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A tribute to a (almost) perfect G-Shock - the G-7900MS all-black

112K views 125 replies 65 participants last post by  singkarak105 
#1 ·
I've been buying, selling and keeping circa 50-60 G-Shocks in the last seven years, which brought me to the point where I get pretty picky, but also do know exactly what I want.

When it comes down to the most rugged Casio Series, my preferences are pretty much well defined, since I deal with G-Shocks long enough. I do know what the watch should look like or not, which functions it should have or rather not and what the watch should be able to do or not.

Generally speaking it looks like this:

- mainly a dark colour, with few or no coloured applications, especially no red, orange ect.
- all digital
- no square (rectangular) case
- prefered bulky
- no atomic, no Solar (explanation later)
- CR20xx Lithium Battery
- good EL-Backlight with at least 3 seconds duration, No LED illumination
- at minimum, a 24h countdown timer
- at minimum, a 24h stopwatch
- loud, audible alarm
- easy to push buttons
- 5th. dedicated light button

The G-7900 got all those attributes. Many of you already know the module of the G-7900 (3194) from the G-9000 Mudman (module 3031), which is basically the same, only without a moon - and tidegraph. For those of you who are not so familiar with the technical specs of G-Shocks, but might think about to purchase a G-7900, here is a short list of the featured highlights:

- 2x 1000h stopwatch
- 24h countdown timer
- auto el-Backlight switchable for either 3 or 5 seconds duration and automatic shutdown after 6 hours
- 5 alarms (with one snooze alarm) freely programmable for the whole year (target alarm)
- time, day of the week, month and date at a glance
- worldtime with 48 cities around the globe
- high capacity CR2025 Lithium Battery (170mah)
- backlight flasher for visual alarm
- extremely good to operate buttons
- moon and tide graph
- 200 meters wr (20bar)
- long lasting alarm (20 seconds)
- low temperature LCD (-20° celsius)

The G-7900MS avoids any coloured accents. It has a black, matte finished case and a 28mm wide, very comfortable to wear nylon strap. The appearance of this watch can be pretty well described as "uber-stealthy", but without the trade-off of lesser legibility known from negative displays. Unfortunately, Casio was not so stealthy thinking when it comes to the buckle, which is (absurdly) shining polished. Not, that I needed desperately a black PVD buckle, but at least a matt or brushed one would have been nice. Oh well, luckily there are enough brick and mortar stores around and in them you'll find lots of sandpaper

Alright, a few pictures first:










(Mods, please feel free to erase this, if inappropriate)


(Mods, please feel free to erase this, if inappropriate)

As already mentioned, the watch avoids all coloured applications and shiny parts (except for the buckle). The writing on the case and the "G" on the light button are painted in a very subdued white, actually it's a rather bright grey. The important thing is, that on one hand the letters never distract from the stealth look, but on the other hand are visible enough, to let the more inexperienced user know the functions of the buttons. The whole upper part of the LCD inlet (which surrounds the moon and tidegraph, both stopwatches and the day of the week) is also made of a non-shiny, dark grey material, which is best described as titanium-grey. It matches the subdued look of the watch very well.

The G(W)-7900 series is one of the bigger watches in the current G-Shock line. With dimensions of W=50mm, H=52.5mm T=18mm, the watch can be considered as a hefty and bulky piece of plastic. Nevertheless, the wearing comfort is excellent and the strap wraps around the wrist very well, which is greatly supported by the two "wings" beneath the strap:



Those two plastic pieces are not to be underestimated. They are the reason, that also people with rather small sized wrists can wear the watch without problems and convenient. As usual with a plastic watch, weight is rather a non-issue. The watch shows 67 grams on my kitchen scales, so it's not exactly made for training your muscles.

