This is my first G-Shock. G-1250BD-1A, module 5184. Purchased from Amazon, DigitalWrist, and it shipped fast. Cost was $232. It arrived with a solar charge of M (medium). Apparently it takes a lot of light to get it from medium to high... 26 hrs in direct sun, then 7 hours to charge fully, according to Casio. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think I got a lot for my money with this particular model - solar power, tough mov't, mineral crystal, SS bracelet, light, alarms, worldtime, stopwatch. A lot of watches in the $200 range you get a s__t glass crystal that scratches when your sleeve rubs against it and a battery you have to change. Bleh.
I looked at a few of the analog-style G's (see the collage)... GA-120-1A, GW-3000B, GW-3500, GWA-1000D, GWA-1000-1A and the MTG-1100-1A. (MTG is very cool looking, predecessor to the Edifice, it looks like). Ultimately, the 1000 series were ruled out because they don't have a light, and they're not tritium, and no way am I gonna pay $500+ for a watch I can't read in the dark.
So then, first impression - not as big as I thought it would be. Is this case supposed to measure 52.5 mm? It does, at the band lugs. But not across. I see this pictured on the wrists of WatchUSeek contributors, and it looks huge. And in the pictures I took of it on me, it looks kind of big... I guess. But it's not even as big as my ProTrek PRG-510T in actual diameter from the 9 to 3 axis of the case. Videos and pictures can be very deceiving sometimes.
Useful info:
I am very satisfied with this G. The weight, comfort, features - I highly recommend it. Substantial but not too heavy. Maybe half the weight (or less) of a G-SAR. The hands are stark against the background. No problem reading in even very low light. To me it looks as much "fighter cockpit" as their aviation models. At a glance the face appears busy, but this does not interfere with seeing the hand positions. The numbers 12 and 6 are big and easily discerned. Even the Tawatec EOD Octin Stencil font is not as readable as this G.
The bracelet ("ion" plated stainless) is a unique design. The pins that hold each link together are not friction fit pins, as in every other bracelet I have sized. This 1250 link pins are a shorter version of the spring pins with the ridges that normally secure a band to a watch case. As you can see from the pics, I have the world's cheapest watch band tool. But ultimately, it worked. I had to use the straight end, not the fork, to snag the tiny ridges and compress the pins. The fork doesn't fit. You’d think sizing would be easier because every link is like the attachment spring pins that hold the band on, but there's so little room to grip and compress that it took me more time than with conventional pins. I imagine this design costs Casio more, but it’s consistent with the durability and reputation of G-Shock.(The traditional friction pin design varies from mfgr to mfgr, and you have to be a little mechanically inclined to tackle sizing. So far I have sized Rolex, Seiko, Casio and a few different aftermarket bracelets. The pin designs are mostly all different.) My wrist is 85mm or 7 1/4" around, and one link removed, and band adjusted at the clasp to its innermost position (shortest) fits comfortably.
Some differences between features common to this G and my Casio ProTrek PRG-510T -
• No sweep second hand. Seconds are displayed digitally.
• Alarms have a snooze feature
• Timer has a repeat feature
• Buttons are mo' better protected from accidental input than on the ProTrek.
• G's stopwatch will count 24 hrs, as opposed to only 60min
• G has swap worldtime city and home city feature
• Much harder to read the digital info on the G. Without good light you are SOL. The 1250D is like a cat's eye; when you get the light perfect it glows, but if not it appears dark.
• Hands on the G do not always hit the minute lines with the seconds at 00. With my ProTrek the minute hand hits the minute mark exactly when the seconds are at 00, no matter how you reset the time. The G, I still haven’t got it to where the seconds hit 00 and the minute hand is aligned with its mark.
The manual (module 5184) has an error, I think. It says when you adjust DST for your world time city the watch will display DST ON or OFF in the lower digital display. It does not. The WT indicator simply moves to the correct spot.
I looked at a few of the analog-style G's (see the collage)... GA-120-1A, GW-3000B, GW-3500, GWA-1000D, GWA-1000-1A and the MTG-1100-1A. (MTG is very cool looking, predecessor to the Edifice, it looks like). Ultimately, the 1000 series were ruled out because they don't have a light, and they're not tritium, and no way am I gonna pay $500+ for a watch I can't read in the dark.
So then, first impression - not as big as I thought it would be. Is this case supposed to measure 52.5 mm? It does, at the band lugs. But not across. I see this pictured on the wrists of WatchUSeek contributors, and it looks huge. And in the pictures I took of it on me, it looks kind of big... I guess. But it's not even as big as my ProTrek PRG-510T in actual diameter from the 9 to 3 axis of the case. Videos and pictures can be very deceiving sometimes.
Useful info:
I am very satisfied with this G. The weight, comfort, features - I highly recommend it. Substantial but not too heavy. Maybe half the weight (or less) of a G-SAR. The hands are stark against the background. No problem reading in even very low light. To me it looks as much "fighter cockpit" as their aviation models. At a glance the face appears busy, but this does not interfere with seeing the hand positions. The numbers 12 and 6 are big and easily discerned. Even the Tawatec EOD Octin Stencil font is not as readable as this G.
The bracelet ("ion" plated stainless) is a unique design. The pins that hold each link together are not friction fit pins, as in every other bracelet I have sized. This 1250 link pins are a shorter version of the spring pins with the ridges that normally secure a band to a watch case. As you can see from the pics, I have the world's cheapest watch band tool. But ultimately, it worked. I had to use the straight end, not the fork, to snag the tiny ridges and compress the pins. The fork doesn't fit. You’d think sizing would be easier because every link is like the attachment spring pins that hold the band on, but there's so little room to grip and compress that it took me more time than with conventional pins. I imagine this design costs Casio more, but it’s consistent with the durability and reputation of G-Shock.(The traditional friction pin design varies from mfgr to mfgr, and you have to be a little mechanically inclined to tackle sizing. So far I have sized Rolex, Seiko, Casio and a few different aftermarket bracelets. The pin designs are mostly all different.) My wrist is 85mm or 7 1/4" around, and one link removed, and band adjusted at the clasp to its innermost position (shortest) fits comfortably.
Some differences between features common to this G and my Casio ProTrek PRG-510T -
• No sweep second hand. Seconds are displayed digitally.
• Alarms have a snooze feature
• Timer has a repeat feature
• Buttons are mo' better protected from accidental input than on the ProTrek.
• G's stopwatch will count 24 hrs, as opposed to only 60min
• G has swap worldtime city and home city feature
• Much harder to read the digital info on the G. Without good light you are SOL. The 1250D is like a cat's eye; when you get the light perfect it glows, but if not it appears dark.
• Hands on the G do not always hit the minute lines with the seconds at 00. With my ProTrek the minute hand hits the minute mark exactly when the seconds are at 00, no matter how you reset the time. The G, I still haven’t got it to where the seconds hit 00 and the minute hand is aligned with its mark.
The manual (module 5184) has an error, I think. It says when you adjust DST for your world time city the watch will display DST ON or OFF in the lower digital display. It does not. The WT indicator simply moves to the correct spot.
