[G-Shock Review] GW-B5600BC-1 — Ultralight and Ultra-functional

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The Ultimate Guide to All G-SHOCKs — composed by Experts

Quite often [on the blog] waves of discontent [in the comments] in the style of “Casio is no longer a cake” appear. No matter how much you argue [at first glance]: there aren’ t so many breakthrough technologies anymore, and the latest innovations are basically some kind of restyling of already existing cases. It is not quite so. In addition to the stylistic updates [I remind you, each new color is a consumer’s choice, who has already voted with the wallet, and thus the continuation will certainly be. No sales – no new styles. Everything is quite simple and logical], there are new very successful modern series. GW-B5600 series is just one of them. Let’s examine in detail the GW-B5600BC-1 model in our traditional review.

Don’t think, I’m not attacking blog readers in any way. Sometimes I’m wrapped up in the notes of doubt [about the vector of the Japanese brand], but if I just get away from emotions, I’m immediately experiencing positive tectonic shifts. Among the latest innovations can be accurately noted the following points: a new format of tourist watches WSD-F20/30 on Wear OS [with an abundance of features for everyone], the massive introduction of sports technology [stopwatches, timers for pace training] in the shock-resistant case of G-Shock and Baby-G, phone synchronization for a more convenient management of settings, which also expands the possibilities of the watch to a new level. Add solar power, a unique watch case design, shock-resistant and water-resistant characteristics and Casio watches become completely out of competition. So far the company is doing great, and the GW-B5600 series can be called a clear positive indicator of the state of affairs of top management from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Introduced GW-B5600 appeared as an alternative to the acclaimed GMW-B5000 [the first G-Shock-and with a completely metal case and Bluetooth-sync].

Only this is not an alternative, where the key features are simply removed, and the similarities are left only in appearance. Not. GW-B5600BC-1 received other materials, while the core remained intact [did not notice any abnormalities]. And this, gentlemen, is a total victory. The clock is not at all lost in quality, I would even say the opposite – they only won. The GW-B5600BC-1 has become such a G-Shock as we have remembered since the DW-5000C [The world’s first G-Shock watch], but only with a price tag many times simpler [from GMW-B5000]. And yes, this is my favorite form factor in G-Shock. Enough of your own opinion, let’s get into the details.

All the same, the feeling of a painted black piece of steel does not leave. There is only one explicit identifier for the substance definition – weight. The GW-B5600BC-1 watches are so light that I just could not believe my own sensations.

Visually, everything seems very heavy: a massive bracelet; though not big, but still a large building. So NO, the model is very light and it is fantastic. It is even difficult for me to feel it on my wrist, although the watch is no different from the classic shocks. Bare numbers: 85 grams VS 167 grams [in GMW-B5000D-1]. Differences in size: 48.9 × 42.8 × 13.4 VS 49.3 × 43.2 × 13 mm [in GMW-B5000D-1]. This weight is a great advantage for the GW-B5600.

In addition to lightness, the composite strap also takes strength. Unfortunately, I don’t have official information [in comparison with a regular metal bracelet], but the manufacturer often presents it in his description for the watch that way. I can not fail to note the width – very narrow “bands”, which also makes the watch quite compact.

If your wrist is not as large as a standard bracelet, then you will need to withdraw links. Often on this kind of straps there is an arrow, which indicates where exactly the “needle” should be pressed, but in GW-B5600BC-1 this is not the case. It’s okay, from the back side everything is clear [thanks to the gap]: we press and detach it.

Favorite square small case, extraordinary lightness and a nice miniature bracelet – that’s exactly what I saw with the GW-B5600BC-1 without even pressing the buttons to learn the functions. But the functional part also deserves a separate story …

As always, I chose the [GW-B5600] series in the G-Shock Connected application, synchronized and the clock immediately tuned to the desired mode [they adjusted the time zone and set the exact time according to your phone data]. By the phrase “exact time” I mean perfect accuracy even up to seconds. Not to be unfounded, I even made a photo of not very good quality, confirming my words [up to seconds].