The 28mm wide nylon strap enhances greatly the bulky character of the G-7900MS. As already mentioned, the wearing comfort is excellent, but that opinion might differs from others, such as people who might sweat a lot or live in/near tropical parts of the world. In this case I would also suggest to swap the nylon strap for the normal black resin strap which is attached to all "non-MS" models. Here a few pictures of the nylon strap and a comparison to the resin strap. Don't wonder about the O-ring, I attached it to the strap because the retainer tends to slip off:









I mentioned above that an ideal watch for me shouldn't have neither atomic timekeeping nor solar. I have several reasons for that:

To put it simple, atomic is at best for me a „nice to have" feature that one can have, but in my opinion is far from essential. Given the great level of precision modern day quartz watches do offer, the aberration of such a watch is seldom more than 6-8 seconds (+) per month . If the watch is worn on a regular basis, its even less to non-existent, keeping the temperature stable due to body heat. I honestly also never understood, the hassle some people go trough, desperately trying to sync their atomics, when a manual, perfect sync can be done in few seconds, given the amount of high precise time sources (cells, internet, rc alarm clocks, ect) we all see and have around us every day. Although not really important, but something to think about is, that any additional electronic device is always a possible source for failure. The old saying "keep it simple, keep it stupid" carries a lot of wisdom…

When it is about solar, I have several good (for me anyway) reasons to avoid it.

First, I had two solar powered watches stone cold dead, without a reason and without any hint. One was a Casio Protrek PRG-80YT, the other was a Citizen Eco Drive Chronograph, which I don't remember the model. It's not that those watches had seen not enough light or something, they just died, the Protrek got into "Recovery Mode" but - you guess it - never recovered, lol. As you can probably imagine, such incidents do not exactly help to gain trust in a certain technology.

Don't get me wrong, right now I have six solar G-Shocks and four of them are also atomic. They sit on a window sill to be charged all the time and the all work fine. But honestly, none of them get much wrist time anymore, whenever I wear one from time to time, it isn't usually longer than a day, because it just doesn't feels right - it's a mind thing I guess.

A watch that houses a CR2025 Lithium battery (or even bigger), drives solar somewhat down the ad absurdum road. There are enough proven cases, (lots of them here in this forum) that CR20xx batteries last for many years, even for decades (!!!). The often heard and read argument of the non-existing battery change with solar watches, became for me so lame, that it fails to put even a tired smile on my face.

Probably the biggest argument against solar watches is in my opinion, the often inferior module, compared to their non-solar counterparts. Functions are often cropped, and that is a fact. It is pretty common in the G-Shock line and as of now, I'm not aware of one single solar model that is superior in functionality to a non-solar model. Not that the GW-7900 is a bad watch - not at all - but compare it to the G-7900 and you have an excellent example of what I just described.

In the end each and everybody has to make the solar vs. non-solar decision for himself, depending what features and functions are high on the priority list. I've made my decision quite some time ago (live is much easier if you know what you want, respectively what you don't want) and couldn't be happier with it.

Utterly positive and well worth to get an extra mentioning are the huge and very easy to push buttons of the G(W)-7900 series. In my opinion, there is no model, which can hold up in this discipline, some other series - like the G-7710 for instance - come close but can't match 100%. Big and handy enough to be pushed even with thick winter gloves, it's made sure the watch is always fully operable (extremely important for soldiers, also in summer). No bothersome fumbling or even the use of fingernails is necessary - Casio have done this as good as it gets. Usually not so worth to get extra mentioned, but still worth somewhat, is the protection of the module and the mineral due to the massive amount of plastic around them. The glass is recessed by almost four millimeters, measured on the highest peak of the bezel, which gives an enormous additional protection:



The Thread title is „A tribute to a (almost) perfect G-Shock" and so I will also explain the things, which could have been done better: Actually it is in my opinion four points which keep that watch from being perfect - without „almost".

- current time visible in all modes (only visible in the countdown timer mode)
- negative (reversed) EL-Backlight for even better night readability and enhanced stealth
- countdown timer settable to the second (can only be set by minute)
- vibration alarm

To be fair, those four points are rather seldom to find in the G-Shock line and I'm not aware of any model that have all four points united.

Conclusion: Even with the (minor) four negative points, the G-7900 represents in my opinion the best G-Shock, Casio brought to market to date (sorry to all fans of the D(G)W-6600, D(G)W6900 and D(G)W-5600 series, but that is how I see it) and because it is most likely, that THE perfect G-Shock will never be made, the all-black G-7900MS and her sister - the olive green G-7900-3V - will stay my undisputed #1 for a long, indefinite time. To close this review, a few more pictures from the two beauties:







cheers
 
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#56 ·
I love the 7900 shape. It is the best. But I cannot agree about solar and atomic up to now though. Mine have never failed and I love to have the kind of confidence atomic gives in the accuracy and that solar gives for a reliable power source. I wish all watches could be as reliable. Solar atomic is my go to watch every time. If there were more solar atomic 7900s I would own a few more I am sure.
 
