G-Shock #32: DW-5600C, My old square.

A week ago I was sitting in the plush of a nostalgic steam train wagon. The ideal background for on of the oldest G-Shocks in my collection, the DW-5600C. Because of the nostalgic atmosphere, I made a lot of photos in monochrome.

When I bought my first G, I bought it for it's look. Colorful, big, sturdy and shock resist. Actually I didn't know much about the history in the first years of collecting. I also didn't understand why some collectors loved those "dull, simple, square" oldies. When one of the was for sale or on auction, I usually passed it.

The only square I had was a red DW-5600E with a face protector. I bought it for f80.- (€36,35) in a local sale in 2001. It looked nice, but not as attractive as the many 90's models I had.This was all before the G-Shock forum on Watchuseek started. Information of G-Shocks were hard to find on the web. One of the few websites was Casionerd's web page. Instead of big colorful models, it showed simple square models. Also Japanese collectors often seem to love these models.Around the beginning 2003 I started visiting Japanese BBS's and a Japanese Watches Forum on Anyboard.net (that isn't active anymore for many years now).In that time I met avid collectors like Risefreak (a.k.a. Yamazaru, 山猿), Yachtrays (Sailboat Bat) and FUMI. I don't remember who told me, but someone recommended to add at least one vintage G to my collection on G-Peopleland.In the summer of 2003 I was browsing eBay Germany. My eye fell on an auction simply titled "G-Shock". The photo showed a photo of a square DW-5x00 model. I first thought it was a DW-5600E. Just before I was about to click away, my eyes fell on the text "WATER 200M RESIST".The picture was not very sharp, but it was clear enough to aware it was not an Illuminator. The starting bid was €1.-, so I placed a bid. The terrible wait starts. A week later I won this auction as only bidder. I got this watch for less than €10,- shipped!eBay Germany is very big and popular in its own country. Therefore most auctions were only for Germany only and Paypal was hardly known and used. Since the Netherlands is Germany's neighbour country and I learned myself a little German, shipping was often no problem. Most sellers were always curious, helpfull and very friendly The real problem was payment. Specially because international banking was relative very expensive, slow and hard to explain to German sellers. For small amounts I usually put money in a shielded envelope. As shield I used a freecard covered with aluminium foil. Luckily now the bank transfers between Euro countries is free of charge.

Finally, 10 days after the auction, an envelope from Germany slips trough the letter box.
was simply amazed. The watch looked different from the DW-5600E. It was much heavier. I really had a watch in my hand. The watch was visibly used over the years, but the crystal shows only 2 hardly noticeable scratches.The stainless steel case, that is even visible under the bezel, and the shiny screw back give this watch it's weight, but also very nice look. The old strap is very flexible and comfortable. This all for less than €10.-!The battery was weak, so I had it replaced at my Casio service centre. The DW-5600C with 691 module takes a CR2320 battery. The DW-5600C can also have the 901 module, which takes the CR2016 module. There are stories known of vintage squares that worked 20 years on one battery.
The first thing I noticed on the display was the small text "REM". When the lower right button (REM ON-OFF) is pressed for 2 seconds a small rectangle flashes right from this text. I discovered REM stands for remember.In my country an old saying says to put a knot in your handkerchief if you want to remember something. In stead of finding a knot when you want to blow your nose, you are confronted with a blinking rectangle when you want to know time. The only thing you need to do is remember what you want to remember. Later an improved similar function was found as "Mission Mode" on the Codename and some G-Cools. On these models a text and an alarm can be connected to an event that must be remembered.Another remarkable text on the DW-5600C is "LITHIUM". When the first G-Shock was introduced, lithium batteries were a novum. Before that button cells were of the silveroxyde type. Lithium cells could store more energy and handle bigger drains.
A function also present on the DW-5600C is dual time. A very handy feature for people who travel a lot over different time zones.The DW-5600C was introduced in June 1987. It was produced in large numbers until it was successed by the DW-5600E in June 1996. Nowadays the DW-5600C can still be found, but more than 10 years after the last one was produced, they are getting rare. Expect to pay around $100 - $125 for a good looking one. Heavy used ones can be a victim to resin rot. Luckily a replacement bezel and straps can still be found. Note that, although they look very much alike, the bezel of the DW-5600E does not fit the DW-5600C and vice versa. Mine is a Japan A with a serial number of october 1987. A few months ago it got victim of resin rot. It was a strange experience. I just finished taking photo's of my watch. I placed it on a suitcase outside my studio. Suddely, without warning the bwzel crumbled and fell in small pieces on my suitcase.
A function also present on the DW-5600C is dual time. A very handy feature for people who travel a lot over different time zones. This function is not present on it's succesor DW-5600E.
My DW-5600C still had the original - type screws. These screws are known for breakin off, so I wanted to look Not only for a new bezel, but also new Phillips screws.
Like a wonder Riley organized a DW-5x00C screw give away on "My G-Shock". On eBay I found a DW-5600C replacement set (bezel and straps). It is impressive to see the watch with the new parts. This is how the watch must have looked like when it was new. Lets hope it will look like this longer than 20 years.
The characteristic EL-backlight that is found on the recent G-Shocks was introduced in 1994. Before that, G-Shock's were equipped with a small light bulb. It is not as bright as the EL backlight, but sufficient enough to read time under dim circumstances. I think the term vintage G-Shock can be at the moment best applied on the G-Shock's that had this lightbulb. This means, G-Shock's released before 1994.

