The square, in steel
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
In 1983 Kikuo Ibe's team at Casio released the DW-5000C, and the square shape has hardly changed since. The GMW-B5000 is that original outline made in steel, and when it arrived it made a lot of serious collectors quietly buy a G-Shock for the first time in years. Me included, in spirit if not yet in wallet.
What it gets right: the proportions are exactly the classic square, 49.3 by 13 mm, and the full metal case and bracelet give it a weight that feels deliberate. Module 3459 brings solar charging, multi-band radio sync, Bluetooth, world time, alarm and stopwatch. 200 m, of course. It is the one digital watch I think looks correct with a white shirt.
What it gets wrong: the steel bracelet is the usual G-Shock bracelet, with an awkward clasp that is fiddly to size without tools. The negative display is not on this version, which is good, but the LCD is still small by modern standards and hard to read at angles. And steel on a square case scratches noticeably, so expect swirls on the top surface after a few months of desk diving.
At 550 to 600 dollars it is not cheap for a Casio, but there is nothing quite like it.