Forty years ago this month, Casio debuted the original G-Shock, an ultra-durable watch that relied on multiple layers of shock-absorbing materials to withstand all sorts of impact. As we all know by now, the durable timekeeper wasn’t just a hit, it became a veritable household name. The G-Shock Move DWH5600 reprises that original design in a modern sports watch package.
That’s right, it’s modern version of the iconic square G-Shock with a full complement of modern tracking sensors, so you can rock the same classic look while monitoring your performance across various workouts. No, it’s nowhere near as powerful as your favorite GPS sports watch, but if you want to add some vintage G-Shock to your drip while still tracking your performance during runs and gym workouts, this will definitely do the trick.
The G-Shock Move DWH5600 puts the classic square G-Shock in a case and bezel that’s cut in a bio-based resin, allowing it to retain the vintage look while being covered in modern materials. As with all G-Shocks, it’s shock-resistant, so it can handle drops and impact without taking damage, all while having 20 bars of water-resistance, so you can take it to modest depths without affecting its operation. Helping it retain the classic feel is the black and white MIP display, which allows for high-visibility readouts even in direct sunlight, although they layout is far busier, since this is designed to display a bit more information than the original.
It’s got all the typical G-Shock functions onboard, such as timekeeping for up to 38 time zones, stopwatch, countdown timer, auto-calendar tracking, alarms, and alternate time display formats. However, it’s also a modern sports watch that’s fitted with an accelerometer, an optical heart rate sensor, and an oximeter for measuring blood oxygen levels, allowing it to keep tabs on your performance during physical activities. Do note, this isn’t trying to compete with Garmin and its hundred of sport profiles. Instead, the wearable only comes with four main settings – running, walking, gym workout, and interval training, albeit with the ability to track a whole load of data in any of those modes. According to Garmin, it can store up to 100 runs of up to 200 laps each.
The G-Shock Move DWH5600 can be paired with a smartphone if you want to add GPS data to your performance stats, as well as receive notifications for any phone calls, messages, and alerts your phone receives. It also comes with sleep tracking, total activity measurements, and various stats from Polar’s library of functions (e.g. training analysis data, post-sleep recovery, and more). The watch is powered by a rechargeable battery that can keep it running for around 35 hours with all the sensors engaged, although you can extend that for up to a week if you only use the fitness features for an hour each day. Like many G-Shock watches, it comes with solar charging, by the way, so the battery rating could be extended if you spend time outdoors in direct sunlight.
The G-Shock Move DWH5600 comes out May 19th.