Casio G-Shock DW-5600VT - XLarge Ltd Edn

I've now blogged a few different XLarge (or X-Large) watches, but today's is one of the big collaborations they did.

This watch is the collaboration between XLarge and Casio to produce a limited edition G-Shock watch. The watch is a G-Shock DW-5600 design which is designated DW-5600VT. The -VT models seem to be the mark for the line of watches where Casio released the limited editions, and there have been many different designs produced over the years.

This limited edition looks to have been released around 2006 or 2007, but I don't have any information on the number of units produced. It was a Japanese market version (as it has the Foxfire name), but was officially sold in one store in the US, the XLarge store in Los Angeles. This isn't a common model, so they seem to command a high price in the second hand market. The model has the same case shape as the regular DW-5600, but has the XLarge name under the glass above the LCD. The strap is also covered by a faint pattern of leaves and flowers. The el-backlight reveals a red image of the XLarge clothing name and Ape logo. The XLarge name is also engraved in the centre of the back plate.

The DW-5600 watch is an LCD design with a 2 line LCD display. The LCD shows day and date along the top, with the 6 digit time along the bottom. The date is shown on a little box in the top left, and during the other modes, the time is shown here. Inside is a 1545 module which gives the watch time, alarm, stopwatch, and timer modes. The module start date is 1995 which shows the design has been around for a while.

Casio G-Shock Foxfire DW-8195 Crazy Gangsters

I like the old G-Shocks from the early lines, especially the 90s models which seem to be quite common in my collection.

Today's watch is another 90s model and this time one of the Foxfire models. The Foxfire models seem to be a Japan only version where the Foxfire text replaces the Illuminator text on the watch face. According to MyGShock, the Foxfire name may come from the fact that Foxfire is a term for the bioluminescence from a certain fungi, and this even featured in a Mark Twain novel.

This model is a special edition with the number DW-8195 and was one of 9 watches under the Crazy Gangsters (or Crazy Gang Stars) name. They were a 90s G-Shock series and were released in June 1995 with an original sale price of ¥15,000. All of the models have a different picture which has a military theme, and this is the purple model with a helmet, wings, and a sword design in the backlight. It has a fabric strap with leather back, and on the part of the case where the strap connects is a metal plate with the word Gangsters imprinted on it. This models specific model number is DW-8195-1A6.

The watch is powered by a 1430 module and has a rectangular LCD with 3 sections. The bottom of the display has the 6 digits of the time, and across the middle are 5 LCD blocks which fill and empty with the seconds. The top of the display has a dot matrix array with quite large blocks. By default, the dot matrix array shows the day and date, but when the light is activated by the button on the front, the dot matrix shows 1 of 7 phrases (or 8 if you include the G symbol). The phrases are slang sayings and are: Hang, Party!, Do it!, 'S up?, Cool!, MEGA, and RAVE!.

Mode-wise, the watch isn't too loaded, only having stopwatch, timer, and alarm modes.

Casio G-Shock Raysman DW-9350 'naked'

Today's watch is one that has been damaged as I've seen with many others from this range.

The watch is a Casio G-Shock, and I've called this one 'naked' as it's missing the rubber/resin trim which comes around the front of the case. It seems that on some of the 90s models, this trim is prone to cracking and is often complete missing. These covers are extremely hard to come by, so I thought I'd still use the watch as the rest works perfectly.

The watch is part of the Raysman range which were the first of the tough solar G-Shocks. This is a Raysman DW-9350 and came out in May 1998. It is part of something called the Yacht series, which was linked to a Mediterranean Sea race around Malta, and represents the intellect and stamina required to race a yacht. Three watches were released in the yacht series, and this is the model DW-9350J-9T. This was the yellow model, and the back for this version shows an engraving of a bat hanging over the waves.

The watch uses a 1584 module, and has many features. It has a 30 slot data bank, alarm (x5), el-backlight, stopwatch, and timer. It mentions that is has a yacht timer - I don't know how this compares with a normal stopwatch, but you can get to that mode directly from the top right button. The original article suggests it can withstand water spray (20 bar), a small fire on board, or a small crash.

The display has 3 lines with a dot matrix along the top, and two lines of digits. This can show plenty of data with 6 digits for time, 6 digits for date, and day, and there is a circle for battery power in the top right.

