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Casio's legendary digital ticker turned 40 this year. It's still the GOAT.
By Jeremy Freed
Image: Getty
The best G-Shock watches all started in the same place. The year was 1981, the place was Japan, and the designer was Kikuo Ibe, an engineer with a singular goal: to create the toughest watch the world had ever seen. It would have to withstand a 10-metre drop and 10-bar of underwater pressure and run for 10 years without needing a new battery. After two years of failed experiments, smashed prototypes, and many all-nighters, the G-Shock was born. With its Volvo-like boxy charm, affordable price, and legendarily tough design, it was unlike any other digital watch the world had seen.
Forty years after the release of the first G-Shock in 1983, it remains one of the most successful watch designs in history, with countless variations and special editions, and the kind of fanatical cult following usually reserved for beauty Youtubers and Toto bidets (also a Japanese invention, as it happens). While every G-Shock retains the durability of the original, the brand has doubled down on the technology inside, adding everything from satellite timekeeping and solar cells to barometric sensors and step-counters.
You can spend a long time nerding out over the 200-plus models in the current lineup, each of which comes with its own unique combination of features and styling, but all of the ones below are faithful successors to Ibe’s original design, and worthy of a place on your wrist. These are the most stylish, rugged, all-around best G-Shock watches on the market right now.
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1/13
Casio
G-Shock Quartz Watch DW5600E-1V
The 1983 OG. It had a calendar, an alarm and could survive an NHL slapshot. A legend is born.
2/13
Casio
G-Shock GMW-B5000PS-1CR 40th Anniversary Watch
A lot has changed in the four decades since the first G-Shock dropped in 1983. This anniversary edition pairs the classic G-Shock shape (and legendary durability) with a host of tech upgrades including smartphone connectivity and a sparkly new titanium carbide coating.
3/13
Casio
G-Shock DW6900Y-9 Watch
G-Shock's answer to the North Face Nuptse jacket, looks just as good in school bus yellow.
4/13
Casio
G-Shock Mudmaster GG-B100-1A Ana-Digi Watch
As a member of the elite "Master of G" family, the Mudmaster brings together the very best G-Shock has to offer, from a case that's nigh-impervious to sand, grit, and mud, to a quad sensor and Mission Log feature that automatically records altitude and route info.
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5/13
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G-Shock GM5600SN Watch
Consider this G-Shock’s answer to Rolex’s rainbow Daytona.
6/13
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G-Shock GBA-800 Watch
Fitness trackers do a good job of counting your steps and all, but style-wise most of them are a pretty tough hang. This G-Shock, on the other hand, combines Casio’s unmistakable ana-digi styling with a three-axis accelerometer that delivers real-time training stats to your smartphone via the G-Shock app. Your move, Fitbit.
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7/13
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G-Shock GD-400 Watch
The pair of metal bars across the face of the GD-400 have made it popular among generations of skaters, BMX bikers and others who eat asphalt for breakfast. Wear your helmets, kids.
8/13
Casio
G-Shock Move GBD-H2000 Series Watch
Despite its longstanding reputation as a streetwear flex, the G-Shock has always backed up its style with plenty of advanced technology. The Move is the latest example, with a heart rate monitor, GPS, solar charging, and a raft of other features to help you crush your fitness goals.
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9/13
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G-Shock GMB2100D-1A Watch
Still saving for your AP? Snatch up a G-Shock 2100, a.k.a. the CasiOak, which has an octagonal bezel just like the much-flexed Royal Oak, and several fewer zeroes on its price.
10/13
Casio
G-Shock GM-S5600BR-5JF Watch
This copper-toned 5600 proves that bronze doesn't always have to mean third-place.
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11/13
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G-Shock GMW-B5000 Watch
A few years ago, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the G-Shock, Casio made one in solid gold. It was limited to 35 pieces, available only in Japan, and cost $70,000. This is not that, but no one else has to know.
12/13
Casio
G-Shock Tactical Rangeman GW9400 Watch
As the go-to watch of military professionals and other fans of ballistic nylon, the Rangeman is as beefy as a full-grown Holstein and significantly smarter. In addition to all of the standard G-Shock features, this one has an altimeter, barometer, thermometer and digital compass, all designed to help you get to the rally point by 0800.
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13/13
Casio
G-Shock GA-700UC Watch
If G-Shock put together a "greatest hits" watch, it would look something like this: big, burly bezel, classic ana-digi layout, and a ton of high-end specs from 200-meter water resistance to a 48-city world timer.
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