I can't be the first person here to post this watch... can I? I did use the search function, I promise. ;-)



















I bought the DW-5600BCE-1 for a very specific reason, which will become apparent as I recount my initial impressions:

Pros:

I cannot believe how much better the viewing angles on this basic, non-solar/atomic module are compared to the solar/atomic squares. It's not subtle.
Casio rate this as having a 5 year battery life, with daily use of the alarm and LED backlight. Given Casio's known conservatism on this point and the fact I never use the alarm, I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted a decade.
The blacked-out colour scheme appeals to me in the same way the monochrome scheme of the GW-5000 does. This one is even more minimalist (or brutalist, if you like).
The Cordura strap is lovely and comfortable: More so even than the soft resin of the GW-5000.

Cons:

That Cordura strap is pretty long. Combined with the fixed attachment pieces, this watch is not quite as slim-wrist friendly as a standard square.
The module is as basic as it gets: No atomic sync, solar power or world time mode.
For a basic G-Shock square, it's perhaps a little expensive.

I have previously written an ode to the GW-5000u on this site. I love that watch. I love the steel case construction, DLC finishing, subtle styling, supple resin, atomic-synced timekeeping, solar power and the ability to store and rapidly switch between time zones. I love everything about it... except the poor viewing angles of the standard LCD display. Glance down at your wrist to check the time without raising the watch to your face? Be greeted by a mashup of barely legible eights. I guess the extra glass layer for the solar panel does screw things up. This has led to me wearing that, otherwise perfect, watch less and less. Never having previously owned a non-solar square, I didn't realise how big the difference is until now. Whilst I will miss the aforementioned build and functionality, none of those things matter as much as being able to easily read the time.

This DW-5600BCE-1 is not the perfect G-Shock square (that doesn't exist) but it is the best one I've come across so far. This, for now at least, will be my perfect square.

You can not compare a GW to a DW there is definitely a big difference.

As for your Pros and Cons I'm struggling to understand what you are getting at?

The basic 5600 which is what you have here is not expensive and is a staple for many collections & collectors with lots of different collaborations and colour variations. The only issue i personally see is the nato strap, they dont feel comfortable to me. Also easily changed to a full resin strap.

The GW-M5600 or 5610 which is the general basic solar and atomic version views just as well and can be picked up pre owned for around the same price as this model

 

You can not compare a GW to a DW there is definitely a big difference.

As for your Pros and Cons I'm struggling to understand what you are getting at?

The basic 5600 which is what you have here is not expensive and is a staple for many collections & collectors with lots of different collaborations and colour variations. The only issue i personally see is the nato strap, they dont feel comfortable to me. Also easily changed to a full resin strap.

The GW-M5600 or 5610 which is the general basic solar and atomic version views just as well and can be picked up pre owned for around the same price as this model

OP is comparing the legibility of both watches from his experience which is true for the square models because the display is washed out easily and the viewing angles are not great. Nothing wrong in drawing a comparison for basic time telling. The solar square is not a perfect watch for everyone.

 

I can't be the first person here to post this watch... can I? I did use the search function, I promise. ;-)

View attachment 18516189

I bought the DW-5600BCE-1 for a very specific reason, which will become apparent as I recount my initial impressions:

Pros:

• I cannot believe how much better the viewing angles on this basic, non-solar/atomic module are compared to the solar/atomic squares. It's not subtle.
• Casio rate this as having a 5 year battery life, with daily use of the alarm and LED backlight. Given Casio's known conservatism on this point and the fact I never use the alarm, I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted a decade.
• The blacked-out colour scheme appeals to me in the same way the monochrome scheme of the GW-5000 does. This one is even more minimalist (or brutalist, if you like).
• The Cordura strap is lovely and comfortable: More so even than the soft resin of the GW-5000.

Cons:

• That Cordura strap is pretty long. Combined with the fixed attachment pieces, this watch is not quite as slim-wrist friendly as a standard square.
• The module is as basic as it gets: No atomic sync, solar power or world time mode.
• For a basic G-Shock square, it's perhaps a little expensive.

