Limited Edition Casio G Shock GW-5000B-1JR + Protector

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Many years ago, the Singapore Armed Forces drafted me into a mandatory service to experience what the big outdoors were like. Then I realized that I was nothing compared to those who make a living out of it, the SPECIAL FORCES from around the world like SAS, GSG-9, SAT, SEALs, SDU, etc.

Since then I became materialistically attached to military grade gear because they last longer, have less colors/brands/tags/designs and are always awesome.

Military watches are not something that I put a lot of priority on the top of the wish list because there are many other alternatives out there.

I was looking particular at formal dress watches like Tag Heuer, Rolex, Citizen or Grand Seiko since I already owned an amazing Casio PRW-1100YTJ-1JF which had all the nifty stuff like barometer, altimeter and thermometer, etc for my geeky needs. Besides, the other watches either lack some night lighting or looked a bit too loud for my subtle style.

Somehow by chance I stumbled upon the classic square design Casio G Shock DW-5600E which was very different from the usual big, bulky G Shocks which a were and still are really ugly in my opinion. I wanted a sleek, low profile and unobnoxious watch that I could easily slip under my shirt's cuffs which I seemed to have a bit of a problem with the PRW-1100 and the 5600 series clearly fitted the bill. Though I had known the existence of the 5600 series, I wasn't all that hyped up about it previously so I didn't really do much research into it. This time round, I started with a plain DW-5600E for reference and sunk deeper thru the various DW(s) and GW(s) for almost a month.

I also found out that the 5600 series was issued to the Navy Seals replacing the Rolex(s) which they used to be issued. The reason for that was because the 5600 series were cheaper to replace, more durable to withstand shocks and water borne operations, lighter and smaller and very stealthy.

Dating back to the original first G Shock DW-5000 right up to the DW-5600C, these affordable watches were crafted with pride in JAPAN like a tank in a "Tuna Can" screw back design to put up to pretty much all forms of abuse. (Keanu Reeves was wearing the TUNA CAN DW-5600C in the first SPEED movie.)

Then Casio decided to change the back casing from the DW-5600E series onwards to a stamped metal plate held by 4 screws against an O ring to seal the gasket against water. Slowly, these watches were being out sourced to various countries like Thailand and Malaysia.

I held back on some of these earlier DW series for reasons like a single incandescent light instead of the blue illuminator back light, the need to replace the batteries, not made in Japan, no atomic calibration and the non-screw back design. The newer GW series had solar chargers and atomic calibration and I was particularly looking at the GW-5600BJ and GW-M5600BJ both in reverse, black LCD display. But I held back again because I wanted the date and day of the week to be displayed at the same time and the non-screw back and "not-made-in-Japan" were also factors to be considered. Though these G Shocks are so much cheaper compared to the other high end watches, I really wouldn't mind paying a little over ￥30,000 just to be comfortable.

Not all convinced yet I examined every lead, clue and detail until I found the newly released GW-5000 on the Japan G Shock site which featured the same screw back design coated in diamond like carbon (DLC), has a solar charger so no need to replace batts, has automatic atomic calibration and is the one of the only few G Shock(s) still made in Japan. Still I wasn't all sold to it because I wanted a G Shock with a reverse display.

Digging further, the GW-5000B-1JR surfaced under scrutiny as a limited edition version only in Japan which wasn't even listed on ANY G Shock sites. Many had dubbed this watch as the possible Holy Grail of the 5600 series. So after many days of pondering and the constant soaring of the prices, I snapped up one and started yet another ordeal to pimp it up. The main difference somewhat minor between the regular GW-5000 and the LE GW-5000B is that the LE version comes in a tin case, has DLC on all four buttons and the strap buckle.

By a stroke of luck, I found and subsequently won an auction for a brand new, out of production G Shock protector which many 5600 affectionados are desperately seeking.

I have found peace, at least for now.

Specifications -

Made in Japan.
Screw back
DLC finished (Screw back, buttons and buckle)
Water Resistant 20 ATM
Shock resistant
Solar powered
Multi band 6 Atomic Timekeeping; "Fukushima, Kyusyu (Japan), Colorado(USA) (Germany England)EU & CHINA"
World time (48 cities)
1/100-second stopwatch
Countdown timer (24hr)
5 independent daily alarms (incl. Snooze)
Hourly time signal
Battery power indicator
Power Saving
Auto-calendar
12/24-hour format
Mineral Crystal Face
Electro-luminescent backlight
Size: 48.9 X 42.8 X 13.5 mm
Weight: 73.8g































Though the watch looks a bit greyish in the pictures, the actual watch is actually clad in a matte, non reflective black resin except for the high gloss, polished DLC buckle, buttons and screw back case.