11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
The original G-Shock still among the best!
Date of Review: May 15, 2005
The Bottom Line: I recommend the 5600 to anyone looking for a tough and functional digital watch without all the bulk and cartoonish flash of the newer G-Shocks.
This 5600 is essentially the original 5000 G-Shock model which was released by Casio in 1983. Although slight changes were made over the years it is still basically the same watch. It may not be the newest of watches on the market, but nearly a quarter century has given it quite a track record and has proven it to be quite a performer. This watch is a bit more conservative looking and is slimmer and lighter than many of the newer G-Shock styles. It looks like it was made for an adult, whereas most other G-Shocks look rather cartoon-ish like they were made for kids. This is a good thing for those of you who don't like the bulky "Star Trek" looking G-Shocks with flashy chrome and nearly useless functions like pie-section indicators.
This model is now available in Japan as an updated version with atomic/solar functions and 5 alarms. Hopefully Casio will release the updated model to the US. However I prefer a battery for reliability and low maintenance and don't need atomic time because these watches are already very accurate. I would however benefit with the 5 alarm settings.
The only complaints I have with the 5600 is that it only has 1 alarm setting while most watches out today offer multiple alarm settings. Also the alarm is too quiet and the buttons are hard to push sometimes because they are quite small and recessed.
The 5600 is a bargain and can be found at department stores for under $40.
