If you want relatively large digits on a G, the GD-350 is a good choice.

 

not necessarily, there are plenty of Gs with large digits and countless threads here on that very subject, no im not going to google it for you there are also some protreks with small digits, you just have to find the one for you.
agreed with gary, the 350 is a good place to start for best of both worlds |>

 

Its a styling choice of Casio i think.

The smaller display in the bulky housing will support the "overbuild housing" idea more then a large display on a skinny housing.

Just look at the pics below and tell which watch looks sturdier!
The Watches are almost the same in specs when it comes to water resistance and shock proof!

 

Yes, for legibility, go for Timex, definitely.

 

Comparing Gs to Pro Treks, many Gs have obstructions over the display, lessening the effective display size. Also, many Pro Treks display the time on two lines, with hours and minutes on one line and seconds on another line, allowing bigger digits for hours and minutes. The SGW-100 uses this layout also.

 

The small digits are part of the shock resistant construction: Their significantly lower mass, compared to bigger digits, reduces the force of impacts. For sure Casio did a lot of testing with bigger digits,
but none of these prototypes ever successfully passed the G-Shock tough test!

 

Timex font may be bigger, but I prefer the looks of the Casio font over Timex font.

 

Timex digits are usually thinner, sometimes they don't catch as much attention to the eyes as the bolder and thicker digits in Casio's.

As for the original question: "Why are the digits so small on most G-shocks?"
Why? Who knows. ;-) My speculations are: 1) there are more protective structures for the LCD screen (like the cross bar in the Gx56 in D2mac's post), hence limiting the digit size; 2) choice of styling (like D2mac said) as G-Shocks are known to have all sorts eye candies on the display.

There are/were big digits G's, rarer, but they do/did exist. Like the GD350 mentioned above and also the MTG-M900, which are in current production. The G3000 series, such as the G3011 below, included some of the biggest digits G ever produced. Unfortunately, they had been discontinued.

 

Function and visibility wise I love my Timex!

 

Maybe the analog G-shock would be something for you. Much easier to read...