The original sale price was ¥29,000.

Casio G-Shock Solar MTG-9100J

I'm back to an old G-Shock today, and as it was sunny I thought I'd blog one of their Solar models. 

This watch is the MTG-900J (I think is the Japanese model the MTG-900). It is one of the MT-G sub-line of the Casio G-Shock watches. The MT-G watches are the metal watches in the G-Shock line, and so have the impression of being the smarter and more luxurious watches. Casio stated that this line, and maybe more specifically this series, set the benchmark for men's metal digital. 

This model is an all LCD design with the normal 200m water resistance, and has Waveceptor radio control, and the Tough Solar system as well. It is powered by a 2639 module (some have 2638 modules), which gives the watch world time, time memo, alarm (x4), and stopwatch modes. 

The display is a 3 line LCD which is dominated by the large time display across the centre. The top line is a dot matrix showing day and mode descriptions and along the bottom is the date. In the top left of the display is the charge marker for the solar power, and in the bottom right is the radio reception marker. 

This model came out in the mid 2000s (I found a review from 2007) and it can be found in the Casio G-Shock archive on their website. 

Casio GQ-200 Muscle Time Alarm Clock

Today, I'm taking a break from the watches and going for a clock, but one with a very strong watch link...

The watch is called the Muscle Time by Casio and is a watch in the style of the G-Shock watches. It was actually made with the original prototypes of the G-Shock as the inspiration as those had a round design.

The clock has the same rugged design as the G-Shocks, and even has the word Protection moulded into the plastic. It is quite rubbery and tough, and it feels like you could play football (soccer) with it without problem.

At the front of the 'ball' is the LCD display which has two sets of numbers. The main part is the time (6 digits) with the alarm time shown below (surrounded by a black border). The alarm (which is incredibly loud) is activated by a switch on the side, and there are buttons under where is stands for setting the time and alarm. For night viewing, there is a large button on top (hidden inside the rubber) for activated the very bright el-backlight. For power, it uses 2x AA batteries accessed through a rubber covered screw fixed panel on the back.

There were 3 versions of the Muscle Time Alarm Clock released, and this, the GC-200, is probably the most common, however they were only released for a short time, and consequently are all rare now. This model is the GQ-200J-1 (which I've also seen referred to as QC-200) and the original sale price was ¥7,200. The module seems the same as the GQ-100 and the manual for both can be seen on the Casio Japan FTP site.

Casio G-Shock Codename DW-8800

It's another G-Shock today as again I'm going to see LidoLido play (although he's gone upmarket, and doesn't sing about a G-Shock anymore! - correction: the G-Shock was back :-D) 

This is another of the 1990s models of G-Shock, and came out sometime between 1996 and 1998. This has a model number of DW-8800, and is from a line called Codename. It has a lot of spy sounding modes in the 1444 module as well as the normal ones. It has Contacts (100 slot Data Bank), Mission, Morse Code, Vital Statistics, stopwatch, and alarm.

The Vital Statistics mode has places for name, passport number, license number, birthday, and credit card details. Morse Code mode allows translation of Morse code into English or Japanese. I haven't worked out what the Mission is yet though..

It has the tough styling of the G-Shocks, and the main display is an LCD panel with two lines of 6 digits. There is a small mode dial on the LCD too, and at the top, there is a dot matrix array where any text is displayed (day, mode, name, etc.). Light is activated by the front mounted G button.

On the back of the watch is a lot of engraved text. This text shows signal signs (i guess to mark on the ground to alert aircraft) for all manner of occasions from 'doctor needed' through 'probably safe to land here' to 'require firearms and ammunition'.

Casio G-Shock DW-003

It's tough watch time today, and another from the Casio G-Shock range. Having been through a few of them on the blog now, it seems I have a thing for the 90s G-Shocks as that seems to be the majority of my collection.

This G-Shock is the DW-003. There were quite a few different versions called DW-003, but based on the use of a 1662 module, and a bit of digging, I think this is a DW-003RB-1T, which was released towards the end of November 1997. It seems to have only been a Japanese model, and was originally sold for 19,000 yen.