Do not worry, even if you will not create a “bundle with the phone”, the MultiBand6 radio synchronization technology is still present in the GW-B5600. If your location allows, the clock itself will be 1-2 times / day to attempt time correction from one of the 6 towers located almost around the world [for our region, this is a tower in Germany].

Further revised all the settings and they are one to one with the capabilities of the GMW-B5000 series. I see no reason to reprint what has been written previously, so I will duplicate information from another review for your convenience [in order not to leave the current page].

I was surprised to see synchronization with the phone in the new GMW-B5000. It’s easier to work with the same world time, why else a telephone? Although … Wait … The phone is still needed for additional synchronization accuracy. The watches independently verify the accuracy [4 times a day] with the exact Internet time of your phone and make corrections. This point is still worth clarifying: do the clocks connect to the phone themselves, or do they do it every time you manually connect? In any case, when you first started G-Shock Connected, the watch immediately adjusted to the correct settings for the desired time zone. I understand that this is a very simple possibility, but how nice it is to see the perfect course of your watch: even the second-hand move is the same as the one in the time window of the PC or laptop operating system. Fantasy.

The first screen of the application hints at the rapid use of the world time function. Nothing special, as always, you need to select the time of the new city in order to display it on the main display [as a home].

As for me, the standard opportunity to select a time zone in world time mode is no worse. So the world time here is exactly past. Of course, several levels of convenience attached, but still past. The second tab is called Time & Place. So at once you will not understand what it is, therefore the Japanese explain separately by providing the application with information screens.

The principle of operation is as follows: you can use the clock to make geotags on the map, which will record this location with information about the date, time, and accurate location data. Something similar we have already seen in the latest aviators GR-B100.

Clamp the lower right button and drop the location information on your phone. You understand, the phone must be with an active Bluetooth connection and active navigation services [GPS and the like].

At the exit you get a map with icon marks. Honestly, I tried to find a practical use for this opportunity, but I could not think of it at all. Well, if without a phone, it would be possible to fix the marks of difficult sections of the route and analyze them in the future. Unfortunately not. Maybe you have an idea? Sorry function “Time & Place” – with you, too, everything is difficult in the real world.

The last tab is called Utility. This is a transition to three functions: alarm clock, timer, and “siren” [sorry for such a translation of the word REMINDER].

With alarm clocks everything is clear: choose a number and set it up. They are all daily.

The timer is also elementary.

But the alerts seemed very interesting. You have 5 options for setting reminders. We prescribe the name, where by the way only English characters on the keyboard))). Select the date and even the year of operation.

Periodicity: once a year, every month. Period: start date and end date [can be done every month, but at the same time put the end time]. One dubious moment also appeared – it is not possible to specify the exact response time. Damn, how so? I even registered all the settings to check the principle of work and found only the choice of the day of the week for the start.

Maybe I’m stupid somewhere, or the interface solutions leave much to be desired. Another feature that we saw in the information screen is the transfer of the name of the event to a small window of the clock. Theoretically, what you wrote in the title of the alert [I wanted to check, but did not find the activation time] will be displayed on the day of operation on GMW-B5000D-1ER. Since there is no response time, maybe we will see this alert on the watch face all day?

The backlight “Full Auto LED” perfectly illuminates absolutely all digital space with bright white light with a slight shade of blue.

“Specifications of GW-B5600”]

  • Case / bezel material: Resin
  • One-touch 3-fold Clasp
  • Stainless Steel / Resin Composite Band
  • Shock Resistant
  • Mineral Glass
  • 200-meter water resistance
  • Tough Solar (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
  • Manual receive
  • 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
  • Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth®)
  • 5 World time
  • 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 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 and 1-hour increments)
  • 5 daily alarms (with 1 snooze alarm)
  • Hourly time signal
  • 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/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 and mobile link function)
  • 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)
  • Size of case : 48.9×42.8×13.4mm
  • Total weight : 85g

Already at the subconscious level, it activated automatic triggering depending on the viewing angle [by pressing the backlight button for more than 3 seconds]. Since the Tough Solar power technology is present in the watch [another great bonus to the model], which clearly means “light now or dark” with the help of a special film under the main dial, the backlight will NOT automatically activate during daylight hours. Isn’t that cool? You can also set the response time: 2 or 4 seconds.

