I've gone way too far down the G-Shock rabbit hole

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 02/25/2020 at 11:09 • Filed to: None

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You may recall I recently had been posting about chunky tacticool black digital-ish watches I want to buy. This has led me to once again spend way too much time looking for esoteric G-Shock watches with unique features and colorways.

I have a soft spot for 80s/90s-ish digital watches. Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who reminded me that this one time in 3rd grade, she thought it was very cool when I showed her my snazzy square Casio watch which if it wasn’t exactly like this F-91, was very similar.

More recently, as in 2013, for whatever reason I decided I wanted a white G-Shock, and I’m big on watches that are solar powered and sync with atomic clock signal broadcasts. Many G-Shocks have these features, so I went down the rabbit hole and ended up with the white G-6900EW-7 from the “Go Green” collection, whatever means, at the top of this post. It’s solar-powered, but doesn’t receive atomic clock signals.

Something you should know about G-Shock watches, there are bazillions of variants that Casio sells around the world and not in every market. So there’s a thriving trade in getting G-Shocks from other regions to get specific colors and/or features. This was one such non-USDM watch that I (relatively) easily tracked down.

There was just something about the glossy white finish and those green accents that I fucking loved and decided to pick it over the couple solar and atomic white G-Shock 6900s available at the time. Those were...

The GW-6900A-7, which is largely similar but with a little rougher white finish, and fewer purple accents than the green ones on mine.

And the GW-6900F-7JF, which has the gloss white, and some crimson accents including a dark red negative display, which is rather difficult to read.

These are also both cool but they just seemed less perfect looking to me than the green accent one so that’s what I picked. Every once in a while I have to slightly adjust the time by a minute or two but the battery still stays charged up perfectly after almost 7 years.

Anyway, lately I’ve been hankering for more G-Shocks, and I’ve once again been obsessing over getting just the perfect variant. Except with all this variety of options, I’ve found a few too many that I like. The first of those is the GAW-100BMC-1AER “Neo Tokyo” that I’ve !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about.

This thing is huge and massive and chunky and stupid but this colorway is incredible. I’ve already nerded out about why in that other post. This is both solar and atomic but not available in the US. The otherwise identical GAS-100blahbittyblah that’s sold in the US is solar but not atomic. Gotta get me that atomic!

There’s another GAS/W-100 colorway which I also really love, but it’s a little over the top compared to the Neo Tokyo: the GAW-100BR-1AJF with a bunch of orange accents.

This one is similarly cool, but to me, if I’m going to wear a giant chunky-ass black watch, especially to work in my business casual office, it should have some subtlety to it, and this isn’t all that subtle.

There’s a white version too, and it’s cool, but the GAW-100 is biiiiig and I just can’t go full douchebro like this.

And now, a totally way too long list of other G-Shocks I’ve been eyeing. Remember how I said the thing about subtlety just now? Well, these mostly aren’t.

First up, the GWX-5600C-4JF, which is like the usual square G-Shock, but glossy red, atomic, solar, negative display, and as part of the G-LIDE collection, has a tide graph and moon phase display which I have no use for but they look cool.

I would buy this thing and the GAW-100 Neo Tokyo right now if I had no restraint. Definitely my other top option. There’s just something about a stupid glossy red square G-Shock.

There’s another ana-digi model called the GA-110 which has no atomic or solar versions, but its face has a cool design and Casio churns out all kinds of colorways for it.

GA-110RG-7A

GA-110GW-7A

GA-110TS-1A4

GA-110MR-4A

GA-110NM-4A

GA-110EW-4AJF

GA-110CR-4A

GA-110CR-2A

GA-110NM-3A

Then there’s the GA-100 which is a slightly different plain regular ana-digi without solar/atomic, that has a kinda pilot watch looking face.

GA-100L-7A

GA-100A-9A

GA-100L-2A

GA-100L-4ACR

These are a lot of bright-ass colors, which I enjoy, because I like goofy-as-hell sneakers and watches like this. Fuck da haterz who can’t pull this stuff off.

