Today, we discuss a very popular G-Shock model. The OG Rangeman GW-9400.
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Yes, I copied the Easter egg
The GW-9400 had been one of my grail watches ever since I saw it back in 2017 in a tutorial video from Marius, aka WatchGeek. When it came out, it was what every G-Shock enthusiast who wanted maximum functionality from their watch. Triple sensor, self adjusting, self charging, a timer, stopwatch, worldtime and a host of other features. One of the most notable features besides the triple sensors would be the ability to take a screen shot and store 40 of those in the watch's memory.
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Fake screws were a bad design choice
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The metal keeper adds a premium feel
The design takes cues from the DW-6900 and the GW-7900. The basic design is based on the 6900 while the fake screw idea comes from the 7900. I don't know who at Casio thought fake screws on a G-Shock look cool. They don't add any element of shock resistance to the watch and fall off when the watch encounters frequent shakes. The case has dimples for these screws so it seems like these screws were real somewhere during the development phase. The Rangeman was the first non JDM model to use a metal band keeper. Yes, it took very long for Casio to provide that amenity to the rest of the world. The strap comes with a bump to prevent it from sliding out of the keeper. But like everything else, people still complain about it letting the strap out too much.
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Some would mistake the sensor button for a crown. I can see why
The button design is precursor to the one found on the Mudmaster to prevent mud from getting inside the watch case. For operation buttons, there are resin tubes welded to the resin case and the buttons have added gaskets to prevent dirt and mud from getting in. The sensor button adds further enhancement by having a metal tube welded to the case and having guards (like crown guards on an analog watch) for added protection (PS: ever wonder where the design of the sensor button the GG-1000 came from?). The buttons are metal, have a grippy texture and are easy to press, making it much easier to use than the Mudman and the GX(W)-56 which had an inherent problem with the mud resistance design for the buttons. The damn things were hard to operate and had to be boiled to soften them up.
![Image]()
The sunburst to die for
The caseback design was something where the Rangeman was different from the rest of the master of G models at the time. It is a milled stainless steel design and has a beautiful sunburst texture. This adds a feeling of quality and is a step up from the stamped caseback used on other master of G models available at the time. The cat mascot is also interesting by having a compass strapped to its front leg which shows that it has a wrist compass, the eyes of the mascot indicate that it's solar powered and the thunder shaped tail indicates efficiency (atleast that would be my guess).
Then there are the lugs. Only those people complain about it who change the strap and who put too much force on the lugs. First of all, they are not made for tugging and second of all you're responsible for any damage to the watch when you mod it. Don't put the blame on the manufacturer if the watch cannot hold a metal bracelet on the lugs or the aftermarket lug adapters mess the lugs. It was never made to take on NATO straps and metal bracelets, period. I haven't seen people complain about the Gulfman, Riseman and the Mudman when they all use the same lug design because they don't get modded or tugged at as much.
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What a profitable day!
The watch is very user friendly and intuitive. The one touch stopwatch comes in useful when you want to time something instantly (like a jogging session or when boiling eggs!). You have a total of a Thousand hours so measure away. The sensors work without a hitch but the altimeter needs frequent calibration if you live in an area where pressure changes are frequent as it works via the barometric sensor. The one meter measurement is an amazing feat which is used even today. The weather predicting ability is enhanced by setting up a pressure trend alarm which sounds when there are sudden pressure changes which are indicative of bad weather.
![Image]()
Some would like this flipped, I prefer it as is
The sun rise and sunset feature was only found on some G-Lide models and a couple of master of G models during the late 1990s but those were very slow due to the technology being new. This function made a comeback with a bang on this one with quick scrolling through multiple dates with a breeze, be it next month, next year or next ten years. You're well covered on the sunrise and sunset times. Then there are the usual Casio features such as a 24 hour timer which can be set in 1 minute increments, 5 alarms, hourly signal and world time.
The display eye harkens back to the twin graph models of yester year with similar style animations during alerts and stopwatch measurement as well as seconds counting. Most would agree that the dark limes printed on the screen make it somewhat illegible on positive display format and mostly illegible in negative display format. The criticism is valid especially when the eye is used to tell the differential in biometric pressure trend as well as for the compass and to display hours in a 24 hour time zone in world time mode. For me, I don't have much trouble using it but I still wish those printed lines weren't there.
![Image]()
Nice alternative for a torch, though it may not stay lit for long
The backlight is Casio's super illuminator LED which does a pretty good job of lighting up the screen. Some people complain about one corner of the screen being pretty bright but I'm not too concerned over that when the end result is good, bright glow. EL backlight is good but can dim over time.
Overall, the watch is very useful as an tough outdoor watch with features to match. It's a good daily driver and you don't have to worry about it getting smashed and banged up like you would with a $1000+ tool watch from the 50s. Like everything else, there is room for improvement but I have to admit that the pros outweigh the cons on this one.