The power saving mode [Power Saving] will cause the clock to “fall asleep” in the dark [so as not to waste battery resources], which is also very ok.

Such pleasant technological solutions are very peculiar to the Japanese manufacturer.

Conclusion

G-Shock GW-B5600BC-1 exceeded all my expectations. It would seem the oldest corps, what else to surprise? So this and surprised. Despite the very conservative look [from the 80s], the watch managed to hide behind this kind of technology and the capabilities of the 21st century. Technologies [solar power, radio sync, Bluetooth sync accuracy, support for G-Shock Connected app], materials [composite strap, high-quality polymer case, mineral glass], functions and stuffing [support for Cyrillic characters in the calendar, smart backlight, reminder and logging function relocation …] – few words to describe all the pieces of such a seemingly simple case. The GW-B5600BC has NO alerts for incoming calls, they do not check your email, they cannot pay for purchases and there are no other smart features. I will say, perhaps not a very popular thing: is it really necessary for a watch for most people? Are there any few distractions [alerts on the phone from each application] that make us touch the phone thousands of times a day? If you just want accuracy and reliability – this is exactly the GW-B5600BC.

Read Quick News on GW-B5600:

All News on GW-B5600 →

Firstly published, but we carefully translated into English.

Some FAQ moments about G-Shock GW-B5600 Series


What is 200 Water resistance?
G-Shock GW-B5600 is suitable for professional marine activity and serious surface water sports, but not suitable for diving.


What is G-SHOCK Connected App?

This is the basic application for connecting and communicating with a Bluetooth(R) v4.0 enabled CASIO watch. Pairing your watch with a smartphone enables use of a variety of different Mobile Link functions that greatly enhance the smartphone experience. The G-SHOCK Connected app also simplifies certain watch operations by letting you perform them on your phone screen.


Example (may differ from the watch we’ve reviewed)


What is Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth(R)) ?

Wireless function link with mobile phones that support Bluetooth®.


What is Tough Solar?

CASIO’s original solar-charging system converts not only sunlight but also light from fluorescent lamps and other sources into power.


What is Radio-controlled Watch; Multi band 6?

This watch receives time calibration radio signals that keep the displayed time accurate.


GW-B5600 Profile / Casio G-Shock
Average Amazon Price: $200 (yes, we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases from our links to Amazon). Check the Price on Amazon →
Year of first release: 2019
Lineup: ORIGIN (The Line includes watches that are almost the same by design as the first “5600” G-Shock model produced in late 1983. Modern series are of course modified versions as regards of technologies and functions but still have an oldschool and very popular look.) All G-Shock Origin Watches →
Best for: Small WristsOffice and Formal Wear, Top in G-Shock Lookbooks
The most distinctive specs:
G-SHOCK Connected App (you may manage all watch settings through your phone)
Tough Solar (CASIO’s original solar-charging system converts not only sunlight but also light from fluorescent lamps and other sources into power)
Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth(R)) (for time sync with your phone data)
Radio-controlled Watch; Multi band 6 (additional way for time sync. This watch receives time calibration radio signals that keep the displayed time accurate)
200-meter water resistance (good for swimming but not for deep diving)
Other colors and full specs: GW-B5600 Wiki Page
Only Limited Editions: GW-B5600 Limited Editions

G-Shock GW-B5600 Rating System

Size★★★★
Weight★★★★★
Functions★★★★★
Materials★★★★★
Battery Years★★★★★
Price★★★

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