G-Shock #17, Golden Week special 1: Triple Eyed Glorious Gold

In Japan it’s currently Golden Week, a period starting from April 29^th until May 5^th. Actually it also falls together with 3 special days in the Netherlands (Queen’s Day, Remembrance of the Death and Liberty Day).

 I take the advantage of the Golden Week to present this beautiful model. It is the Glorious Gold DW-6925E-7ER. The Glorious Gold series was the last series that were released in the 25^th Anniversary series in May 2008.

There were 5 special series to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of G-Shock. It started with the Dawn Black series in May 2007, followed by the Rising White series in August 2007. In November 2007 Casio released the Master Blue series, the only series that is not present in my collection, I didn’t like the color blue used on this models, and before this Glorious Gold series were released, Casio released the Ocean Gray series in March 2008.

The Glorious Gold might be the most eye catching models of the 25^th anniversary models, as they have translucent straps and bezels. Together with the golden cases and buttons, it looks fantastic.

Three models were in this series. The GW-225E-7, a GW-M5600E-7 and this DW-6925E-7 model. In Japan these numbers were followed by JF, in the US they were followed by ER.  All three models were sold in the US, the Frogman and DW-6925E were also sold in East Asia.

Like with the other 25^th anniversary series the package of the overseas models are packed in the tin designed by Eric Haze, while the Japan domestic models are sold in the black trunk box. I think it is a matter of personal preference what you like best. The trunk box looks more solemn, while the package designed by Eric Haze looks more like it’s made to celebrate a party.

I have bought this DW-6925E at Tiktox in the UK, April 2009. I think I was pretty lucky finding it for a good price almost a year after it was released. I bought the GW-225E-7JF already at the release in Japan and in September 2009   I was very lucky to buy the GW-M5625-7JF. In other words, I have this series complete.

I wish that Casio released more translucent models. These models look very good in sunlight. Of course there is a problem that clear jelly straps yellow while aging, but on the other hand, yellowing does not look that bad not to wear it. It kind of personalize the watch. Check out G-Shock #3 of this year. That Frogman has been worn for maybe 13 years.

The bezel and straps of this watch is very white with some kind of matte finish. This matte finish catches light and traps it into the resin, giving it the translucent effect.

The Glorious Gold DW-6925E is sec a DW-6900, but the gold tone of the metal parts, even the screws, make it look very special. Also the display is gold and a golden ring around the face plate makes the watch complete. You might think, that’s quite a lot of gold, but it is all well balanced. 

 

 

 

The watch itself has the 1289 module, which is found on most DW-6900 models. An alarm Mode, a 24 hour Countdown Mode and a 24 hour Stopwatch, for a basic model, these are the most used functions on a digital watch.  The Alarm Function can also set to a specific date, or a specific day number in the month or at a specific month. I think most people use the Alarm function without using the day and/or month specification. The EL backlight has a greenish blue color.

Personally I think the back of the watch is one of the nicest parts. It features the 25^th anniversary logo by Eric Haze. Remarkable is that this watch is made in Thailand. Some people try to convince other people that Japan made watches are better than watches assembled in other East Asian countries. I think this model proofs different. The 25^th Anniversary models are very special and only the best quality is good for these models.

This model is already three years old and it is not easy to find one. Also the price, which was around $130.- back in 2008, (Japanese retail price was ¥12500 = $155) is much higher. Last week I did a search on eBay and found only a few of these in Japan, with an asking price over $300. Maybe a pity that you can’t find this model easily, but on the other side, I have got the rumor from a designer at Casio that told me Casio was already working on 30^th Anniversary models, which will start releasing next year.

#21 Rise and Shine!

In 2007 Casio started releasing special series for the 25th anniversary of G-Shock. In May the Dawn Black series saw daylight, in August it was the Rising White series. In this last series there was a DW-5000 re-issue and even a DW-5700C re-issue.

Both models, the DW-5025B-7JR and DW-5725B-7JR have a "screwback". This type of back screws into the case, which is made of metal. Most modern G-Shocks have a resin case and the back plate is tightened to the case with 4 screws.

Sometimes there are debates which tighten method is better, but if the seal is greased properly I doubt there is a real difference. Screwbacks are often preferred, because they just look better. Bear in mind water pressure pushes the back harder to the case, so even a 4 screw back is save.

The DW-5025B shows the design around the display as the original 1st G-Shock model, released in 1983. It shows a brick structure. Although the text "WATER RESIST 20 BAR" suggest this is a Japan only design, it was also released in the US. This model was also available at www.tiktox.com for the European market. This is where mine came from.

In contrary to the original model, this DW-5025B has no light bulb, but an Electro-Luminescent backlight. The module used in this and the DW-5725B model, the 1545, is the same module that is used for the common DW-5600E.

The watch is, like the name of the series already says, white. The visible metal parts are in gold tones, the buckle, screwback and bezel screws. You see this on the other 25th Anniversary series too. The case itself is just in silver tone stainless steel. The display is a reversed type. It gives a nice harp contrast to the white bezel and straps. Most lettering and lining around the display are in gold tone and so are the digits.

Reversed or negative displays look very cool. It often gives a digital watch a more mysterious dark look. A down side is these displays are harder to read in dim light. I remember that I wore a DW-003TL once with such display, while driving my car in bad and dark weather. Due to the viewing angle and bad light, it was impossible to read time.

I need to say the negative display on the DW-5025B is very sharp and has a large viewing angle. Maybe Casio has improved the readability in the past years.

The backlight is in a green tone, which looks very nice. It does not remind you to the bluish backlights on cheaper digital watches.

The screwback shows the G-Shock logo that Eric Haze designed for the 25th Anniversary. I have a dog tag with the same logo on it.

This is the last of a series of articles I have written during my vacation in Cadenet in south France. I (and occasionally Bram and Eva) have shot photo’s on location. Probably some photo's will not be as sharp or clear as I wished, but I think they captured the feeling of the moment. I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing these articles.

Our dinner on the way back, in Luxembourg. I could use a beer. I had driven over 500km in one piece. After dinner Eva took over for the last 350 - 400 km.