If I had to pick one of these GA-110s or 100s to add to my hypothetical GAW-100 Neo Tokyo and red G-LIDE, I’d probably end up with the yellow GA-100A-9A or the navy with orange accents GA-100L-2A. The yellow one is like a Sony Sports Walkman in G-Shock form, and the blue & orange is just a really well-executed colorway.

There are of course many other G-Shock models I like. I’m growing tired of tracking down good pics of all of them, but fuck it, here’s some more!

Here’s the GW-9400 “Rangeman” which is a full digital model with atomic and solar, plus has a bunch of sensors like thermometer and shit in it because sensors are cool! The GW-9400-1 is the standard model available in the US.

But of course, there’s a bunch of other versions. A couple of them are also readily available, namely the blacked out GW9400-1B...

And the army green GW9400-3.

And then there’s the stuff from outside the US. The GW-9400BJ-1JF is regularly available in Japan.

And there are a few special, rare models that cost way too much on the secondary market because of scarcity.

GW-94ooRD-4JF “rescue red”

GW-9400NVJ-2JF

GW-9400FBJ-4JR Kobe City Fire Bureau special edition!

I’m fairly confident in my choice of the GAW-100 Neo Tokyo but for a chunky black watch that JDM blackout one with the orange accents is dooooooooope.

Anyway, there’s much more I found in this rabbit hole, but, I think I’ve fallen far enough. My bank account won’t be able to take this if I keep trying to scout more pics for y’all.

AestheticsInMotion > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:15

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I want that neo Tokyo model. Unfortunately I buy a watch—r emember I hate wearing watches— then it gets added to the collection of useless time pieces.

UserNotFound > AestheticsInMotion 02/25/2020 at 11:19

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Sounds like your watch-buying habit is a waste of time.

Textured Soy Protein > AestheticsInMotion 02/25/2020 at 11:22

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“Collection of useless timepieces” is why I like solar powered watches. Automatic watches require a winder, and regular battery-powered quartz watches inevitably need their batteries replaced. I have a couple other battery powered watches that are sitting in my closet waiting for me to get around to taking them to have their batteries replaced. The solar powered ones, just leave them around where they can have light shining on them and they’re always ready.

I loooove the Neo Tokyo but that JDM Rangeman keeps giving me pause. Of course, it’s the more expensive of the two, so...

Chuckles > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:26

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I'm pretty adamantly not a watch person, but if I wore one, these are the kinds of watches I'd be interested in.

Discerning > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:26

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I read your entire article outloud in an attempt to calm the nerves of a dog that one of our friends left with us. It was largely successful.

I retained nothing because it is largely gibberish to me. I know nothing about G-Shock watches.

Bu t it was helpful for my purposes. So thank you

PartyPooper2012 > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:28

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I done bought me a solar powered water proof watch. Went swimming with it... and it’s done. The function buttons let water in and ruined it.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:29

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Bruh:

I rocked one of these Casios in middle school!

But seriously, that Neo Tokyo looks pretty sweet. I can’t pull off huge, chunky watches, but if I could I would be into that.  I also love the Sony Sports Walkman analogy for the GA-100A-9A.  

Textured Soy Protein > Discerning 02/25/2020 at 11:30

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The words are totally unnecessary, just look at the pictures, find one you like, and say, “I like that one!” 

Textured Soy Protein > Chuckles 02/25/2020 at 11:31

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I like them because they clearly do not take themselves seriously, like me. 

Textured Soy Protein > Snuze: Needs another Swede 02/25/2020 at 11:36

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One of my friends in middle school had what is still arguably the best Casio watch ever: the universal remote watch!

Remember back with old school universal remotes where you’d enter different numeric codes to control different brands of TVs? We totally would fuck around with our teachers trying to play videos in class by brute-forcing our way to picking out the correct code for the TV in the class, then repeatedly turn off the TV or fast forward or whatever and the teacher would be all like WTF is going on with this video I dunno what to do with my lesson plan for today.

We were little shits. 

adamftw > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:37

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I love the colors on the neo tokyo, but yea, its massive. My GA-2100- 1A should be arriving today.

functionoverfashion > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:40

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I had a Samsung phone that had a built-in IR remote function. That was actually great, because we can already control the content from a phone, so being able to adjust the volume without having 2 remotes was sweet. 

