G-Shock is a style of watch manufactured by Casio, famous for its resistance to shock (e.g. hard knocks and strong vibrations). They were, and continue to be, designed primarily for sports and outdoor adventure oriented activity; for example, practically all G-Shocks have some kind of stopwatch feature, and water resistance. They have also become useful for people in trades and professions in which the nature of their work may expose their watch to shock (such as a construction worker operating a jackhammer) and other environmental hazards (e.g. magnetism, water, mud - see Models/Series below).
History
"In 1981 Casio began designing a new kind of wristwatch, based on the "Triple Ten" concept: A minimum of 10 year battery life, 10 bar water resistance, and the ability to withstand the shock of a 10 meter freefall. This resulted in the "Gravity Shock" wristwatch, or G-shock series." [Source: Carlos Perez, Time-Zone, (August 2002)]
Traditionally, G-Shock timekeeping displays were exclusively digital, intended to be sold at reasonable prices to the mass-market.
Today
"G"s have evolved remarkably since 1981. There now exists a manifold variation of G-Shocks, with atomic clock synchronization and Tough Solar functionality in the latest models. Current series such as The G rival that of so-called more prestigious models in the fashion stakes, with metal (steel or titanium) banding, and ornate analog timekeeping.
A trademark of many G-Shocks is that they are huge!
Nowadays every year, sometimes every season, new models are introduced. As with the Swatch watches, G-Shocks have become collectors items.
Models/Series
- Baby-G
- Cockpit Series
- Frogman
- G-Lide
- Gaussman
- Giez
- Limited Models
- Master of G
- MT-G
- Mudman
- Standard Models
- The G