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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.

Kids are so hard to pick presents for; girls especially! Luckily, Casio’s up to the challenge with the inexpensive BG-6902 series. Welcome back to Jimmy B’s guide to Baby-Gs and today we’ll be looking at the above series and giving you all the info you’ll need.

Coming in a soft Green or light Grey (with the green looking blue enough even for the boys to wear), these watches are durable, very light on the wrists, and are fully digital (the last one seems to be a common requirement for kids)! So let’s go through some of these features and see if your kids will like them.

Firstly, it’s small as well as light (only weighing 47g). This means it won’t weigh their wrists down. Now, just because they’re light doesn’t mean they’re not durable. In fact, these watches come with a resin, scratch resistant band as well as a mineral glass to protect the display.

Apart from the scratch protection, the watches, like all Casios, are 100m shock resistant. What this means is that all of the mechanical gears are shoved inside a spring suspension system, to ensure that even if it’s dropped, the springs absorb most of the damage. Now, if it’s dropped over 100m, then you’re out of luck. Then again, if your watch drops 100m, then you should hope you’re not attached to it!

Finishing off the durability section is the 200m Water Resistance. Now, this is a little tricky because it doesn’t exactly mean you can dive up to 200m. What the number refers to is water pressure. You can still surf with the watch without any ill effect, but avoid going to the shower with it since the differing pressure mounts up and will damage the waterproof seal.

Alright, now that we’ve covered the durability, let’s go to functions. Nowadays, purely digital watches are actually pretty rare for Casio nowadays. People can’t decide whether they want Analogue or Digital, so you would usually find combos. This series, is one of those rare exceptions.

Apart from not having to worry about reading the display, a Digital Casio watch has the advantage of a brighter than normal backlight. When your kids are out after curfew, they’ll no longer have the excuse of it being too dark to see the time, because when you press the button at the bottom of the watch, the display lights up bright enough that they’ll be able to see the time quite clearly.

Finally, let’s go back to where we started – the colours. Now, they may be soft (the don’t shine like the glossier bands), but they’re still distinctive enough that you can find them pretty quickly if you happen to drop them. The green watch is especially distinctive and helpful in that regard.

Usually, in these sorts of articles I’d go through any negatives I could find, but honestly, the only issue I’ve found is in some rare instances the band starts to discolour. That’s usually only a problem with the pinkish white model though, and is easily cleanable with a toothbrush and liquid soap.

Well, I hope that this’ll help you choose the perfect watch for your kids. For more great gift ideas, keep this blog bookmarked.

Until Next Time

Jimmy B.

Is your White Baby-G Watch Turning Yellow from Staining? Here's How To Fix It!

Don't you just hate when you purchase a watch, and after a while, the band starts to look like it's been dipped in mustard? Unfortunately that happens more often than you think, especially with white watches. What's worse, this isn't covered by Casio warranty, as they consider it normal. So what can you do? Well, this is what my quick and simple guide is for. So, if you're ready to get your watch back into shape, read on!

Now, first thing first, you gotta ask, WHY does this happen? The answer is both simple and complicated - you see, Casio uses Resin in order to make the band scratch and tear resistant. Unfortunately, the way resin behaves, especially white resin, is sweat and even light can discolour it. And I'm not just talking about sunlight. Fluorescent light can discolour it as well.

There are ways to avoid the yellowing for as long as possible, such as keeping your wrist, and the watch, dry. but let's face it, if you've got a Casio watch, chances are you're an active person.

Luckily there's a very easy way of cleaning the band, so your watch will go back to looking pristine!

First up, get a soft cloth. Moisten it with water that's mixed with a soft detergent. Not dishwashing liquid, cos that's a little too corrosive, but something soft (worst comes to worst, just put some soap into the water dip the cloth into that.

Gently wipe away at the stains, and they SHOULD come off pretty easily. You can exert a little bit of pressure but not too much. If you don't see this making a difference, move on to plan B.

Grab some Hydrogen Peroxide (make sure you use the 3% solution). Spray the solution onto the yellow areas, then let it sit overnight before you try scrubbing. Repeat as needed over a few days and the stains should vanish.

Oh, and we have had some people complain that there's a smudge like pattern on the band after cleaning the watch. Don't worry about this, as you can simply wipe it off too.

Well, there you have it, an easy way to turn your yellow resin band back to its pristine white!

Until Next Time - Jimmy B

Equipment Needed:

Microfibre Cloth

Flat spring-bar tool

Place the watch face-down on your micro Fiber cloth.

See the two thin metal bars, right next to the face of the watch, they are holding the band onto your watch. Some Casio watches, cover the spring bars to look nice,which makes it a touch harder, but not impossible

Using the forked spring-bar removal tool, gently push against one end of the spring bar. The bar should "spring" in and release.

Carefully pull the band from the watch, remembering to keep the spring bars, as these go into your new watch band. (unless of course these are broken, in which case you will need to replace you spring bars)

Now your ready to attach to the new band, push the old spring bars into your new watch band, just make sure its the correct way up, and that the buckle is on the correct side (left).

Using your fingers, gently push one end of the spring bar into the small groove in the watch face. You will need to use your tool to contract the spring bar, and you will feel it click into place.

This may seem like a daunting task, however once you have done it once, you will easily do it again and again!

Watches are worn on your wrist almost every day, and they can quickly build up alot of dirt and grime, especially in the little nooks and cranny's that you just can reach.

Today were going to give a brief run down

of the best way to give your watch a spruce up =)

Your going to need some warm soapy water, a soft cloth, a towel and an old toothbrush or other small brush (Nothing metal though)

The best way to clean your watch is to remove the band first. Please refer to our guide here on how to remove the band HERE

Once the band has been removed you can easily see all the grime and dust that has built up on your watch.

Pop the band into your bowl of warm soapy water, and remove it after about ten minutes. By then all the hard stuff should have soften up a heap, and you can now use your soft cloth and brush to remove all dirt and stains.

Be very careful however not to scratch any surfaces.

Make sure you towel dry your watch and band as much as possible before reapplying the band, using the tutorial above.

Your watch should now be looking fine and fresh, and ready for another day.

We've had a few people email in and ask what this 10 Bar stuff all about.

Here's a quick explanation

Bar is a measurement of pressure. If you keep the watch below 10 bar pressure, it will be safe.

In open water, 1 bar is around 10 meters deep, 9 meters for salt water.

Hope that clear it up!