I have previously written an ode to the GW-5000u on this site. I love that watch. I love the steel case construction, DLC finishing, subtle styling, supple resin, atomic-synced timekeeping, solar power and the ability to store and rapidly switch between time zones. I love everything about it... except the poor viewing angles of the standard LCD display. Glance down at your wrist to check the time without raising the watch to your face? Be greeted by a mashup of barely legible eights. I guess the extra glass layer for the solar panel does screw things up. This has led to me wearing that, otherwise perfect, watch less and less. Never having previously owned a non-solar square, I didn't realise how big the difference is until now. Whilst I will miss the aforementioned build and functionality, none of those things matter as much as being able to easily read the time.

This DW-5600BCE-1 is not the perfect G-Shock square (that doesn't exist) but it is the best one I've come across so far. This, for now at least, will be my perfect square.

Thats right, but your post is the first dedicated one about this watch and seeing it in detail for the first time thanks to the dedicated post, I can say with confidence that this definitely is leagues above the 5600BB with its crappy negative display while adopting the same stealth ethos.

 

Negative displays look so cool... as long as you don't need to know what time it is.

 

I honestly believe it’s not the solar function that causes the poor contrast in lcd. We have solar watches with great legibility. The panel is around the lcd not on top of it. Also I do not believe that solar models have weaker batteries because then low contrast would be a common thing among all solar watches.EL might be one of the reasons but I have the impression that not all lcds are using the same technology. There is variation in contrast even between versions of the same model.
Also there is nothing wrong about a simple quartz watch with no radio sync, you just have to check it and adjust it once in a while.
i do prefer radio/bt controlled watches but I am not too stressed if a watch does not have that functionality. You just need to know its accuracy and make sure you calibrate it whenever suitable.

 

I honestly believe it’s not the solar function that causes the poor contrast in lcd. We have solar watches with great legibility. The panel is around the lcd not on top of it. Also I do not believe that solar models have weaker batteries because then low contrast would be a common thing among all solar watches.EL might be one of the reasons but I have the impression that not all lcds are using the same technology. There is variation in contrast even between versions of the same model.

I'm really interested by this point and would love to know the definitive answer. I read somewhere (almost certainly here) that the solar panels around the LCD were mounted on an additional piece of glass that sits between the outer mineral glass and the LCD panel itself, leading to more reflection/refraction. This matches my subjective experience: Comparing an atomic solar square like the GW-5000 to my new DW-5600BCE-1, I see more light reflection and significantly worse viewing angles. Viewed dead-on or at a small angle, there's no difference but particularly when viewing the display from 'below' (as when glancing down at your arm whilst seated), the DW-5600BCE-1 is clearly legible and the solar square is all hazy eights. The old F-91w I have hanging around has exactly the same sort of better legibility as the DW-5600BCE-1.

The only other non-solar digital G-Shock I have ever owned was a G-2900 years ago so can't compare these (but have no memory of being irked by its viewing angles).

Agree with your other comments regarding atomic time syncing, btw: It's very nice to have but I can live without it.

 

I never really got the viewing angle thing until I was skiing yesterday and was struggling on the chair lift with my glove to see the time. Instantly appreciated why it matters.

 

I usually have this when I am driving. Also when I am wearing sunglasses, in some watches the polariser makes this very difficult.
the mips warches are immune to all these. Also some other models I have found my g-9000 and my gw-9400 to be readable at an angle and with sunglasses etc.

 

DW-5600BCE-1

Looks great! Does it use the LED backlight or old EL? How's the background of the LCD, the 5600E has this 'gritty' gray that I was never a big fan of, but yours looks very crisp with much better contrast, similar to the 5600P series which are among my favorite 3229 module resin squares.

First comment in a while, glad to see some regular members!

 

Thanks. Still very happy with this simple square.

