G-Shock Range

connundrum

I have a hankering to get one of these, for no particular reason other than I have a couple of 'business' type watches, a couple of Fossil 'leisure' watches and now feel the need to cover the sports activity sector :P

A couple of UK based sites are throwing up prices from £60 upwards for your base model etc. I do not need a watch which will guide me through the Amazon, now do I need one with 22 time zones.. the iphone covers all that.

Does anyone have a recommendation either way, and/or can you recommend a decent value retailer?

Cheers

Pyongyang

I used to have a G-Shock and Baby-G several years ago. I've had a hankering myself to get another one for some time now.

The Hyper Color range looks fantastic. Need something to switch out from my Longines Hydroconquest piece and my everyday Casio Illuminator. A G-Shock would be a nice middle of the road piece I think.

connundrum

Just to add (seeing as I started the thread), I bought a G-Shock about a year ago, and am actually wearing it now

Its grand and rugged and does all it needs to.

It unfortunately doesn't do all the bits I currently need, so it'll be a Garmin or something similar shortly.

Reloc8

What are your basic requirements for this watch ? I have a few of them, and you'd be surprised what is missing in some models, rendering them a bit frustratingly lacking for 'all round use'.

For instance, not all models come with a count-down timer (I find this seriously useful) and in some models the stop watch or countdown timer runs for 60 mins only.

Equally for some the priority is high degree of legibility - in which case avoid negative displays and look for the crispest best organised display with the largest numerals.

I personally find it very useful to have time displayed in all modes - i.e. when stopwatch or countdown timer is running. Again not all models do this.

I use mine primarily for running/work out (in which case the smaller less relatively chunky models are better) and as timers for refereeing rugby matches (so countdown timer for sin bin is useful, as is large digits etc).

Of the watches I own, my favourite G Shocks for active use have been :-

GW-9200 ('Riseman') - time visible in all relevant modes, good stopwatch, good Countdown timer, not too chunky, good display. This is more expensive than you might be looking at - due to other features such as temperature/altimeter sensor. Its not massive by G Shock standards but still pretty chunky.

GW-9010 ('Mudman') - brilliant watch - time generally visible, highly crisp & legible display, excellent for muddy activities due to mud resistant case, pretty low profile. Down side is the buttons are a little harder to push due to the nature of the case. Don't confuse with other mudman models (GW-9000 and G-9000).

Of the cheaper G models, based on e.g. the 5600 series, the main problem you encounter is pressing the buttons while e.g. running/working out - little bit finicky. If however you were just wanting a watch you could wear to tell the time and not worry about it getting scuffed/damaged, Amazon currently has the DW-5600E for about 45 GBP which is pretty good value.

If you wanted lower profile than the GW-9010 but has the same excellent module and the buttons are easier to press look for a GW-M850 about 70 UK quid on Amazon.

As a curve ball, a watch I use a lot for running/reffing is this RFT-100 (which seems to have come down in price recently) :-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-Sport-RFT-100-2VER-Referee-Multi-Sport/dp/B000HZWVNM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318852015&sr=8-1

I've had mine on the same battery for about 5 years, it has a fantastic stop-watch (shows total elapsed time and split time) and a countdown timer with vibration alarm. Its also much lower profile and light weight than any G Shock and unless you were wedded to G-Shock branding is the one to go to for a work-out watch in my opinion. Its been through it all with me and come up smiling so I don't tend to accept it is any the less tough than a typical G Shock. Admittedly its a case of function over form.

I don't know if you're planning on spending more than the price you indicate but the other sports/outdoor watch I keep coming back to for regular use is a PRW-1500 on resin strap which has been bullet proof - major annoyance is short stop watch and countdown timer, otherwise great watch. In particular, the buttons are designed to be functional when wearing gloves, which they are.

The cheaper alternative from the same line more or less as the PRW-1500 is the SGW-100. This gets rave reviews from real life users and will set you back about 40 GBP from Amazon. The only real downside is a stopwatch of 60 mins as opposed to 24 hour (the countdown timer is however 24 hours).

connundrum

Sorry I shouldv'e expanded, I need gps and heart rate monitoring.

Garmin Forerunner 310 XT or Nike+ Sportwatch methinks.

paddyh117

connundrum wrote: »

Sorry I shouldv'e expanded, I need gps and heart rate monitoring.

Garmin Forerunner 310 XT or Nike+ Sportwatch methinks.

Hi - the Garmin 310 xt is being replaced soon, and unless you need it for swimming (which it doesn't do well anyway) i wouldn't advise. It's a brick!

IMHO, the best Garmin with basic GPS and HR, certainly in terms of value for money, is the Forerunner 110

does exactly what it says in the tin.

Reloc8

connundrum wrote: »

Sorry I shouldv'e expanded, I need gps and heart rate monitoring.

Garmin Forerunner 310 XT or Nike+ Sportwatch methinks.

G-Shock no good to you then.