Yes, I copied the Easter egg
The GW-9400 had been one of my grail watches ever since I saw it back in 2017 in a tutorial video from Marius, aka WatchGeek. When it came out, it was what every G-Shock enthusiast who wanted maximum functionality from their watch. Triple sensor, self adjusting, self charging, a timer, stopwatch, worldtime and a host of other features. One of the most notable features besides the triple sensors would be the ability to take a screen shot and store 40 of those in the watch's memory.
Fake screws were a bad design choice
The metal keeper adds a premium feel
The design takes cues from the DW-6900 and the GW-7900. The basic design is based on the 6900 while the fake screw idea comes from the 7900. I don't know who at Casio thought fake screws on a G-Shock look cool. They don't add any element of shock resistance to the watch and fall off when the watch encounters frequent shakes. The case has dimples for these screws so it seems like these screws were real somewhere during the development phase. The Rangeman was the first non JDM model to use a metal band keeper. Yes, it took very long for Casio to provide that amenity to the rest of the world. The strap comes with a bump to prevent it from sliding out of the keeper. But like everything else, people still complain about it letting the strap out too much.
Some would mistake the sensor button for a crown. I can see why
The button design is precursor to the one found on the Mudmaster to prevent mud from getting inside the watch case. For operation buttons, there are resin tubes welded to the resin case and the buttons have added gaskets to prevent dirt and mud from getting in. The sensor button adds further enhancement by having a metal tube welded to the case and having guards (like crown guards on an analog watch) for added protection (PS: ever wonder where the design of the sensor button the GG-1000 came from?). The buttons are metal, have a grippy texture and are easy to press, making it much easier to use than the Mudman and the GX(W)-56 which had an inherent problem with the mud resistance design for the buttons. The damn things were hard to operate and had to be boiled to soften them up.
The sunburst to die for
The caseback design was something where the Rangeman was different from the rest of the master of G models at the time. It is a milled stainless steel design and has a beautiful sunburst texture. This adds a feeling of quality and is a step up from the stamped caseback used on other master of G models available at the time. The cat mascot is also interesting by having a compass strapped to its front leg which shows that it has a wrist compass, the eyes of the mascot indicate that it's solar powered and the thunder shaped tail indicates efficiency (atleast that would be my guess).
Then there are the lugs. Only those people complain about it who change the strap and who put too much force on the lugs. First of all, they are not made for tugging and second of all you're responsible for any damage to the watch when you mod it. Don't put the blame on the manufacturer if the watch cannot hold a metal bracelet on the lugs or the aftermarket lug adapters mess the lugs. It was never made to take on NATO straps and metal bracelets, period. I haven't seen people complain about the Gulfman, Riseman and the Mudman when they all use the same lug design because they don't get modded or tugged at as much.
What a profitable day!
The watch is very user friendly and intuitive. The one touch stopwatch comes in useful when you want to time something instantly (like a jogging session or when boiling eggs!). You have a total of a Thousand hours so measure away. The sensors work without a hitch but the altimeter needs frequent calibration if you live in an area where pressure changes are frequent as it works via the barometric sensor. The one meter measurement is an amazing feat which is used even today. The weather predicting ability is enhanced by setting up a pressure trend alarm which sounds when there are sudden pressure changes which are indicative of bad weather.
Some would like this flipped, I prefer it as is
The sun rise and sunset feature was only found on some G-Lide models and a couple of master of G models during the late 1990s but those were very slow due to the technology being new. This function made a comeback with a bang on this one with quick scrolling through multiple dates with a breeze, be it next month, next year or next ten years. You're well covered on the sunrise and sunset times. Then there are the usual Casio features such as a 24 hour timer which can be set in 1 minute increments, 5 alarms, hourly signal and world time.
The display eye harkens back to the twin graph models of yester year with similar style animations during alerts and stopwatch measurement as well as seconds counting. Most would agree that the dark limes printed on the screen make it somewhat illegible on positive display format and mostly illegible in negative display format. The criticism is valid especially when the eye is used to tell the differential in biometric pressure trend as well as for the compass and to display hours in a 24 hour time zone in world time mode. For me, I don't have much trouble using it but I still wish those printed lines weren't there.
Nice alternative for a torch, though it may not stay lit for long
The backlight is Casio's super illuminator LED which does a pretty good job of lighting up the screen. Some people complain about one corner of the screen being pretty bright but I'm not too concerned over that when the end result is good, bright glow. EL backlight is good but can dim over time.
Overall, the watch is very useful as an tough outdoor watch with features to match. It's a good daily driver and you don't have to worry about it getting smashed and banged up like you would with a $1000+ tool watch from the 50s. Like everything else, there is room for improvement but I have to admit that the pros outweigh the cons on this one.
