When I was a kid, the first watch that I ever bought for myself was a $29 Timex Ironman. I loved that watch so much…I actually think I still have it in a shoebox somewhere, and I’d bet that if I replaced the battery it would still work. The reason I loved that watch was that it was so light and it just worked. I eventually put it on a velcro strap from ‘The Band’, then one from Fat Eddy’s (whatever happened to them??).
Since then my taste in watches has gotten a lot more expensive. I’ve accumulated quite a collection of fine timepieces, but like to keep a couple of workhorses in the barn.
The first time I saw the G-Shock Casioak (specifically the GA-2100 1A1 blackout model), I really liked what I saw, but was skeptical, My experience with G-Shocks is that they are big and cumbersome. However, these were touted as a much lighter and easier-wearing watch. For $99 I thought it was worth the plunge.
Well, they’ve been sold out for a year, and I’m not paying a 2-3x markup on Ebay. I got notice a couple of weeks ago that these were back in stock, so pulled the trigger.
And I’m really glad I did.
Out of the box, I love the look. Not too much to cover there that hasn’t been said already, but I’m a sucker for a digital/analog combo. Reminds me of an Ironman upgrade I treated myself to… The all-black is a cool look and one that is pretty easy to dress up. The watch wears very easily.
The watch is under 12mm thick, which is the thinnest offered in the G-Shock line. It’s nice in that it will fit under a dress shirt cuff.
All in all, I am extremely happy with the watch. I plan on putting it to work immediately – as a daily driver, a weekend warrior, while fishing, while shooting, and while hanging out. The price is right for this utility player.
I just picked one of these up in the navy/grey colorway. As someone who historically wore and still owns a Timex as my “beater” watch I was never really a G-Shock guy. I recently bought and quickly returned a square model as I was not happy with the way it wore.
I decided to give the CasiOak a try and I must say I am much happier with the fit. This will be the perfect watch for the beach and other adventures when I do not want to beat up my nice watches.