Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1 | Hands On Watch Review

by Don Evans

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

I grew up in the 80s. I was 3 when the original G-Shock came out in 1983, so I wasnโ€™t wearing the first one, but my father got me one when I was around 8. I loved it. Through high school I bought many. In my early 20โ€™s I got into them even more and had about 10 in my collection. I also wore them in professional kitchens as these things are tough as nails!
When I saw the Casio G-Shockย GMWB5000D-1 35th Anniversary All Metal,ย I knew I needed one. I was able to grab one this past weekend at the King of Prussia mall fromย http://www.timeaftertimewatches.com. I pretty much instantly fell in love with the watch. The price, not so much.ย 

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

Casio G-Shockย GMWB5000D-1 Specifications:

  • Size of case : 49.3 X 43.2 X 13 mm
  • Total weight: 167 g
  • Mineral Crystal
  • Approx. battery operating time:
    10 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge)
    22 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge)
  • 200 Meters Water Resistant

Rest of Specifications here:
https://products.g-shock.com/asia-mea/en/_detail/GMW-B5000D-1/

Price $500 USDย 

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

The all-metal Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1 comes in 2 variations, all stainless and gold plated steel. They are selling for $500-$600, with the gold version carrying a $100 premium. That is a quite a chunk of change for a watch that is not one of theย most complicatedย G-Shock watches available. Matter of fact, the only things really added to it from the originalย version is that it now has Bluetooth Connect, is solar powered and of course the all-metal case and bracelet. The current Resinย version of these watches do most of the same things (not Bluetooth as far as I can tell), but it still feels like you are paying a heavy premium for the all steel case and bracelet.ย 

1983 Model

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

So, the always looming question, is it worth it? I mention in the video that I feel it is overpriced a bit and should be more in the $350 region. I still do believe that, but it is priced at what Casio wanted it to be and I doubt we will ever see these at a discount or on daily deal sites. Hell, it is hard to get your hands on one right now as it is. The Casio G-Shockย GMWB5000D-1 is a very attractive watch, the construction of the case and bracelet is top notch and finishing is the same. No corners were cut here in build quality. It of course still has a mineral crystal, but most G-Shock watches do. They are meant to take abuse. Personally, for this one, I will probably be babying it. It is just too beautiful to go and beat the crap out of it, though I have no doubts that it could take it. The case has resin underneath the metal casing, basically sandwiched between the top and case back. While it is one of the prettiestย digital watches I think I have ever seen, at least in the classic style, it is still meant to be used as any other G-Shock. I just won’tย be doing that myself. Because of that, I would have liked a sapphire crystal, but that is just wishful thinking. The one thing that comforts me though, like any G-Shock, the bezel is quite raised, making the crystal harder to get at and thus reducing scratches to it.

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

I absolutely love wearing this sexy piece of metal. Yes, I just described this $500 G-Shock as a sexy piece of metal, as that is how I see it. It may sound silly, but I just love how this looks on my wrist. It is ultra comfortable and just gives me the nostalgic feels. I am sure anyone outside of the watch collecting world would look at me like I am crazy if I told them how much this digital watch costs, but they probably look at me like I am crazy most of the time anyway, so who cares. The case size is perfect for what I like to wear these days, the bracelet is beautiful and solid, and also easy to size. If you are like me and always have trouble with bracelets fitting properly even after you removed a few links, no worries, Casio put four micro-adjust holes in the clasp, allowing me to have a perfect fit. When I am in the dark, the raise to illuminate auto-light feature is also pretty handy, Iย  have to admit. Of course, if you do not want this feature,ย  you can easily toggle it on and off by holding down the light button for a couple of seconds.

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

Speaking of features, it has everything you would come to expect from a standard G-Shock these days- Solar, World Time, DST, Alarms, Stopwatch, Timer, and more. It also has Bluetooth so you can connect to your phone, tablet or compatible computer. I did not find the Bluetooth connection to be that great, to be honest, it is limited in what it does and nothing that would be very useful for me, with the exception of the find your phone feature. While it may be a touch gimmicky, I find it works really well, and hey, it might come in handy on those drunken or over-tired nights where you are like “Where did I put that darn phone again?” Personally, this watch is all about the look for me. I use myย phone as my alarm, tell Siri to set a timer, ask her what time it is somewhere when I need to know, etc. I am not saying I will never use some of the features on this watch, but it is not a watch that will be worn every day obviously, as I have review watches on most of the time.

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

Casio G-Shock GMWB5000D-1

As I have stated many times, I really do love this watch. I love it for the classic look, I love it for the build quality and I love it for the nostalgia. I do not love that price so much, considering when you go to the G-Shock website you can see many metal G-Shock watches that are ani-digi or straight digitals that are considerably less. Yes, this version has Bluetooth, but honestly, I feel they could have left that out and no one would have cared. Maybe that would have dropped the price by a $100 or $150. Casio definitely knew what they had when they released this watch. They probably could have charged more and it would probably have been in the same high demand. Still, I paid the $500 for it, and I am legit wearing it as I type this. I hope to be able to wear it as much as I can, maybe I will try and make it the weekend watch. The Casio G-Shockย GMWB5000D-1 is a great throwback that has been redone and made over for 2018. I am glad I found one and glad I bought it, and even if you are not considering buying one, you owe it to yourself to check one out if you can. Hopefully, they will be more readily accessible in the near future.

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