This model is part of a line called Rock & Native (using translation software...), and has a native American symbol of peace (a feather) on the strap. There were a few different watches in this line, each with a different backlight picture, and this one has a hedgehog (maybe porcupine) which signifies peace.

The watch has the rugged round G-Shock design with a thick screwed on case for protection, and the G light button  below the LCD. The LCD is shown over two window with a dot matrix array across the top (for showing day or mode), and a main window with two lines of 6 digits (6 digit date and time at the bottom).

The 1662 module gives it a good number of modes, covering data bank (30 slot telephone numbers), alarm, dual time, timer, and stopwatch.

Casio G-Shock DW-5600 Summer Gradation Midday White

I'm going to see a concert tonight by an artist called LidoLido. One if his songs has they lyrics "spending hours trying to change my comprehension of time, so I cop another G-Shock", and he gestures to a white G-Shock he always wears. So today, it seemed right to wear a white G-Shock!

Today's Casio G-Shock is a more modern model than most of my G-Shock posts. This model was released in May 2007 and was part of a range called Summer Gradation. The range came in 3 colours, and were based on the colours of the sun and ocean on a summers day. This model is the white version called Midday White, with an ocean coloured face, and had a full model number of DW-5600L-7.

The DW-5600 watches use a 1545 module, and are much more basic in look (and less rugged looking) than a lot of the G-Shocks. It does have the standard alarm, timer, and stopwatch modes, but none of the special features, sensors, or animated displays found on other models. It is of course still shock resistant, and water resistant to 20 bar.

The display is a 2 row LCD panel with time (6 digits) along the bottom, and day and date across the top.

These models are quoted to normally be most popular with the young surfers as they don't need the same protection for their watches as other more extreme sports fans, and the designs often represent more beach and sea themes.

Casio G-Shock DW-9000

Back to the heavy duty watches again today.

My Friday watch is another of Casio's G-Shock watches. This model is the DW-9000 and was released in around 1997/8. There were many colours released (this one is a pale green jelly version), and the watch could come with a resin or fabric/velcro strap. One online shop also quotes this as being part of the G-Shock Glide series.

It has the distinctive G-Shock look, with a large plastic shock-resistant cover on the case and well protected buttons, as well as the 20bar water resistance. The LCD display is split into four sections, two with numbers, and two with blocks. The number lines are on the top and bottom and show day and date (top), and time (6 digits, bottom). The other sections fill and empty with seconds, with one covering 10 second blocks, and the other being individual seconds.

It uses a Casio 1659 module which takes a CR1616 battery. The module is a Casio Illuminator model with the electro luminescent back light activated by the big G button on the front. Other modes are alarm, timer, and stopwatch. The calendar covers up to 2039, with month lengths, leap years etc., and has a summer time option for quick time updates.

The G-Shock watches are known for their toughness, and another blog (Gear Geak - link) has done a torture test on this particular model. They sat it underwater, froze it, boiled it, sat it in a dryer, ran it over with a car, and dropped it - and the watch still ran!

Casio G-Shock G-8100 Black

The Casio G-Shock range is popular worldwide, but some designs are less common than others.

Today's model of G-Shock, the G-8100-1 is not particularly common in Europe (as a fellow watch fan pointed out to me today). It has a much squarer design than the usual G-Shock models, and has a more integrated plastic case and strap.

It uses a round inverse LCD display which is split into two segments. The top half has the date, and the day part uses a small dot matrix array. There are also dots around the edge that fill and empty with the seconds (ones on the left, and 5s on the right). The bottom half of the display is the time showing 5 1/2 digits.

The watch has a QW-3078 module, and the front says it is a dual illuminator model. It has all of the normal G-Shock modes including world time (48 cities), multi alarm (x2 + a snooze alarm) , timer, and stopwatch . The illumination is through an el-backlight triggered by the big silver front button.

Casio Baby-G Silver Shower BGR-30S

Another rugged watch again today, and this time a Baby-G.

This is one of the larger models of the Casio G-Shock Baby-G line. The line has smaller models than the main G-Shocks, and are primarily aimed at women or maybe teens.

The watch is an Ana-Digi with a 2-hand dial and 4 round LCD displays. As normal, the LCD displays have a variety of functions. As standard, the right display is the time, bottom is seconds, left is date (on a dot matrix display), and top shows a sun or moon to show day or night. When the light is activated, the left changes to an animation showing a fish, dog, dolphin, cat, or deer.

