulated ascent and descent, as well as your highest and lowest altitudes. You can save up to 30 records, which will also include the date and time of each measurement.

The digital display, as you can probably tell, plays a very important role, so it can be annoying when the arrows keep getting in the way. That’s no longer an issue because the ProTrek comes with a feature which moves the hands out of the way for a small amount of time, letting you get your bearings before moving the hands back exactly where they were.

Because the watch is made for exploring, Casio didn’t want you to have to worry about battery power, so this watch is solar powered. Chances are you’ll have your watch exposed to the light at some point while running, biking, hiking or climbing!

Now, as you know it wouldn’t be a review without the negatives, and I’m happy to say there’s not many. One of the biggest issues though is with the thermometer. You see, to make sure it’s accurate you need to take it off your wrist (otherwise your body temperature interferes with it. Since the watch is mostly black, that means you need to at least put it somewhere that’s easy to find, or you might have a very hard time (I speak from experience, since I have a black mobile phone)!

Other than that, the only issue is that there are too many functions for newbies. It may get quite confusing the first week or so, but you’ll get the hang of it quite easily.

I hope this was informative.

Until Next Time!

Jimmy B.

Are you a Motorbike fan? Are you a runner who needs an accurate stopwatch? Do you want a watch that’s reliable and protected from the elements? Welcome to Jimmy B’s Guide to Watches, and if you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this review is for you. Today, I’ll be reviewing the GA-120 series in the G-Shock range, and giving you a rundown of its most impressive features. As with all my other reviews, the negatives will come near the end. Is everybody ready? Buckle up kids, and let’s roll!

First thing you need to know about this series, is it comes in two colours; Black/Red, and White/Blue. They look mostly the same but it does seem easier to see the white version’s digital display than the black/red.

When you first look at the watch, one of the observations popping into your mind may be that Casio sent it out before it was complete. After all, you can actually see the gears! That’s not a mistake, they did it on purpose to emphasise the metallic look of this model. Not only that, but the digital dial displays actually look like motorbike brake discs. That may not mean much to the casual watch users, but motorbike fans will definitely appreciate the attention to detail.

Now, some of you may be worried about the metal gears being left exposed. after all, magnetic waves can really do a number on some analogue watches (hence why most watches have their gears hidden and shielded). Casio was one step ahead though, and made the GA-120 series Magnetic Resistant. So, unless you’re near an industral strength magnet, I’d say you’re pretty safe!

I mentioned at the start how this watch would be great for runners, or anybody who needs an accurate stopwatch. That’s because the GA-120 series has a 1/1000th-second stopwatch. Now, this is something that’s been used by officials at the Olympics, as well as the Grand Prix, so that’ll give you an example of just how accurate it is. But another great feature not really talked about is a speed indicator. Once you finish your lap, input the distance in meters, and it’ll give you an approximation of how fast you were going on that lap. Perfect for racers and trainers alike!

Remember the part about being protected from the elements? Thsi watch is not just shock resistant (meaning if you drop it up to 100m it’ll still work), but also 200m water resistant. So swimmers, not only can you time yourselves in the pool, you don’t have to worry about the water clogging up the watch (just careful about pressing the buttons while you’re submerged), So now, you can work out come rain or shine!

So those are all the good points, but I feel I should mention the bad points too. The digital display in the GA-120-1A is quite hard to read since it’s white writing on black display.

The other downside is one that’s unfortunately common in ana/digi combos. When you use the backlight, only the analogue part lights up, so if you want to use it at night, make sure you can read the arrows.

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Feel free to pick up the Black/Red or the White models by clicking HERE

Until Next Time!

Well, there it is guys. I hope you enjoyed this edition of Jimmy B’s guide to Casio. Until Next Time.

Welcome, old and new, to the exciting world of Casio Watches!

As you can tell from our previous articles, I’m here today to make your choices just that little bit easier.

It can be very daunting trying to pick a new watch, and sometimes the sheer number of features can leave you overwhelmed. That’s why we’ve written up this selection of articles.

So, let’s get to it. The range we'll be talking about today is the G-Lide range. Also known as the Extreme Sports model of watches, this is an active person's dream watch!

Apart from the usual Shock resistance, meaning the watch can be jostled and bounced, while still being protected from up to 100m of force, this watch has 20 bars/200m water resistance. Now, as mentioned in a previous article, that does not mean you can dive 200m, it just means it’s resistant to the pressure of 200m of water.

Now, here’s the bit all water lovers are going to love: all G-Lide watches come with a tide graph. This lets you predict how high the tide is, as well as the direction it’ll go in, on any particular day. That is absolutely invaluable for when you’re practicing for that next big race, or just want to hit the waves!

The G-Lides don’t stop there. They’ve also got a moon data tool. Now, this is a nifty little tool that tells you the phase of the moon, when you can expect a full/new moon, and it can also be helpful with the Tide Graph to determine just what sort of an effect it will have on the tide.

The moon data tool isn’t just for the athletes though. Nature photographers are going to love this feature as well, since sometimes they need to be exactly in the right area, and have the right kind of light, to be able to know when it’s a waning moon, when it’ll be a full moon, etc, it’s extremely important information to know!

So, there you have it. If you’re into extreme sports, you don’t need to worry about this watch breaking, if you’re into nature photography, the moon data tool is invaluable, and if you love the water you’ll find a lot of use for the Tide Graph!

Jimmy B

Welcome/Welcome Back Ladies and Gentlemen, to our ongoing blog on the Casio Watches.

As I'm sure you've noticed, Casio has a huge range of watches, and the choices can get a bit… daunting. What features come in which watch? Do I really need a watch with millions of features I won’t use? Will this break my wallet? Well in regards to the third question, I very much doubt it, since Casio are known to make their products affordable, and some stores online go out of their way to make it even cheaper.