Flashback…. FIFA World Cup 98

In 1998, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) staged it’s 16th World Cup tournament in France.

As it had done with the previous World Cup (USA 94), Casio released a series of G-Shocks to commemorate the occasion. One model is the DW-6900WF-7T, a jelly clear edition.

The EL backlight of this model featured the mascot for the tournament named Footix who is a cockerel, one of the national symbols of France.

The final was played between Brazil and host nation France who emerged champions with a score of 3 goals to nil. It was the first ever World Cup title for France and remains the only to date.

G-Shock #31: The first Heaven Controller in Europe.

Somewhere in the beginning 2002 I discovered the Antman. At that time an unreachable G-Shock, unfortunately. I had this great idea. I was dreaming about a G-Shock that combined the looks and features of the Raysman and Antman. At a day at school I wrote a contact form to Casio Europe.
In that contact form I complained there was no Antman for Europe (it is restricted to one transmitter Japan only). I suggested if that it would be great if there was an Antman released that was Tough Solar, like the Raysman.
I actually didn't expect a serious answer back, but I soon got a reply. The consumer service wrote me Casio Europe was very enthusiastic and very interested in my idea. They thought it was a great idea and they had sent my suggestion to the head office of Casio in Tokyo. Too bad my old computer crashed, so I actually don't have that e-mail anymore, but I think you can understand how proud I was.
For a long time, nothing happened. Than, in November 2002, Casio presented a now revolutionary model. It was the first watch that combined Tough Solar with Waveceptor technology. Cool I thought, until I saw the model. I wanted a BIG watch, like the Antman. This was not what I had in mind. Proudly Casio presented the GW-300 as the synergy of the Raysman and Antman in an advertisement. Unfortunately for me, the technology of miniaturization was improved and a G-Shock of a "normal" size could hold gadgetry. This was not the only deception. The big plus was that it could receive 3 transmitters, the down side was, the three transmitters were in Japan and the US.
Soon the watch became available for the US market. That sounds logical. It could also receive the US transmitter in Fort Collins, Colorado. The prices dropped dramatically. A little bit like what you now see on some of the 25th anniversary models at the JC Penney stores. In Japan the retail price was 24000 yen. ( $200.-/€180.-), in the US you could buy them for around $65.-.

Since 2001 I often bought G-Shocks from a jeweler in Germany. I had good contact with the shop owner in Augsburg. I even had his private cell phone number and could call him any time. Sometimes he asked me if I was looking for something. When the GW-300 was released in the US, I had asked him several times if he knew something about a similar model for Europe.
March 2003 I got a phone call from him. Very unusual, but he had great news. He had been to a big watches convention and got his hands on the first GW-300 "Heaven Controller" for the European market. Well, that was the good part. It was not really cheap. The suggested retail price was €130.-. I paid €110.- shipped to the Netherlands, double the price of an US version. In exchange I would be the very first owner of a GW-300 in Europe.
I still do not know what to think about this watch. I was expecting a huge watch. On the other hand, the red accents are great. I'm not sure what to think about the silver ring. I am a real resin lover and a tough shock resist watch does not have to bling for me. Also the watch missed the one of the best functions besides timekeeping. There is no countdown timer on board. Instead Casio invented a Time Stamp. You can memorize time and date by holding the TIME MEMO button for some seconds, but without description I don't think this is a strong feature.
For the rest, this watch has world time, a stopwatch and 5 alarms (one is a snooze) on board. So the watch is pretty basic, but you always have the correct time. I live around 500 km from the Mainflingen transmitter and never had problems with receiving the signal.