It uses a 2774 module, and has databank, world time, city information, alarm, timer, and stopwatch, (and an analogue setting mode). The timer and stopwatch have an animated animal as well, with the timer being a dog and stopwatch being a dolphin.

The city information is unusual as it gives the maximum and minimum temperature of that city at this time of year. The database allows memo input, with a capacity up to 100 (but that isn't 100 records as my test input of 5 characters used up 3).

The full model number is BGR-30S-8E and is part of a set called Silver Shower (there was also a pink variation (the -9E)).

Casio G-Shock GT-003 the official pizzicato five G-Cool

Another cold and snowy day today, so a hard wearing watch is the best. And so it's another Casio G-Shock for today's post.

The one I'm wearing today is another in the G-Cool G'Mix range of G-Shock. The G-Cool watches are designed with a more musical theme than the standard G-Shocks. This particular one has more of a musical theme than most as it is a special edition collaboration with the Japanese group the pizzicato five (-they normally don't use capital letters in the name). Pizzicato five was formed in 1985 as a pop band and has morphed through different styles as the years progressed, and they released an album every year. Their most well known version was through the 90s and  paid homage to 60s American pop music, but they have covered soul, funk, jazz, folk, pop, and electronica too. The band broke up in 2001, three years after the watch was released.

It uses a 1699 module and has 3 parts to the display. The main display is a 6 digit LCD with smaller seconds, and is where the time and other modes are displayed. The next display is an inverse blue LCD panel across the top which shows the day and date over two lines. The last bit is a small oval inverse blue LCD which is split into segments that fill and empty (at 5 seconds per segment).

The watch has the usual stopwatch and alarm functions, and also has a bpm feature (which is also seen on other G-Cools). With the bpm feature, you press the front button with the beat for 5 beats, and it tells you the bpm. When not in bpm mode, the front button activates the electroluminescent back-light, which shows a red *** logo behind the time.

This watch has a model number of GT-003, but I don't know the sub-number. It was a special edition of the G-Cool GT-003 and has a different backplate compared to the standard model (which states it is "the official pizzicato five model G-Cool (c) 1998"). It came in 5 colours, and had an original cost of 23,000 yen. 

Casio G-Shock DW-610

Today it's the third of my mini G-Shock watches. They were meant to have been blogged in order, but this 'middle' version comes last due to me picking up the wrong one last time.

This model is the DW-610, and is the third in my DW-6xx range. As with the DW-600 and DW-620 that I've blogged earlier (here and here), this is a smaller size G-Shock watch which was one of the last small versions in the full G-Shock range (released in Dec 1994) before the introduction of the Baby-G in May 1995.

It uses a 1416 module which has the same general features, but different layout, as the DW-620's 1419 module. There is a 6 digit LCD display with smaller seconds, and a squashed first digit. I'm the middle of the face there is a round segment with a 5x5 dot matrix LCD display. This normally shows a letter G which rotates for 2 seconds every 10 seconds, but also shows the letters of the mode name when not in time mode. When the el-backlight is illuminated, this display shows an animated stickman surfing (maybe snowboarding), performing tricks, and wiping out at the end. Like the other mini G-Shocks and Baby-Gs this watch is only 100m water resistant (compared to 200m for a regular G-Shock).

Casio G-Shock DW-620

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged one of the smaller G-Shock watches in the DW-6xx range. I have 3 different versions and had planned to blog them in numerical order, but picked up the wrong one this morning. So here is the DW-620.
The DW-620 was released in December 1994, and was one of only a few (and the last) small G-Shocks that were released before the Baby-G range was started. One site I've seen also suggested that this version was also nicknamed London
The watch has a 1419 module with an LCD display. The main display has two lines with the date in 4 digits along the top, and a 6 digit time display (with a squashed first digit in 24-hr mode). There is also a small 5x5 dot matrix LCD panel above the time which normally shows a large G that rotates (for 2 sec) every 10 seconds. This display also shows sequential letters of the mode that the watch is in when not in time mode (AL, TR, ST), and when the el-backlight is activated, it displays a dancing stick-man who sits down at the end.
Apart from the time, the watch has alarm, timer, and stopwatch.