It's a new model with the LED backlight (module 3525). For me the display is great: I can't say I've noticed any 'grittiness'.

 

Update after 3 weeks on the wrist: I am liking this basic black square to an almost ridiculous degree. I'm actually starting to appreciate the simplicity of the basic module and so far the watch has drifted a single second (faster) compared to atomic time, so the lack of atomic sync is not much of an issue it seems.

My original comments all still stand, though I think the problem with the strap is perhaps less its length (though it is long) and more the dual metal keepers, which are a little too loose. A keeper in the same Cordura fabric would have been a better option.

 

Looks like Casio decided to produce my custom square.

 

the lack of legibility on the solar/atomic squares is a head scratcher- my pos. display gwm5610u is just hard to read at any oblique angle, same with my solar g-9300 - all my battery powered lcd watches are easier to read.

i wish G-shock made some battery powered MB6 watches - i really don't mind replacing batteries, it costs $3 and takes 5 minutes with basic tools. I have a battery powered MB5 watch - a WV-59 - and it's got great legibility and also is dead-nuts accurate every day. I get the draw of solar but over time i've found it more of a hassle than it's worth - the batteries still die eventually and are more expensive and harder to find and replace. ymmv.

 

LOL--The old sayings about changing ideas as one enters the so called "golden years" certainly has a ring of truth in regard to my preferences. I have had G Shocks since the early 90's or so. I started out--like many others with the DW6600. As the years passed I moved into the larger G's--48-52mm or so and even dabbled with a few ana-digitals--but my true love was always the full digital models. At one time the full collection included around 100 different G Shock models--never actually did a full count. I always felt the "classic" 5600 series were a bit small. Well, my feelings/preferences regarding that series have changed--went back to my DW5600 recently and just purchased this model which I think I will like very much. Sold a 5610 but that will be replaced in the future also. I do also still like the mid-size G versions. Been downsizing for several years now but that hasn't kept me from purchasing a watch such as the one in this posting--the picture pushed me over the edge--hoping reality will be the same.

 

Not sure if anyone will be that interested but almost 5 months on, honeymoon period over, and having lived with both the DW-5600BCE-1 and GW-5000U for that time, I feel I should add a coda to nuance my observations about the atomic-solar vs non-solar LCD displays slightly: Whilst the viewing angle from below is indeed a lot better on the non-solar LCD of the DW-5600BCE-1, it actually suffers slightly more from the 'fade out' of the digits when viewed from above or dead-on, particularly in brightly lit conditions. The slightly fatter digits of the GW-5000U help it in such viewing conditions.

The limited viewing angles of the GW-5000U still irk me but I found myself missing its other virtues in the time I spent with the DW-5600BCE-1: The ability to set European date format on the display, atomic sync, world time function, the symmetrical almost-monochrome 'face', the build quality and comfort (the metal keepers on the DW-5600BCE-1's cordura strap are annoying). In other words, I'm back in team GW-5000... but more convinced than ever that it should have an STN display.

 

Not sure if anyone will be that interested but almost 5 months on, honeymoon period over, and having lived with both the DW-5600BCE-1 and GW-5000U for that time, I feel I should add a coda to nuance my observations about the atomic-solar vs non-solar LCD displays slightly: Whilst the viewing angle from below is indeed a lot better on the non-solar LCD of the DW-5600BCE-1, it actually suffers slightly more from the 'fade out' of the digits when viewed from above or dead-on, particularly in brightly lit conditions. The slightly fatter digits of the GW-5000U help it in such viewing conditions.

The limited viewing angles of the GW-5000U still irk me but I found myself missing its other virtues in the time I spent with the DW-5600BCE-1: The ability to set European date format on the display, atomic sync, world time function, the symmetrical almost-monochrome 'face', the build quality and comfort (the metal keepers on the DW-5600BCE-1's cordura strap are annoying). In other words, I'm back in team GW-5000... but more convinced than ever that it should have an STN display.

Thats when you upgrade to the GMW-B5000 series.