Since I started writing reviews back around 2015, I’ve wanted to include watches on my site. Specifically G-Shocks, since that’s what I’m most interested in currently. Many of my collection (50+) are used, so I don’t find it “fair” to review those (or even post photos in the manner seen here). But this one is different. It’s special in many ways, and I bought it brand new. So I know it’s provenance and what’s happened to it since. Truly this post is much more of a “look at this gorgeous watch” since I don’t plan to test many of the features of the watch. But mainly, does it live up to the hype. That I can answer!

Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the official product page.

Versions

Technically this is the only version of this watch. But there’s a positive display, non-etched version that can be seen as a brother to this one, so should be considered too. That one’s name is the GMW-B5000TB-1.

Price

Retail on these began at $1600, but due to the recent price hike by Casio, this model (and brother) bounced up to $1700. That’s not chump change, and for a quartz watch… you’ll have to read on to see if it’s worth while.

As of this post, and even though this watch might (aka looks to be) discontinued, at least two of these are available on amazon, right now! That’s a referral link.

Short Review

Like I said, I have over 50 G-Shocks in my collection right now, and since buying this square, … well I might as well not even have those. I absolutely love this model. Far and away my favorite G-Shock. I love the camo pattern! I love the titanium! It IS lighter than my full metal square, but I’m still surprised at the weight. It’s heavier than I expected.

Long Review

Official Feature List

Shock resistant

Titanium case and band

200m water resistant

Solar powered

LED backlight (Super illuminator)

Full auto LED light, selectable illumination duration (2 seconds or 4 seconds) afterglow

Time calibration signal reception

Auto receive up to six* times a day (remaining auto receives canceled as soon as one is successful)

5 times a day for the Chinese calibration signal

The latest signal reception results

Time Calibration Signals, Station name: DCF77 (Mainflingen, Germany)

Frequency: 77.5 kHz Station name: MSF (Anthorn, England) Frequency: 60.0 kHz

Station name: WWVB (Fort Collins, United States) Frequency: 60.0 kHz

Station name: JJY (Fukushima, Fukuoka/Saga, Japan) Frequency: 40.0 kHz (Fukushima) / 60.0 kHz (Fukuoka/Saga)

Station name: BPC (Shangqiu City, Henan Province, China) Frequency: 68.5 kHz

Frequency: 77.5 kHz Station name: MSF (Anthorn, England) Frequency: 60.0 kHz Station name: WWVB (Fort Collins, United States) Frequency: 60.0 kHz Station name: JJY (Fukushima, Fukuoka/Saga, Japan) Frequency: 40.0 kHz (Fukushima) / 60.0 kHz (Fukuoka/Saga) Station name: BPC (Shangqiu City, Henan Province, China) Frequency: 68.5 kHz Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth®)

World time

5 World time registerable 39 time zones (39 cities +coordinated universal time), daylight saving on/off, Home city/World time city swapping, auto summer time (DST) switching

5 World time registerable 39 time zones (39 cities +coordinated universal time), daylight saving on/off, Home city/World time city swapping, auto summer time (DST) switching 1/100-second stopwatch

Measuring capacity: 00’00”00~59’59”99 (for the first 60 minutes) 1:00’00~23:59’59 (after 60 minutes)

Measuring unit: 1/100 second (for the first 60 minutes) 1 second (after 60 minutes)

Measuring capacity: 00’00”00~59’59”99 (for the first 60 minutes) 1:00’00~23:59’59 (after 60 minutes) Measuring unit: 1/100 second (for the first 60 minutes) 1 second (after 60 minutes) Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time, 1st-2nd place times

Countdown timer Measuring unit: 1 second

Countdown range: 24 hours

Countdown start time setting range: 1 minute to 24 hours (1-minute increments

Countdown timer Measuring unit: 1 second Countdown range: 24 hours Countdown start time setting range: 1 minute to 24 hours (1-minute increments 5 daily alarms (with 1 snooze alarm)

Low battery alert

Power Saving (display goes blank to save power when the watch is left in the dark)

Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)

12/24-hour format

Button operation tone on/off

Date display (day / month display swapping)

Day display (days of the week selectable in six languages)

Regular timekeeping: Hour, minute, second, pm, month, date, day

Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month (with no signal calibration)

Approx. battery operating time:

10 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge)

22 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge)

10 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge) 22 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge) Module: 3459

What’s Included

Casio GMW-B5000-TCM-1 watch

Manual (3459)

Paper guides (2)

Warranty card

Fancy box

Package and Manual

Typically I replicate the manual here, but I’ll just link it, in this case. These newer G-Shocks offer an html guide too, which you can see here.

There’s a quick reference pdf, too. See here. And the full, much much longer manual is here.

Look

Here it is. The camo titanium full metal Casio G-Shock Square.

This watch simply looks amazing. I opted to grab the laser etched “Camo” version, because if I’m paying $1700, I want the watch to not look like 6 of my other black squares. And this one does fit that request. It’s catchy, and the camo isn’t overwhelming but does serve to give some variation.

