Today, I evaluate the Casio G-Shock MT-G reference MTGB1000D-1A. A number of years in the past, the notion of reviewing an almost $1,000 Casio G-Shock watch could be unusual, to say the least. Myself and plenty of different individuals grew up with Casio watches being class-leading timepieces on the most reasonably priced worth ranges. Casio nonetheless gives all of these reasonably priced product sorts, however during the last a number of years the Japanese firm has very constantly upped the ante in relation to what a high-end Casio G-Shock is in relation to its extra reasonably priced fare. Right this moment in 2019, “high-end costs” for a G-Shock should still trigger many conventional watch consumers to do a double-take due to this relative novelty available in the market. Recall for a second that, only recently, aBlogtoWatch introduced a $70,000 USD stable gold G-Shock watch right here. So, why is it precisely that Casio will not be specializing in what we would name a luxurious watch section and what’s the supposed objective of those merchandise for the market?
Maturing The Casio G-Shock Watch Platform
Casio’s high-end G-Shock watches primarily deal with two totally different themes. The primary theme is to advertise new know-how and performance. GPS receivers and unique case development designs all the time debut first in Casio’s flagship merchandise earlier than these applied sciences trickle right down to its extra pedestrian fare. This has been the normal realm of high-end Casio merchandise. Extra just lately, Casio has been producing luxury-themed watches which might be much less about new performance and extra about providing a extra mature, “grownup” look to a product class so usually related to youthful, athletic pursuits. In actual fact the whole aim behind Casio’s steel circumstances and analog dials is to advertise a extra mature and complex aesthetic to a really functionally themed product class. That is very a lot the case with the Casio G-Shock MT-G assortment, of which the MTGB1000 sequence is the most recent line.
Casio won’t ever abandon the core promise of any G-Shock watch which is of pure sturdiness and performance. Which means, regardless of how “fancy” a G-Shock timepiece is likely to be, it nonetheless must be extraordinarily shock-resistant, environment-resistant, and a dependable device on the wrist for the wearer. That is an fascinating downside for Casio as a result of it’s, in some senses, contradictory. The extra helpful and sturdy watch one can produce from an effectivity standpoint is one in a resin case with a digital display screen that has no shifting elements. Effectivity, nevertheless, will not be a very celebrated aspect of luxurious watches, since for these merchandise customers are literally buying further consideration, further effort, and further design. Which means Casio’s celebrated crew of engineers and designers want to make use of a completely totally different psychological method when conceiving merchandise such because the G-Shock MR-G and this much more accessible MT-G assortment of high-end watches.
A great way to understand the design course of at Casio for these watches is to grasp that Casio begins with a design after which must make it “G-Shock” acceptable. An instance is the bracelet for the MT-G watch. Not all variations of the Casio G-Shock MT-G come on a bracelet, however I like to recommend it because it very a lot provides a beautiful, cohesive and much more high-end look to the watch. The bracelet is metal on the surface however makes use of red-colored resin hyperlink components on the within of the bracelet. I consider this enhances sporting consolation in addition to total bracelet sturdiness, whereas nonetheless preserving the look of an “all-metal bracelet.” One other good instance of how that is completed at Casio is the all-analog dial. Casio’s “Powerful Photo voltaic” actions are named as such as a result of a particular system contained in the motion will really realign the palms to their correct place if they’re knocked misplaced by shock. This situation doesn’t even exist in a digital watch, however Casio wanted to engineer this resolution in order that they might have a watch with a extra enticing all-analog dial that makes use of conventional palms and hour markers. These are simply two examples of how Casio engineered a approach to produce a watch with the look they wished that additionally match the necessities of what a G-Shock needs to be. Extra on that beneath.
The Fashionable Method To Set Up Your G-Shock Watch With Bluetooth
One of many core options of the G-Shock MT-G with its module 5544 in-house made Casio motion is Bluetooth connectivity. A dialogue of this is essential as a result of customers want to grasp how Casio makes use of Bluetooth for many of its non-smartwatch merchandise. Bluetooth is used as a device to let your cellphone assist function and set-up your G-Shock watch, however isn’t right here to harass you with missed name notifications in your wrist. The MT-G’s motion has two sorts of connectivity options, a conventional Atomic clock radio sign receiver and a Bluetooth connection. Much more refined Casio watches may additionally embrace a GPS receiver for the final word trio of “my watch can get the proper time and date info wherever on the planet.” For the overwhelming majority of city dwellers GPS of their G-Shock watch isn’t actually vital and the Bluetooth connectivity will ship all the things they need.
Organising your MT-G or different trendy Casio G-Shock watch with Bluetooth connectivity is a brand new and welcome a part of the expertise of getting you new timepiece arrange. It was that getting a elaborate new G-Shock concerned a posh dive into the consumer guide to grasp the right way to set even minor issues just like the time, your native metropolis, the calendar capabilities, and many others… You’ll be able to nonetheless do all of that from the watch itself, however I don’t suggest it. Casio additionally doesn’t suggest it as a result of organising your watch utilizing the G-Shock smartphone app and Bluetooth is a lot extra easy and efficient.
The first step to connecting your cellphone together with your Casio G-Shock MT-G watch is to obtain the related software. Step two is to open the appliance, which prompts you to press and maintain one of many case pushers on the watch with a purpose to set up a Bluetooth connection. As soon as this occurs (and it is vitally straightforward) the watch routinely updates the time, location, and calendar knowledge out of your cellphone. Which means, in seconds, your new watch with its many items of data on the dial might be adjusted with no annoyed session of button fiddling and instruction guide learning. Whereas this means of organising your new G-Shock will probably be contemporary to many conventional watch-lovers, I strongly consider that the method is sensible and efficient. It additionally helps join the normal expertise of sporting a G-Shock watch with our trendy know-how merchandise which might be so related to our every day lives. Casio wants that sense of up to date relevancy to ensure that its merchandise to hook up with the lives of at the moment’s youngest watch lovers. This expertise is out there on most each trendy Casio watch that features Bluetooth connectivity.
The G-Shock app does greater than replace the time of your watch upon initially setting it up or whereas touring (which it additionally does). The app additionally serves as a “second display screen” to the watch which lets you regulate and set numerous options such because the alarm or the countdown timer. Once more, these options usually are not all the time simple to really set on the watch itself. So, if you wish to set the watch’s alarm to go off at 2pm, it requires seconds to do it within the app, versus having to recall the right way to do it on the watch. The app additionally gives diagnostic instruments comparable to telling you the watch’s battery life, in addition to permitting the software program on the watch to be up to date with issues comparable to world timezone adjustments, and many others.
Returning to the 5544 module motion within the MTGB1000 watch, it’s “photo voltaic,”which means it’s charged by the sunshine, and, along with Bluetooth connectivity, it has a number of helpful options in it. On the dial of the watch, you will have persistent shows for the time, date, day of the week, AM/PM indicator, and a 12-hour show for a second time zone (that has its personal little AM/PM indicator dial). This latter second time zone function is beneficial for vacationers and, once more, is a kind of capabilities that may be simply adjusted through the G-Shock app.
Although the palms and hour markers are painted with luminant, the dial of the watch additionally has a shiny LED mild that simply illuminates the dial for viewing in all sorts of darkness environments. Different options of the motion embrace a chronograph, countdown timer, world time indicator, and alarm. A mode selector on the dial helps you cycle by means of the options, and the palms on the dial usually repurpose themselves, given the present perform mode. It may be enjoyable to easily watch all of the palms on the dial transfer round as you shift the MT-G face to chronograph mode.
