There's a new Casio G-Shock – and it's based on the oldest one out there!
The DW5000R-1A is a modern interpretation of the first ever G-Shock watch.
The Casio G-Shock is an icon for a reason. You might look at that rugged case housing a digital display and think it's an ultra-modern design, but it's actually been around for over 40 years!
The original debuted in 1983, and featured the iconic square case shape now associated with the 5000 and 5600 series models. It was designed to offer something which the best watches of the time could not – reliability even in extreme environments.
Now, the brand is honouring the initial model with a new release. Called the Casio G-Shock DW5000R-1A, this piece takes the design and ethos of the pioneering model from four decades ago, but updates it with some more timely characteristics.
The case size is slightly larger, moving up to 42.3mm from the original 41.6mm. Crucially, it keeps the stainless steel case design, complete with the screw-lock case back. The resin coating also stays present, though it's the more modern bio-based resin on the new model.
Of course, as a G-Shock, you'll also enjoy 200m of water resistance, timers and stopwatches, daily alarms and more. As a fairly faithful recreation of the original, you won't find any Bluetooth or Multi Band 6 tech in here, either.
The time is controlled electronically from a quartz crystal, just like all manner of other quartz watches out there. It's accurate to +/- 15 seconds per month which is seriously good accuracy – it should be leagues ahead of what you'd find on most mechanical watches.
Priced at $200 (approx. £159 / AU$319) this feels like a really neat watch for the cost. Sure, it's a little more expensive than other models in the range, but given its ties to the history of the brand, I think it's a more than fair concession. If you love G-Shock, this is the new holy grail.