There are some gold accents as well – the screws and the buttons both are “gold.” I’d rather have just raw titanium, to stress that the watch is titanium – plus uncoated titanium has a great look!

Build Quality and Materials

This is a titanium watch. That’s the big draw here – other metal squares have been available for some time. Those are stainless, and have DLC. So while they look fairly similar, they’re much heavier.

And note that all parts (at least the parts you’re going to ask about) are titanium. The bezel. The bracelet. The caseback. The buttons. Even some inner parts you can’t see, like the inner case.

Like the stainless version, this one has DLC as well.

And in the case of the TCM, that DLC is etched with a laser to create a camo pattern.

The combi bracelet is the same in usage as other combis that G-Shocks sometimes have.

The band is great. I love combi bracelets. See below, there are micro-adjustments with four positions. That means as your wrist changes over time, you can make minor adjustments for a comfortable fit. This adjustment is a spring bar, so something like a thumbtack would work (though is not really recommended). I keep a spring bar removal tool at my desk! I typically don’t have to adjust the band throughout the day, but it’s convenient enough.

Those buttons there are gold colored, and unlike some other squares (mostly the DW series), the “A” button (top left) is not indented.

Whether or not you like the text on the sapphire crystal (which has anti-reflective coating, too) will be a matter of personal preference of course. I like the yellow font. A “completely grayscale” version of this would be great, though; something I’d love to see!

Links and Band

I have a small wrist. Maybe 6.5″ or so. I have to take out a bunch of links. And I take out so many that I have to do both sides to maintain balance.

The pins that hold the parts together are different from the other combis I have. They are not held in with spring bars, they’re held in place with rods. So to change the band length, the rod must be pushed out (follow the direction of the arrow inside the band!) with a rod. Here’s a video on how to do that.

This does make removing or adding links a bit harder, but still something you should be able to do at home.

And again, see the microadjustments below. Super convenient small changes!

Like I said, I remove a bunch of links! Enough that I can almost make a little ring….

Here’s the watch with the band completely closed.

And completely open. It’s a combi bracelet, so it doesn’t separate – ie you have to put your hand through it like a bracelet. But it opens up very wide.

The clasp clicks into place reliably.

To release the clasp, just squeeze these two buttons seen below.

Below, it can be seen where the band links angle, then go flat. Those angle ones aren’t for removing. There are three on this side, and two on the other that aren’t for removing. I could still remove many more (7) than I’ve removed.

Scan

I run a “SCAN” series on Reddit/r/gshock, which you can view here. I’ve already scanned this watch (months ago), so I might as well include that massive resolution shot here, too! Enjoy this!

Size and Comps

Size of case / total weight

GMW-B5000D ……..49.3 X 43.2 X 13.0 mm / 110g

After removing the links that I’ve removed, the total weight is 98g.

Squares, of course, fit my small wrist perfectly. Big G-Shocks do too. 🙂 But squares in particular.

Here’s a comparison between the three metal (or mostly metal) squares I own. I fin the stainless (rightmost) to be too heavy. The leftmost is probably the best value. But the titanium is just perfect.

Backlight

The backlight on this watch is interesting. And I think it’s the first G I’ve had with this feature. The backlight fades on and off. It’s a very minor touch, but it’s a very nice touch.

Here’s a video! Not the best video, but displays the effect:

User Interface and Operation

There are four buttons on this watch.

These buttons are labeled as follows:

A: Adjust, Split-Reset

B: Set [-] and Light

C: Mode

D: Set [+], Receiving, Start-Stop

Here’s a better look:

The buttons are easy enough to press, though they do have the typical square tiny size buttons. The “A” button is not recessed, though, as on many models (mostly the DW series, I think). I’m glad it’s not recessed; that makes the button hard to press, and prevents the nice symmetrical look you see above.

I am not going to cover how to use the UI in this post. The manual covers that fully, and all the functions work right. I haven’t had to mess with it, either, since the watch sets itself by radio signal and bluetooth through the app connection.

App

There are a few apps for connecting G-Shocks to your phone. Here’s a link. I use the “G-Shock Connected” app (on iOS), and I’ve found it to work well.

The app guides you through the process of connection…. it’s very easy, when in proximity.

While connecting, you’ll see this:

And once connected, the watch displays the connection on the screen.

The “CNCT” goes away after a minute or so.

Mainly the app is used for setting the time on a watch. But it also has the capability to set a location reminder (for a parking spot or the like). “Alarm” “Timer” and “Reminder” are options on the screen, but they do not seem to be active for this watch.

Conclusion

What I like

Full titanium construction

Screwback caseback

Camo laser etch finish is fantastic

Combi bracelet

What I don’t like

The negative display is hit or miss, but I am fine with it. I don’t have problems with readability

The price, whew boy is this one expensive for a quartz watch

Notes

This watch was provided by me for review. I was not paid to write this review. I purchased this watch with my own money!

This content originally appeared at zeroair.org. Please visit there for the best experience!

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