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:42

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I had no idea that existed! That is amazing!!!

I can only imagine if my friends or I had that when we were in school we would have done the same thing.  

Sovande > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:42

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Scrolling through those pics was like a how-to display for making progressively uglier watches.

Cash Rewards > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:51

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That blue and orange one I desperately wanted, but I can't wear full sized g shocks on my dinky wrists. It looked ridiculous

Textured Soy Protein > adamftw 02/25/2020 at 11:53

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I know those 2100s are popular at the moment but aesthetically I’m still trying to warm up to the look. It definitely looks better on wrist than in pics on its own. Since I’m hung up on atomic/solar, the AWGM100 is like a smaller version of the same basic idea as the GAW-100, and it has a blackout version AWGM100B-1A. 

Couple others atomic solar blackouts I like too. GW-M5610-1BJF.

GW-2310FB-1CR

The round ones are still kinda chunky but both are noticeably smaller than the 100/110 XL models.

Discerning > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 11:55

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I’ll take the GW9400BTJ-8 But only if I can have it for under $200. I want all of the gadgets and a white body. Actually, lose the Burton logo as well if possible. What would that be?

This but minus the insane price tag and the Burton stuff

Textured Soy Protein > functionoverfashion 02/25/2020 at 11:56

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In the words of Flossy Carter,

“IR BLASTER! ”

Textured Soy Protein > Discerning 02/25/2020 at 11:57

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Oof yeah there were some more Rangeman special editions I didn’t get into here but they get pricey. 

Textured Soy Protein > Sovande 02/25/2020 at 12:00

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Discerning > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 12:11

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D oes there exist a watch that has all of the fancy features and white face? Everything.

Or should I just get a smart watch.

Chuckles > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 12:12

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If I could manage to wear a watch for more than 10 minutes without wanting to gnaw it off of my wrist , I might consider buying one.

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > adamftw 02/25/2020 at 12:12

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I’ve never been a g-shock guy, but I think I’ll be picking up a 2100. Waiting for them to come back in stock. Did you get yours at retail?

Sovande > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 12:14

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https://www.suunto.com/en-us/

Textured Soy Protein > Cash Rewards 02/25/2020 at 12:23

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I have relatively small wrists but my arms are jacked so I can pull off a chunky watch. My white 6900 is chunky on my wrist but not too chunky. While I appreciate all these bright colors, the reality is the louder colors I should probably stick to the smaller models, like for example the red G-LIDE 560 0 is bright as fuck but it’s not too huge.

There’s another model called the AWG-M100 which is very similar in functions to the GAW-100 but smaller. There’s a regularly available USDM blackout one AWG- M100B-1A but I feel like it’s a little too low-key for me.

There’s another USDM model that I like but I’m not sure if I liiiike enough to buy, the AWG-M100A-1A.

There are a bunch of JDM versions with subtle color pops on mostly black, but I still don’t know if any of these quite grab me like the Neo Tokyo.

AWG-M100SB-2AJF

AWG-M100SLT-1AJF

AWG-M100SF-1H4 JR

AWG-M100SAR-1AJF

AWG-M100SF-1A3JR

AWG-M100SF-1A4JR

Textured Soy Protein > Sovande 02/25/2020 at 12:26

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Suunto is fine but they’re not G-Shocks.

If I got a smartwatch it’s between the Suunto 7 and Skagen Falster 3.

But they’re not G-Shocks. 

Textured Soy Protein > Discerning 02/25/2020 at 12:32

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There are white face versions of the GA-110 and GA-100 but those don’t have solar power or atomic sync.

GA-110MW-7A

GA-100A-7ADR

adamftw > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By 02/25/2020 at 12:37

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Nope, eBay NIB. $162 shipped, which isn’t bad. About 30-40 over retail after taxes and whatever.

Textured Soy Protein > Discerning 02/25/2020 at 12:37

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Oh and there’s also this GA- 2000S-7A that’s similarly lacking atomic/solar. 

adamftw > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 12:37

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The all digi inverted LCD ones have been growing on me lately.

