The birth of G-Shock watches can be credited to the engineer Kikuo Ibe who was working for Casio during the early 1980s. He decided he would like to make a watch that was tougher than normal since he had dropped and broken a watch given to him by his father.
Casio had their breakthrough when releasing the G-Shock watch in 1983. The watch was designed to be “triple 10” resistant. Which meant it could survive falling 10 meters, have a water resistance of 10 bars and also have a battery life of 10 years. Since achieving this Casio has gone even further in terms of toughness. G-Shock watches can survive much more than a 10-meter fall and have a reputation for never breaking.
During the early years of the G-shock release, the watch was not too popular. People much preferred stylish fashion watches.
When Casio adapted its design and made it more visually appealing, the watch began to gain traction. Coupled by people running tests on G-shock watches to see if they were really tough as the Japanese brand claimed, this bought the watch into the mainstream where it has stayed ever since.
In 2017 this popularity was solidified as Casio claims to have shipped over 100 million G-Shock watches in 30 years.
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Are G-Shock Watches Good?
Yes, some people wear G-Shocks because they are a tough digital watch that will never break. Other people wear them because they think it’s a cool design.
Overall, Casio had a masterstroke when it released the G-Shock range. Before this, the brand was not struggling at all, but certainly wasn’t the watchmaking powerhouse it is today. The success of the G-shock cannot purely be attributed to the initial release either. It became vastly more popular when the design was switched from a rectangular case to a more traditional circular dial. In addition to this, the variety of different colors produced appealed to a wider variety of people.
What’s So Special About G-Shock Watches?
Well for a start they can be run over by a truck and still look like they are brand new. G-Shock watches were designed so that they would be almost impossible to break.
Whilst I don’t doubt that you could break a G-shock if you intended to do so. For day-to-day wear, even in a manual workplace such as a mechanics garage. It’s going to be extremely difficult to break one of these watches. They are designed to be smashed, dropped and submerged in water. If you hit this watch with a hammer, it will not break.
Are G-Shock Watches Worth The Money?
Undoubtedly, Yes. At the budget end of the range, you can pick up a G-shock for between $45-60 which is really quite incredible when you think about the research and development of making this ultra-strong watch.
You quite literally cannot find a tougher watch on the market for this price point. If you don’t like the design of G-shock, then that is fair enough. But there is no denying that they’re great value for money at this price point.
Even at the higher end of the G-Shock range you still will find decent value for money. Models such as the mudmaster and the gulfmaster are pretty expensive for a digital watch, but have a lot of features and are not replicated by any other brand. You will usually get pretty good technology if you’re willing to spend more money.
The only questionable value for money G-Shock watches are special edition models. These designs usually attract a premium price for a variation of the case. Whether this design is worth the money is up to the individual. I personally wouldn’t pay it, but for collectors, this probably isn’t too much of an issue.
Check The Price Of Budget G Shock Watches On Amazon
Do G-Shock Watches Hold Their Value?
G-Shock watches are not particularly expensive but do hold their value well. In general, lower value watches typically lose 50% of their value when they are bought home from the store.
If you take a brand such as Hugo Boss for example, you might pay $200 to buy it from Amazon. After a couple of months you would likely only get $100 for this watch if you were to try and sell it.
G-Shock on the other hand, you would probably have a much better chance of getting $120-$150 for the same kind of original price. This is not bad at all considering it’s not a luxury watch and you are not a retail store.
The main reason for this is mostly due to the brand and durability of the watch. People buying used G-shock watches understand that there is not going to be much damage or scratches due to the design. Therefore if you buy used, it’s really not going to be in any worse condition than brand new.
Are G-Shock Watches Waterproof?
Yes. This is one of the main selling points of the brand. All G-Shock watches are both waterproof and shockproof. Whilst you cannot use a lot of G-shock models as a divers watch due to lack of water pressure resistance. If you are to go swimming or get caught in a downpour of rain. The G-Shock will have absolutely no problem in handling this.
As for wearing a G-Shock in the shower. This is generally fine too, the only word of advice would be not to press buttons whilst you’re in the shower in case steam makes it inside the case.
Where Are G-Shock Watches Made?
Most modern-day G-Shock watches are assembled in China. Whilst the movements are still Japanese, they are made overseas to save on costs.
High-end G-shock watches are still made in Japan. These watches will all have “made in Japan” stamped on the watch (usually on the case back or dial).
Are There Fake G-Shock Watches?
Yes, there are certainly fake G-Shock watches in production. For the most part, these fake watches are mostly trying to copy rare and limited edition series of G-Shock since the profit margins are larger. However, they still exist for other models as well.
With that being said, compared to other watch brands, G-Shock fake watches are more obvious to spot. Firstly they will use slightly incorrect dials, hands and sometimes have the wrong chime sound for alerts.
Another mistake to watch out for is incorrect circuit board layouts. Casio would NEVER put out a watch that doesn’t work as it should on the market. Fake G-shocks will sometimes have the stopwatch in the adjust button position, or the light in the wrong position, etc.
Lastly, at the higher end, fake G-shocks will skimp on features that were meant to be included. If the G-shock watch was meant to have a compass, altimeter, barometer or thermometer. These will often not work anywhere near the accuracy level they should, or simply don’t work at all.
Do G-Shock Watches Have Serial Numbers?
Unfortunately, G-Shock watches do not have serial numbers, so if you were thinking of identifying fake watches this way you cannot.
This statement is 99% correct for the entire range except for limited edition watches. Some of which will have a number such as 317/500 on the back. This is not a serial number as such but shows the watch is one of 500. Often fake watches will use the same number on the back, so if you see two of the same model claiming to be 317/500 then you know something is wrong.
In general, only luxury watches have serial numbers. Some low-end fashion brands do have “serial numbers” but these don’t correspond to any sort of database and are purely for show.
Do G-Shock Watches Use Batteries?
This depends on the model. Almost all of the older models of G-Shock will use standard lithium batteries. These will need to be replaced when they expire. This is not a difficult job and can be done by anyone who can change batteries on a standard watch.
Some of the more expensive and modern G-shock watches are solar-powered. These watches usually have “Solar” written on the front of the case or the dial. For these watches, the energy is drawn in from light sources and held in a capacitor. Solar watches will last a lot longer than a standard battery before the capacitor needs replacing, generally, this is between 7 and 15 years.
Why Is The G-Shock Frogman So Expensive?
First of all, the Frogman is more expensive than most other G-shock models because it is still made in Japan. Much of the lower-end G-shock range are now assembled in China. It costs a lot more money to make a watch in Japan, so this cost is passed on to the consumer.
Secondly, the Frogman is a divers watch. This requires more technology, including research and development such as pressure testing. Regular G-shock watches are tough but do not require this rigorous testing. The frogman requires a lot of different complications to be met as it’s both a G-Shock and a dive watch.
If you’re looking for a dive computer watch, there are cheaper choices than the Frogman such as Suunto or Polar.
With that said, the G-Shock Frogman is not terrible value for money, but is certainly more expensive than other G-shock watches. Whether this is worth the price or not is up to you.
Check The Price Of Frogman Watches On Amazon
