Casio G-Shock Tough Solar Review

G-Shock has an undeniably unpretentious attitude. Casio is known for its relentlessness and accuracy. Together, they’re unstoppable.

Sports watches have long been walking the wire. They have to be extremely precise. Pffer stopwatch, a timer and, of course, the exact time.

They should also have a plethora of features that mean the watch itself can withstand the elements. If they’re truly a sports watch, they should be resistant to shock, water pressure, dust and extreme temperatures.

A lot of the cheaper brands offer something that promises all that, but they don’t deliver. Luckily, we’re looking at a Casio here. You just know this sports watch will offer you a reliable companion.

All for under $100. In fact, in some corners of the internet, you can get it for sub $50.

Features

This tough men’s solar timepiece holds no bars when it comes to bang for your buck. This is especially true considering it’s also a solar-powered watch.

This device has been specifically developed to appeal to outdoorsy people, those who go on big adventures and those who travel a lot. As it gets its energy from the sun, you can rely on the fact that it’ll always offer you the time, accurately.

Obviously, it’ll tell you the time in your current country, but it has the ability to track what the time is in a total of 48 cities all over the world.

It also offers different languages, which is pretty cool.

It’ll let you set 5 alarms and has two timers.

There’s a digital calendar screen that sits at the 6 position.

Depending on your preference, there’s both 12 and 24 hour time formats.

All in all, this G-shock watch does a fantastic job of blending a well-loved design with much-needed functionality. So not only does it walk the wire, it’s so well built, it cartwheels from one side to the other.

Special Features

The Tough Solar tells you the time, day and date, in whichever location you are. All of this is in digital format.

What it also encompasses is a fantastic chronograph. It doesn’t have Roman or Arabic numerals so there’s no fuss involved with checking the time, you’ll just know it instantly. Perfect if you need to keep concentrating on what you’re doing. Having digital options removes the possibility of a misread of the date or time.

Design

The resin case is characteristically thickset at 46mm by 13mm. It comes together with a matching black strap.

The face is actually simple when you look at it. But that doesn’t mean the functions are. The dial is black and features highly-visible white hour markings with matching white hands. The contrast is perfect for easy readability when you’re on the go and don’t have time to stop and stare at your wrist. It’s not something you’ll want to wear to the office, it’ll stick out like a sore thumb, but you can keep it on for more casual times at home or down the pub.

The face comes with an LED backlight which is also solar-powered, naturally.

The buttons on the side of the case offer a number of actions. One lights up the face. Another button will change your watch mode. One serves to make adjustments to suit what you need from it. A final button offers a searching ability.

It’s water-resistant to 100m. Not great for diving, but secure enough to have a muddy session in the rain and not have to worry about breaking it.

All in all, it’s a very lightweight watch that packs a punch.

The best bit is that you won’t ever have to charge it!

Movement

If you’re sceptical about why Casio is offering this well-designed and highly-functional G-Shock watch at such a bargain price, the secret comes from the movement. Inside it’s powered by Japanese quartz movement. This means the price is able to drop significantly. This is a touchy subject for some. Japanese quartz movements, around the 70s, used to be considered sub-standard. Huge improvements have been made and now the performance is totally accurate and reliable.

Summary

The price of this timepiece doesn’t do it any justice. For what you get in terms of both design, features and functionality, you get a whole lot of watch.

It’s so cost-effective you might think Casio made a huge mistake and never picked up on it.

It looks awesome, works tirelessly and has pinpoint accuracy. It’s powered by the sun so you never have to worry about recharging it.

Casio has long stood for quality and value and this is a shining example of sticking to that promise.

If you love the Casio G-Shock collection, check out our review of the smartwatch here.