Casio G-Shock Gulfmaster GWN-Q1000 Review

The story of G-Shock begins in 1983 with the inventor Kikuo Ibe. He challenged himself to make a watch that had a 10-year battery life, was water resistant up to 10 bar, and could survive a 10 meter drop onto a concrete floor. Not only did he accomplish these goals with the first Casio G-Shock, but the brand has continued to challenge itself to make its watches even more reliable in the most extreme conditions.

Casio watches are tool watches that are meant to be utilitarian rather than design-oriented. The individuals that collect Casio watches do so because they trust that their watch will be able to withstand practically anything. Additionally, Casio watches are relatively inexpensive with the average Casio priced under $200 and the high-end watches typically around $1,000.

Casio G-Shock Gulfmaster

This Casio G-Shock Gulfmaster continues the tradition of utility over design. This watch was primarily designed for active professionals that work in or around water such as the coast guard, military, or individuals that work on boats or oil rigs. However, this watch is also useful for anyone who wants a watch that can withstand frequent abuse.

The new Gulfmaster has five environmental sensors to help track changing ocean conditions. The sensors include an altimeter, a barometer, a compass, a thermometer, and a depth gauge to measure water depth.

- The altimeter measures altitude or your height above a fixed level such as sea level or terrain.

- The barometer tracks changes in atmospheric pressure which helps predict sudden weather changes. When the pressure rapidly rises or falls, the watch’s automatic alarm will beep.

- The thermometer tracks changes in air and water temperature.

- The compass not only provides direction but also helps determine the direction of wind and tides.

- The depth meter measures the current water depth while you’re in the water. It can measure up to 50 meters. This is the only G-Shock analog model with a depth gauge.

Stats

Similar to other high-end G-Shock watches, this watch is sturdy in build and size. This watch measures 48 mm in height and 57.3 mm in width (including the crown). The watch depth is 17 mm, and it weighs a total of 113 g.

The case is made of resin with a carbon fiber reinforcement, and the dial includes both an analog and digital display. However, the most exciting update is the sapphire crystal cover whereas previous Gulfmaster models featured a mineral glass cover.

To make this watch useful in the dark, Casio applied luminant to the hands and indices. The dial also features dual LED lights which will illuminate both the screen and the dial.

Additional Features

Other key features of this watch include:
- Tide graph
- Moon phase indicator
- Sunrise and sunset indicator
- 200-meter water resistance
- Tough Solar power system
- World time which tracks 48 cities instead of the standard 24
- Stopwatch
- Countdown timer
- Up to five daily alarms
- Calendar
- Shock resistance
- Radio-controlled watch, multi band 6
- Data log for up to 40 dives which stores the dive times, date, and maximum depth

Now the question is… how do you access this information? Well, Casio has a Smart Access crown that has the look and feel of a traditional mechanical crown, but it’s electronic. This crown as well as four additional pushers will help you set and access the host of information that this watch offers. As for learning and understanding everything, I suggest getting to know the manual.

Price: 850 USD