G-Shock #41: Cold Ice Plum

I had planned a special collaboration article today, but due to a nasty flu, I have set the deadline for a little later. I have spend most of the time resting in bed, but got some time to smash some words together on my laptop screen for a small 50 Gs article. Maybe a small article, but this watch has grown already to a favorite of the moment.

In May 2011 Casio released this GW-6900F model. It was not really linked to any series, but it is mentioned in the line of the “Fire Package 2011” AGW-101F and the AWG-500F (also released May 2011). It might be that originally the GW-6900F and the AWG-500F would have been originally planned under the “Fire Package” series.

 

Fact is that I loved this white model, as soon as I spotted it on the May 2011 release list. For in summer I think a white G-Shock is a perfect eye catcher. Also I think that white is a good alternative for black watches (as white and black are officially no colors), as they do not stand out as much as bright colored models but can make a nice accent.

 

 What makes this 6900 model more appearing to me than other whites are the purple/red accents and display. You find a similar display on the GW-6900CC models (in metallic purple and glossy black). I always tried to describe the color as fuchsia red, but I read reviews of people mentioning this color as plum. I’m probably the last who would argue this description. Plum it is.

I think it was in 1996, when I bought a very nice looking Trek mountain bike. I was not a real expensive model, but my budget was also very tight then. I have no photo’s of this bike, but when I saw it in the showroom I was sold. The color was called “Cold Ice Plum”. It was best described as a kind of reddish metallic purple that looks like ice has condensed on it. For several years this bike brought me everywhere I liked to go. Unfortunately, on April 4th, 2001 (I was wearing my 13th G-Shock) I got parted from my bike in a pretty rough way. While on the way to school, I had a frontal collision with a car. While I was thrown over the car, my bike was catapulted away and ended about 15 meters further against a little building. Mountain bikes are made to survive hard hits, but the steel construction of my bike was no match to the force of the collision.

The plum display is pretty cool, but the digits are a bit dark. The digits are good readable when worn on your arm, but when taken off, the digits fade fast to dark when viewed under different angles. It’s a feature you often encounter on negative displays. You can clearly see that the face plate is also houses the solar panels.

The white resin of the straps and bezel have a glossy finish. The strap keeper is matte and looks a little more gray, though this can also be because it’s not shiny. I expect that the glossy finish also acts a bit as a protection layer. I’m planning to wear this watch often, so we can see if a glossy white band will get dirty.

I’m curious how long this model will be available. It is presented like a basic model. Will this model gain the popularity as the DW-6900FS? I bought mine in the US, but it might be available in Europe too in the near future. Like I wrote above, white is an easy color, as you can combine it with everything and it’s less prominent then a bright colored watch.

The GW-6900F-8 is easily available in Japan and the US. It is pretty friendly priced in the US. I don’t know exactly what was paid for this watch, but it must have been around $100 - $110. A similar model would cost at least €120 - €130 in Europe. A problem for us Europeans is that the postal custom duties and the import tax discourage you to buy these watches from the US. Luckily it was sent as a birthday present to me by a friend in the US and the package stayed just under the radar. You can also order one in Japan, but with the suggested retail price of ¥21000, it´s probably hard to find one under $200-/€150 shipped to your door.

You can see that the plum display color is actually a filter. When looked at the display on the side, you'll notice the EL backlight is actually not plum, but green.