So, as all these models can make your head spin, it’s up to me to help you make sense of it all, and for the next few articles, that is just what I’ll be doing! Today, I’ll be discussing the Casio Mudman, letting you know about its features, and hopefully lessening some of that confusion.

The Casio Mudman was designed by Casio with harsh elements in mind. Like all Casio watches, it has a 100m shock resistance, which means that even if you drop it, the mechanical springs in place will cushion it from a force of up to 100m. Yeah I know, sounds complicated, and the best way to make sure you don’t damage it is not to drop it, but at least the watch will be safe and working if you do (which is more that can be said about a lot of other products).

The Mudman is also great if you like going for a swim, because it has a water resistance of up to 200m. Here’s where it gets a little bit tricky. That DOESN’T mean that you should swim 200m deep, it means the seal will protect your watch from 200m of FORCE of the water. Also, do not press any buttons while submerged. That will break the seal, and your watch.

This next point though is why the watch is called the MUDman. It is resistant to mud, as well as most dust, due to the Bezel (which is the material the strap is made up of) actually slipping over the buttons, thus creating a mud resistant structure.

Just as an aside, for those of you really interested in its history, the Mudman was originally thought up in the 90s and is part of a line of watches called the “Masters of G”

So, who is the Mudman designed for? Well, anybody who likes to go camping, hiking and roughing it, is definitely going to find this watch a must have! It’s resistant to mud, dust, the elements and, starting with the G-9300 models, some of them have a digital compass.

Well, I hope this has helped some of you make up your minds. If not, the next article will be about G-Lide watches. So until then, hope you enjoyed the read and feel free to comment on the article below!

Jimmy B

Jimmy B’s Guide to Casio Watches: G’Mix Bluetooth Watches

Welcome back to my blog post, and today I’m going to talk about Casio’s newest range, the G’Mix. If you ever wanted to use your watch to control your iPod, now you can. So, let’s get started!

The G’Mix came about when Casio saw the popularity of Smart Watches, but they decided on going about it a different way. After all, Smart Watches cost a huge bundle, and most features are probably never going to be used, so Casio streamlined the idea, and added their special design flair as well as special features.

One such design flair is the face of the watch. Looking at the 9 oclock dial, it looks more like a turntable that DJs would use, complementing its musical features. And the Bezel itself isn’t just for decoration, but we’ll talk about that later on in the article.

If you ever wanted to find out what song is playing at the gym, or the shopping centre, wherever you are, Casio came up with a Shazam-like app (called SoundHound), that will listen to the song, and display the song title and artist on your watch. Great for music lovers!

When you download an app on your iPhone or Android, to sync your watch with your phone, you can use the Bluetooth functions to actually control your playlist, as well as other features in your phone! So if your phone is in your pocket, and you don’t want to bother fishing it out, just use your watch to choose a song that you’d like, set the volume, sit back and relax.

For even more convenience, since your watch is linked to the phone, whenever you get an SMS, it will show up on your watch! Now you can pretend to check the time, while reading texts, and you won’t get into trouble at work (Double Win!)

Well, as promised, let’s talk about the Bezel. Not just a beautiful decoration like on most Casio watches, if you have the G’Mix app on your phone, you can turn it and scan your playlist, to change to a different tune. So that means you pretty much have a music player that fits on your wrist!

There is a downside though. As you can tell, the battery would drain pretty fast, but Casio still claims that you can use it 2 hours a day and it’ll last for 2 years. So use these features in moderation!

This watch is great for music lovers, people on the go, and those who just want to use phone features without having to dig the phone out every time. If you fall into that category, then these watches are for you, and depending on where you shop, you won’t even come close to breaking the bank!

Well I hope you enjoyed today’s edition. By popular request the next article will feature more basic features that come with the Casio G-Shock and Baby Gs which I didn’t get to cover last time.

Until then, stay safe.

Jimmy B.

Happy New Year boys, girls, and others!

I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what I should write about, and then it came to me. I've been telling you about the Casio Watch types, but nothing about the specific watch itself. So for the next few weeks, I will be doing a review on the different models themselves. If you find yourself interested in one, or you have an eye on a model and want to know more about it, then drop me a comment and I'll be sure to cover it.

Ya ready? Alright let's get to it. This article will be focused on the GA-100-1A1DR. This is an Analogue/Digital watch so you get the hands and the numbers.

First things first: The Face. It is large! If you have trouble seeing the numbers on other watches, the size of this face will not be the issue here!
It's also quite light; only 70g, so it won't weigh down your wrist too much. There are, of course, lighter watches but we'll get to those in future articles.

Now, unlike most watches, this is not only Shock and Water resistant (200m water pressure) but it's also Magnetic Resistant, so if you're working with magnets (as some people do) you don't have to worry about them interfering with your watch.

The watch has a  hard to scratch resin band, with the case and bezel using the same material. Top it off with a mineral glass on the face, and you have a watch that's practically immune to all seasons and environments!

Now, as this is a review I need to let you guys know that it's not just good stuff I'll be talking about (hey I tell it like it is, but that way you've got all the info). One of the biggest complaints about this model is the backlight can sometimes be too dull. I've noticed that but then it's advertised as a military watch, and a bright light can get you killed! Besides, it's bright enough that you can see where the hands are.

If it really bothers you though, here's a tip I learned. All you have to do is either set the illumination to automatic, or hit it manually (it's easier to do this with automatic). When the light is on, hold a single finger (or the side of your hand, as if you were shading the watch in direct sunlight) across the face of the watch. The reflection of the light off of your hand will make the digital readouts clearly visible.

Well, to be honest that is the only negative issue with this watch, but if I find anything else I'll update this page. Hope I've helped you make up your mind, and drop me a line if you want me to review a specific model.

Until Next Time