G-SHOCK’s new all-metal, all-analog GMC-B2100AD

It is a given for any watch enthusiast that one day he or she will come across CASIO’s G-SHOCK watch line and have to come to terms with what they think of it. A large majority of these people will inevitably decide to call themselves a G-SHOCK fan. An important reason for this is the enormous number of watches in literally all shapes, sizes and colors that are available from G-SHOCK. Looking for a $100 beater to take to the coal mines? There’s a G-SHOCK for you. Do you need a large, all-metal, gold digital watch for a night out in Dubai? Again, that’s what a G-SHOCK is for. In fact, there may be a G-SHOCK for just about everyone, for every need. The fact that there are so many different variants makes G-SHOCK a natural starting point for the novice watch collector. It’s easy to find something that suits you without straying too far outside your comfort zone.

That breadth of variety has come a long way since 1981, when G-SHOCK was just a twinkle in the eye of Casio’s head of watch design, engineer Kikuo Ibe. Legend has it that Ibe was hit by a pedestrian on the street and dropped a fragile mechanical watch given to him by his father, watching helplessly as it disintegrated on the ground. Thus, the seed was planted to create a watch that could meet the newly coined ‘Triple Ten’ design criteria. The timepiece had to be strong enough to survive a 10-meter drop, waterproof enough to withstand a depth of 10 atmospheres (100 meters) and have a 10-year battery life. Together with a three-person team called “Team Tough,” Mr. Ibe got to work, and in 1983 Casio debuted the DW-5000C, the very first G-SHOCK. Many years of evolution and iteration would follow in the G-SHOCK line, from water-oriented models to mountaineering watches to the wild materials and metallurgy of the Mr. G collection; there is something for everyone.

Back to 2019 and the release of a true phenomenon with the GA-2100, with its octagonal shape – in itself an evolution of the DW-5000C, which already had an eight-sided housing (then even more square) and the AW-5000, the first analog-digital G-SHOCK from 1989. It turns out that the collector community as a whole is big fans of having a fun, octagonal timepiece for about a fraction of the cost of a well-known 1970s icon. The success of the GA- 2100 has spawned a new wave of G-SHOCK variants, and you can now find a near-infinite number of these little octagons on the G-SHOCK website in just about any color and material combination you can imagine. There are cool, inconspicuous black tones, fun and summery white and pastel colors, shiny silver and gold, and everything in between. A quick search through this author’s watch box reveals that I somehow acquired five of them without even realizing it.

This brings us to today’s main event and the next evolution of the G-SHOCK GA-2100 family, the new GMC-B2100 series. This new timepiece takes the now iconic octagonal shape into the next iteration, ditching the digital elements of the GA-2100 series and going fully analog. Casio has chosen to give these introductory pieces an all-metal treatment, complementing the elegance that comes with replacing the digital readout with a chronograph layout with three sub-dials.

Although it resembles a traditional chronograph, the subdial functionality remains largely G-SHOCK. The lower subdial has two hands and works as a totalizer for the chronograph, which can count up to 12 hours in a familiar hour and minute hand format, just like a small clock. The sub-dial on the left shows the day of the week, and the sub-dial at the top shows what mode you are in and/or the battery charge level. That’s a lot of information in one small area. Speaking of the dial, these are available in slate black or the lovely soft blue you see here.

Both variants feature many angular raised and recessed areas, from the sub-dials to the indexes and chapter ring, to give the dial plenty of depth and a complex, well-crafted look. That complexity stems from the case and bracelet, which are also highly technically machined and have alternating polished and brushed finishes. The brushing offsets the paint nicely so the whole package doesn’t feel too luxurious, a word that in my humble opinion is not typically associated with G-SHOCK. The stainless steel bracelet has a standard folding clasp and nicely mimics the dimples you’d find on the classic G-SHOCKS with resin strap, so you won’t forget that, even though this watch is a little on the classier side it’s still a G-SHOCK through and through.

Downstairs in the engine room you will find the G-SHOCK 5733 module. This module doesn’t appear to be out in the wild yet, so information is very limited, but included features include time and day/date, stopwatch (chronograph), countdown timer, alarm, and a dual-time function. You can also connect via Bluetooth to the Casio Watches app for easy setting of the time, world timer (with up to 300 different cities) and alarm, which is a nice feature if you’re averse to learning the complicated button combinations required are for some of the deeper features here.

On the wrist, the watch wears pretty much exactly as you’d expect, with substantial wrist presence but never too big, despite its 46.3mm dimensions. Call it the G-SHOCK Goldilocks zone, a sweet spot they’ve pretty much perfected over the years. It feels heavy and solid, but not overly so, and portability is greatly aided by the 12.4mm thickness of the case. It’s the oldest cliché in the watch world to say that it looks just as good with a suit and tie as it does on the beach with board shorts, but I think we can get away with doing it here one last time. to use.

As the next iteration in one of G-SHOCK’s most successful lines, the GMC-B2100 series has a lot to offer. It builds on the good looks and functionality of its predecessor, offering a more elegant and less sporty appearance. I look forward to seeing the world of variants of this model that are sure to follow, and picking up another or five for myself. It’s available now from the brand and its retailers at $800. For more details, please visit www.casio.com.