Casio G-Shock GW-800: Finally … a positive sports watch experience
Posted April 19th, 2007 at 3:05 PM by Paul Petersen
Section: Gear & Apparel, Gadgets & Acces., Product Reviews
I am often surprised at just how flimsy and breakable many of my expensive sports watches turn out to be. Too often these gadgets, which are high-tech in functionality, literally fall apart (usually from the band breaking). And if the body of the watch actually withstands the punishment I dish out, the battery inevitably dies a premature death. These past experiences have made me - admittedly - a bit cynical when it comes to sports watches.
However, this all changed when I had the opportunity to try the GW-800 1V model of Casio’s G-Shock watch series.
At first glance it appears to be a normal sports watch, and it many ways - it is. Its core modes include date/time, world time, stopwatch, countdown timer, back-light, and alarm. But there are several “special” features that separate it from it’s peers:
- Solar-powered. Yup, no batteries in this unit. It uses a solar cell in tandem with a rechargeable battery to ensure long-lasting and reliable watch life. Not only will the sun charge it, but so will ordinary light bulbs. This extends the total life of the watch, and also makes it a “green” technology, friendlier to the environment!
- Atomic. By atomic, I mean that the watch receives time and date information from an atomic transmitter in Fort Collins, CO. This signal will automatically update the watch several times each day to ensure that the time display is never wrong!
- Durable. This is where the watch gets the “shock” part of its moniker. Several layers of protection support the guts of the watch as though it were floating in air. This means you can beat the tar out of it without hindering its performance.
- Unparalleled water resistance. The watch can withstand up to 200 meters of depth, which amounts to 20 atmospheres of pressure.
For me, the durability and solar cell were the most appealing aspects. In fact, the first out-of-the-box impression of my GW-800 was how impervious it looked and felt. It has a good weight, but without being too heavy. The face itself was very solid, while still maintaining an attractive appearance. The band impressed me even more. I have broken the bands of nearly every Polar and Timex watch or monitor I have owned (which is a lot, since I keep breaking them), but the G-Shock’s band and clasp were flat-out tough. After a couple months of everyday use, they still show no signs of wear.
The solar charging and atomic time-keeping are automatic and take no thought; they just work. I was especially impressed when we turned over to daylight savings back in March … and when I woke up that Sunday morning my watch was already correct without manually setting it! It’s good peace of mind to know that not only will my watch not fail, but it is also always be set correctly!
The G-Shock GW-800 is comfortable to wear for runs. Its only shortcoming is that my particular model’s stopwatch does not save lap splits, which definitely limits its utility for workouts and races. I was disappointed with this because, in my opinion, any $120 sports watch should have a decent chronograph feature (Although other watches in the G-Shock series do have more robust timing features).
Therefore, my G-Shock has been relegated to only “normal” distance runs, and I still use my old Polar for interval workouts, races, and other events where I need lap splits and memory. However, the G-Shock has become my trusted everyday companion for work, biking, skiing, and hiking. I believe that it is an especially strong choice when used as a multi-use, generalist sports watch, particular for high-impact activities such as mountain biking, rock climbing, skiing, and kayaking. You can truly give it a beating on the trail or in the water and yet still enjoy it’s relentlessly “perfect” timekeeping.
The G-Shock GW-800 lists at $120. Other atomic-solar G-Shock watches list from $100 to $400. See the G-Shock website for more information.
Tags: atomic, casio, G Shock, gw 800, polar, product review, solar, sports watch, TFS review, timex, watch
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April 19th, 2007 at 11:32 amThis is a good value G-Shock for the price. My new favourites G-Shock watches are the G-056 models
May 15th, 2007 at 2:09 am[…] Read the whole review at The Final Sprint. […]
June 1st, 2007 at 10:53 am[…] Casio G-Shock GW-800: Finally … a positive sports watch experience However, this all changed when I had the opportunity to try the GW-800 1V model of Casio’s G-Shock watch series. At first glance it appears to be a normal sports watch, and it many ways - it is. Its core modes include date/time, … http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/04/casio-g-shock-gw-800-finally-a-positive-sports-watch-experience/ […]
June 18th, 2007 at 4:25 am