G-shock still to this day continues to push the boundaries of toughness and original designs with their watches. Ever since the first DW-5000C was released back in 1983, G-Shock has produced a variety of styles for both men and women. What lies at the core of all these models, however, is what the brand is famously known for: toughness and reliability.
We have previously reviewed the GMW B5000GD-1 from G-Shock, which was the all-black ion-plated finish of the original GMW-B5000 model. This piece was another excellent example of a watch not compromising a brands core values while giving an updated and modern look. You can find the full review here .
What we have on our hands today is one of the more popular models released from G-Shock in August 2019; the GA-2100-1A. This model has been so popular that it was almost sold out the moment it hit the stores.
So why the hype?
The massive interest in this watch boils down to one design element: the casing. The octagonal shape that G-Shock has given this model resembles the iconic case of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Although the two watches are worlds apart, the design similarities cannot be ignored. Therefore, watch lovers and enthusiasts around the world have been jumping at the chance to buy one from local stores or online. A watch with the toughness and reliability of a G-shock, along with design cues from an iconic luxury brand? Sign me up please!
Like most G-Shock models, the GA-2100-1A retains the mixture of analog and digital on the dial. Three analog hands help tell the hour, minute and a day indicator, which is positioned at 9 o’clock. The digital dial located between the 4 o’clock and 6 o’clock position is stacked with a variety of functions, which will be touched on later in the article. The G-Shock GA-2100-1A is part of a three-model range, which includes an all-red model (hands, hour markers, watch strap) and a trendy all-black look model (only the hands are grey).
The GA-2100-1A has distinguishing white hour markers and hour and minute hand, which against a black dial stands out well. The contrasting colours is further enhanced with the words “G-Shock” and “Protection” written in white on the octagonal case. On the octagonal case, we also have the inscriptions “light, start, mode and adjust” in clockwise order. Unlike most other G-Shock models with analog dials which tend to have busy dials, this model is kept clean and simple. Due to this simplicity, reading the time is all the easier.
The toughness of the GA-2100-1A comes from what G-Shock calls “Carbon Core Guard Structure”. This carbon core guard structure protects the module of the case by surrounding it in a carbon case. The case is made of fine resin which is a method of plastic casting, where a mould (which in this case is the watch structure) is filled with liquid synthetic resin, which eventually hardens.
However, before the resin hardens, carbon fibres are embedded in the mould. This is how the superior strength, along with crack resistance for the GA-2100-1A, is formed. The watch also comes with outstanding shock resistance against impacts and vibrations. So overall, a very tough gadget indeed!
Being a G-Shock, the GA-2100-1A is packed full of functions to make your life easier. Starting with world time, which includes 31 time zones (48 cities + co-ordinated universal time) the G-shock GA-2100-1A has the following functions:
- Daylight saving on/off
- 1/100 second stopwatch
- Countdown timer
- 5 daily alarms
- Hourly time signal
- Hand shift feature
- Full auto-calendar (maxing out at year 2099!)
- 12/24-hour time format
- Double LED light
The great thing about the G-shock GA-2100-1A is its flexibility to be worn on many different occasions. It can be worn well matching with sporty or casual outfits. The G-shock GA-2100-1A fits perfectly for people that have an active work-life, being on-site or have outdoor jobs in general where luxury watches are not the right choice. It’s also an excellent weekender watch, where you may constantly be running errands, doing jobs around the house or hitting the gym hard, this watch caters for all those needs. With a 200m water resistance, it can even be worn for a small dip in the pool, for those warm summer days!
The watch measures roughly 48.5mm x 45mm for case size, which sounds enormous, but this is just an illusion. Thanks to the slightly curved lugs, the watch fits comfortably well, even on a small 7inch wrist. The watch strap is also made of resin material, making it very tough and durable. This does not mean that the strap is stiff — quite the opposite as its very flexible. In case you missed it, the watch strap takes design cues from Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, giving it a very classy finish.
As the G-Shock-GA- 2100 comes in three colour variants, this provides even more versatility and caters for everyone’s personal preference. If you’re in the market for tough, reliable timepiece with design cues resembling the iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, then look no further than the G-Shock GA-2100 collection.
Oh, and did we mention that it’s only $99 USD/ $250 AUD?
