Men’s Minimalist Watch Ga2100

Japan-cased watches carry the JF suffix, at a price premium of about 40 to 100 percent. Considering G-SHOCK’s automated assembly, I’m not sure it makes any difference where the factory is located, at least in terms of quality. That said, the GA-2100’s still a hundred dollar watch. Under a macro lens you can see that the hands’ finish is a bit spotty.

And perhaps that’s the most important factor of all in explaining the GA-2100’s success. Many of us harbour warm feelings towards the G-Shock because it is a watch we grew up with – possibly, even, the first watch we ever owned. So, a G-Shock that one can wear unironically whether you’re into watches, streetwear or – as is increasingly the case – both?

To compound my angst, the Blackout “Stealth” model is aimed at the military “fashion” market and has no practical value. It is almost illegible and flies in the face of everything that a genuine Special Operations watch is designed to do. However, at the opposite end of the scale, there was a sub-£100 release which caught all of us off guard and became one of the unexpected stand-out hits of last year. The Casio G-Shock GA-2100 Octagon Series and its derivatives – colloquially known as the CasiOaks. This watch represents a total re-imagining of the G-Shock brand taking it into fundamentally different, and controversial, design areas.

The flaws aren’t visible to the unaided eye at a normal distance. I chose the white-on-black 1A – it’s more legible than the gray-on-black 1A1 and I’m not flashy enough to rock a fire engine red watch. Select a size to see items available for same day pickup or delivery. And isn’t that what a successful noveltyshould be most of the time? It seems to me that this kind of release has more bankable success for a brand like Casio than the wild and wonderful Casio G-Shock MT-G MTG-B2000PH2A “Blue Phoenix” that Lex recently reviewed.

The LCD is extremely tiny, and individuals with vision problems or aging eyes may find it worthless. This was no design merely pursuing simplicity. The designers’ intent inspires the GA-2100 down to the finest details, like dimensional dial and index. The monochromatic color scheme features an optimized combination of hues hand-selected from a range of color charts. The first GA-2100 watch was introduced in 2019, expanding the possibilities of toughness and analog style.

If you are a seasoned G-Shock wearer then these watches will surprise you. They are noticeably slim and light-generating the immediate question of whether they can maintain the shock-resistant characteristics synonymous with the brand. The 45mm GA is 11.8mm high and the smaller GMA is a mere 11.2mm high. In practical terms, this means that you really do not know you have them on.

Adjust the position of the day hand using the B and D buttons and finish the process pressing the A btn. As a genuine G-Shock enthusiast and purist I really struggle to like the CasiOaks. For me, they are nothing more than a water-resistant digital watch that has appropriated an iconic brand name but fails to deliver on many of the expected technical characteristics.

g shock ga 2100

They are aimed at women but will also appeal to anyone who wants a less bulky, beach-ready watch . One of the occasional hazards of writing about watches is desperately wanting to buy any and every timepiece that excites you. A slide lever makes it easy to attach and remove the band — a very handy feature for cleaning and other maintenance.

A unique and defining design, the most striking element of the watch was, and still is, its octagonal bezel which is based on the outer hatch of an old-style diving helmet. I recently picked up this version and love it. I had the original G-Shock that I bought at Service Merchandise in ME back in the early 80s. This version is great and I love the analog /digital complications. I haven’t found the band or buckle to be overly cheap and they seem commensurate with the quality of the watch itself. I do like the world-time function as it displays the time of oddball timezones such as India and it’s handy when scheduling meetings.

Another day, another Casioak, and back to the jelly goodness of the GA-2100SKE-7AER. It’s remarkable how these references, while identical, change personality with both context and activity, and what better sports watch than a G-Shock if, like me, you don’t fancy a huge Garmin. I’m a dad, so 60-mile rides are not possible, it’s a case of exhausting yourself on mile hard sprint runs to make it back for dinner. Once home, you can click off the strap in one minute if you want to give it a thorough rinse after that sweaty ride.

The manageable size of this watch is also a big plus as mentioned above. Can’t help but chuckle every time I strap this one on…. The baby g shock hands are poorly lumed and the hour markers are not treated. Instead, you get a LED light to illuminate the dial from an angle.