Textured Soy Protein > adamftw 02/25/2020 at 12:43

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I do like those. I could see wearing that 2310 to work but it’s a little too plain. Same applies to that 5610 but I’m not going for any other squares because I’m holding out for that shiny red G-LIDE at some point.

Discerning > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 13:20

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Darn . I would want everything. Weekday, temp, alarm, solar, atomic, day of the year. Everything.

What model is that? Doesn’t have to be white

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 13:57

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When you said rabbit hole you werent exaggerating. 

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 13:59

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My daily is a GW5000 ... my unmanly wrists can’t handle anything bigger.

As for how I got it ... my wife’s friend bought an IWC for her husband when they got married, since that’s apparently a Korean thing ? My wife (also Korean) then said also she wanted to get something for me.

Me: Holy crap, I don’t want to wear that much of my net worth on my wrist. Can’t we just save that money or put it toward a car or house or something?

Her: *unhappy noises* ... fine, but isn’t there anything you kind of want?

Me: Well, there’s this fancy version of my cheapo F-105W that’s made in Japan ...

Postscript: wife was talking on the phone with her friend, who was packing for a house move. Overheard in the background:

Husband: where’s my f *@ $ing watch

Friend: you put it in a f #%*ing box last time, did you even unpack it

Husband: how the f &*# would I know

Textured Soy Protein > Discerning 02/25/2020 at 14:11

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No white colorways for any of these, but the links below will take you to all the colorways for each model. There are 3 models for atomic/solar + sensors.

The GW-9400 Rangeman has all that stuff you want . The other sensors besides thermometer are barometer, altitude & compass. It also has sunrise/sunset times. The only white version is the Burton one you found. Otherwise there’s the GW-9404KJ-3JR “love the sea and air” version which is, well, it’s something.

There’s an older/simpler model, the G-9300/GW-9300 Mudman . It has a thermometer and compass but that’s it for sensors. The G is solar but not atomic, the GW adds atomic.

The GWG-1000 Mudmaster has a similar suite of features to the Rangeman, in an analog watch and costs a lot more.

There are several other analog models with sensors of some kind but no solar/atomic functions on those. There’s a somewhat-basic G-LIDE GAX-100 that has no solar/atomic but does have a thermometer and tide/moon graphs. The GAX-100A-7A is the all white version.

Textured Soy Protein > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 02/25/2020 at 14:13

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Discerning > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 14:20

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I like this one. Couldn't justify that price though

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > adamftw 02/25/2020 at 15:11

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nice, I’m eyeing the blacked out model, but they’re going for around $300 right now so I’m trying to be patient

craif > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 16:12

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I too have a fondness for solar/atomic G-Shocks. Looking at the GW-B5600BC-1, and currently wearing the similar GW-B5600-2JF. These have Bluetooth but I don’t use the app that m uch because I have no need for alarms or reminders on my watch.

Textured Soy Protein > craif 02/25/2020 at 16:14

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Yeah I can’t say I’d have much use for the bluetooth feature when there’s also the atomic for keeping the time accurate. But, I think there are certain models that are solar and bluetooth but not atomic. In those cases, at least the app would be useful for keeping the time set accurately .

superhead > Textured Soy Protein 02/25/2020 at 16:56

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I just want a CasiOak for MSRP...

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Textured Soy Protein 02/26/2020 at 09:22

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Automatics you can just let run down, it doesn’t hurt the movement and is actually better if they are going to be sitting for a long time.  Less wear and tear on the movement.  I have a couple in my rotation of 10 watches and I just wind and set them in the morning.  The only auto to worry about on a winder would be a perpetual calendar.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > superhead 02/26/2020 at 09:26

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Same.  That look for $99 is awesome.

Textured Soy Protein > StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 02/26/2020 at 09:54

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I don’t feel like winding and setting a watch in the morning. 

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Textured Soy Protein 02/26/2020 at 10:53

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Fair enough.

I only have 1 casio right now, the world time stainless.  Nice little purchase at $30 on amazon.