One thing you can always count on is for Casio to introduce new and interesting features and products in the G-Shock line. Today let's look at the G-Rescue G7900A-7, introduced in May of 2009:
- Inspired by search and rescue teams (thus the name).
- Bigger buttons for gloved use -- largest ever on a g-shock.
- Back case shock absorbers (pictured below).
- Low temperature rated display (-4°F/-20°C).
And of course the long list of normal g-shock features:
- Water resistant to 200m (660ft).
- Auto and manual electroluminescent backlight.
- Flash alert (backlight flashes with the alarm).
- World time.
- Five alarms.
- Two stopwatches.
- Moon and tide graph.
Please read on for the full review.
The G-Rescue line is in an enlarged case which is shaped slightly differently than its predecessors with new bezel screws. Here are the specs:
- 65g.
- 18.1mm thick.
- 50.3mm wide.
- 52.6mm lug to lug.
- Strap narrows down to 21.4mm.
So it's wider and taller, but still lightweight. On the back are two blue plastic "back case shock absorbers" which I assume absorb impacts, but no explanation is given as to how or why.
The Rescue is available in several color combinations; I quite like (and asked for) the white version. Detailed in blue and black, it's bold, but not obnoxious, and a nice change from blue or black cases. One of the advantages of the G-shock line is their low cost which means you can afford to try a different style without spending a lot of money. (List price on the G7900A-7 is $99, and they're online for as little as $85).
Digging into the 3194 movement manual (PDF), you'll find some interesting features. The five alarms have different capabilities: one has five snoozes, one goes off one day each month, one goes off at a future time and date, and the most puzzling one is the '1-month' alarm, that goes off at the same time every day, one month per year.
I thought about that for a while and could think of only one possible use - religious holidays such as Ramadan. I wish they'd explain the uses sometimes, as there's probably an interesting story there! Anyway, if you have such a need, it's there (and please let us know what that need is).
In the realm of more common features, the Rescue of course excels. There's a new moonphase (8 segments) and tide graph (six segments) above the time, and a wedge that shows the time on the two stopwatches -- kind of clever. And speaking of stopwatches, bravo for adding a second one! Both run for up to 1,000 hours -- very useful.
There's also a 24-hour countdown timer, one of my favorite features, and great for things like cooking.
The backlight is either manual or automatic (wrist tilt), and you can also enable 'flash mode,' which briefly flashes it whenever there's an alarm or chime. Might be useful in noisy, dark settings to get your attention.
World time is present as expected, and since the watch uses UTC offset and lunitidal interval to calculate tides, you can enter a fractional offset -- perfect for places like Delhi and Australia.
The newly enlarged buttons are easier to use and a nice improvement overall. Easy to press, but still reasonably shielded from bumps.
The G-Rescue series is one of the lower-priced lines, and therefore uses a conventional battery-powered movement which manually set (as opposed to being set via a time signal). Accuracy is ±15 seconds per month, with a 2-year battery life.
In person, it's very comfortable, and the light weight is quite enjoyable to wear. I wore it for a week of assembling furniture and unpacking boxes, and was very happy with it. It seems like a good choice for anyone working on the ocean, with its simple displays of tide and moonphase.
The G-shock line has been around since 1983, so it's quite impressive to see how they're still innovating and improving, yet still keeping prices down. This is a great watch -- inexpensive and tough as nails.
Our thanks to Casio PR for the review watch; much appreciated once again.
By Paul Hubbard