This model unfortunately is also known for it's high failure rate. I have three GW-300's and all three have had the "Recovery Blues". Somehow a batch of faulty Panasonic CLT1616 were placed in this model. After a period (which can take up to 3 years) these batteries work perfect. Suddenly, without warning it fails. Often when the EL light is turned on. From battery level HIGH, suddenly the recovery triangle blinks in the screen. After a while it shows HIGH again, but when using the light or even without anything, it goes into recovery state again. A battery change of around €14.- (and a week waiting for the battery) solves this problem. Casio had reported that there was a bad nbatch of CLT1616's. Now the Panasonic CLT1616 battery is even improved according Casio.
It seems that NASA has bought a batch GW-300. Many NASA astronauts have been seen wearing a GW-300 while diving to practice for their forth coming missions. Above you see Nicole Stott wearing a GW-300 after a dive session in 2006 (PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Does my perception of this watch changed? I wore it today, while I made a large bicycle trip over some former islands of Zeeland. Over the years the Waveceptor function is found on many models. The GW-300 seems even a bit a forgotten model. It isn't very popular anymore, apparently due to the Recovery Blues. I must say that the watch has a nice sporty look. It doesn't even look small on my wrist anymore. I guess it's because I wear a lot of smaller G's these day's, not only classic Master of G's. Yes, I might even write that I like it's look actually cool. Ideal for a day cycling.

#30 Sailing around with the Gulfman

It's summer time. In my region that means a lot of people go to the beach or go out with their boat. Last week a friend of me came over the floor asking if we wanted to go out on their boat. It was early in the morning, so I had to grab my clothes. I didn't have to think long which watch to wear. I went with the Gulfman.
In July 2007 Casio released the updated version of the good old DW-9700 Gulfman. The original Gulfman was released in May 1999. The original Gulfman could be considered as an update of the July 1996 released Fisherman. The big difference between the Fisherman and the original Gulfman was that the Gulfman was Tough Solar.
The main reason why to buy a Gulfman should be it's Tidegraph function. Well, for me it was the most important reason to get one. It is a pity the tidegraph is missing on the Atomic model.
Water and metals are not a good combination. Salt water is even worse, but some metals are better corrosive resistant than other. For the Gulfman Casio uses Titanium. Titanium is not only a very light metal, it does not rust. Hence the text "Rust Resist" on the watchband.
On the other strap the text "Dual Illuminator" is printed, a cool feature, that already has been used on the G-9000 Mudman models. The buttons on the Gulfman are nice BIG buttons. You can't even miss them in a storm on deck. The big cross on the buttons are not only looking nice, but also prevent your fingers to slip off in wet conditions and help you find the buttons in the dark. A very smart feature.
The dial of the G-9100 is divided in 2 large sub dials and three smaller. In the upper dial the day and date is shown. A feature that is not always common on G-Shock's. It also shows if the Alarm Modes, Mute and Auto Illuminator are activated. The bottom dial shows the time and if applied also DST.In the middle you have the three smaller sub dials. The biggest show the current tide (if you have programmed it well). The small sub dial in the middle shows the phase of the moon. The right sub dial shows a circular animation of the seconds.
Programming the Tidegraph is not as difficult as it looks. The moon (and less important, but the sun too) pulls on seawater. Therefore there will be more water on the side where the moon is. This water comes from the side of the earth, so opposite of the moon there will also be more water. The high tide is not exactly when the moon passes at it's highest point. Due to slowlyness, rivers, land masses, different depths and objects in the water, the high tide is delayed. This delay is called the Lunitidal Interval. If you want to know how to program your Tidegraph, have a look at this instruction I wrote a few weeks ago.
The back of the Gulfman shows a sea turtle that is cleaning his shell, indicating this watch loves the sea. Of course the back is also made of Titanium.
Besides of showing time and current tide information, you can also observe the tide at any given date and time in the Tide mode. Further more there is a World Time function, a 24 hour Stopwatch Function, a 24 hour Countdown Timer function*, 3 Alarms (one is a snooze alarm) with hourly chime on board. If you don't like the beeps while changing the functions, you can mute the watch. If you push the mode button for approximately 3 seconds, the mute sign (a musical note) appears in the upper display. Even the operation buttons in stopwatch mode are muted. Only alarms will sound.
Of course you can use the countdown timer not only for timing sport events. It also functions well as cooking timer. The Dual Illuminator function lights not only the dials, but also a ring around the dials. In this ring you can find the button functions. Therefore you don't have to know what all buttons do in the dark.
On 50 Gs there is already written more about the other Gulfman models.

Topher has written a great article about his yellow DW-9700K
My white Atomic I.C.E.R.C. Gulfman as summer watch
My white Atomic I.C.E.R.C. Gulfman, on the road to Westvleteren

Sjors likes to thank "Captain Jack" for the great day on his boat so I could make many beautiful Gulfman photo's and Lexxorcist for providing the Gulfman promotion picture.

*RECTIFICATION: In the first version of this article I mentioned the Countdown Timer was a 60 minutes version. When you see me using it to time a cooking process, you already see it's not a 15 minutes, but a 24 hours timer. Thank you Thomas for mailing this mistake!