#58 ·
@ proodscot,

Adding solar to a watch means for me adding more trouble and more to care about (atomic is fine but far from necessary). Besides, the non-solar module is hard to beat with the great functionality it offers over the solar module - much more versatile.

@ Cabatisto,

the problem with the fake screws (rivets) only appears with the solar/atomic model. There is no single report here or anywhere else to find that a rivet has ever come off in the G-7900 series.


cheers
 
#60 ·
The design of the rivets is apparently different between the G and GW series and so is the way they are hold in place. How and why Casio decided to make the G series rivets superior over the GW series rivets is a mystery to me, but I'm glad they did ;-) Even member "Stephenwatch" who is a big supporter for the GW series swapped the metal rivets in favour for the black plastic rivets on his GW-7900B, although mostly for looks if I'm not mistaken.


cheers
 
#62 ·
I agree. Great review Cal..45. I looked long and hard for my first G Shock purchase and it was this review that made me decide on a g7900ms-1A. So after searching the net for a long time I finally found one and it arrived today......and I love it! I am happy to finally own my first G.

Cheers

Adam
 
#63 ·
:) Congratulations, wear it in good health |>


cheers
 
#66 ·
Unfortunately not. It is only on very few G's (Casios in general) possible, one that comes to mind is the G-7800.


cheers
 
#68 ·
Sure Millie! A couple of quick google searches. The module for the gw7900 is 3193. The module for the g7900 is 3194. Google "Casio module (number)" and open one of the PDFs then do it for the other module. If you have a desktop or a big laptop open the PDFs side by side, that will be easier than going back and forth on a phone.
 
#70 ·
I apologize in advance if you were really trying to be helpful. Snarky answers like this drive me crazy. Do you really think anyone posting here has not done a whole lot of research when trying to decide on a watch purchase? Do you think Google is something I have not heard of or used before? I can compare .pdf files all day, but without having both watches physically in my hand it does not do much for real world comparison. Forums are made up of people, and this particular forum has some seriously knowledgeable watch enthusiasts in it. I was hoping to get some first hand experience from some of those people on how these modules differ and why one would be preferred over another.
 
#69 · (Edited)
Yep, when I was reading up on my Casio Pathfinder PAS400B-5V. I read stories of people still using the same CR2025 battery for over 12 years. I know people who still have the same battery in their Casio G-Shock DW-6600s. You are right, solar watches are only as good as what you use the features for. My Casio Riseman GW9200-1 has been through a lot, and on a full charge you can press the mode button maybe 300 times before you notice the battery power lower. My oldest solar powered Casio G-Shock MTG930DA-8V, and it is still working. It just takes a long time to even go from no screen to visual time. I can't believe a Citizen Eco Drive failed on you. I still own mine which is almost 4 years old. I really still enjoy wearing it. Very tough watch, and the solar battery has never been low. I guess when it comes down to regular battery watches and solar power battery watches is, at least you know you will probably get 2, 3, 5 years from a regular battery watch, because it is written on them. But, with a solar battery watch. They always say, "never needs a battery" written on it all the time. I guess, if I had to choose my two watches to have, one as a main watch, and as a backup watch. I would pick, my Casio Pathfinder PAS400B-5V because it has a regular battery, and I would pick my Citizen Eco-Drive BM8180-03E because it has s simple solar set up. It just has a solar panel and a battery which powers hours, minutes, and seconds. That might be one the reasons why solar powered watches might fail. A lot of things can go wrong in one watch. At least if you have only one thing powering only one thing you might have more reliability. It is just my opinion.
 
#72 ·
Millie, I apologize if I misread your question. What I've seen elsewhere on the forum is people don't necessarily Know there is a module to look up for Casios vs model #'s so I was trying to help in a way that might be helpful to others coming across this post in the years to come.
I genuinely thought you were after a list of features, not someone's experience between the two.
 
#73 ·
Chrisek, Hopefully no offense was taken to the above post. Upon reflection and re-reading it sounds a bit harsh and for that I apologize. As it happens I did take a second (or third) look at the modules incorporating your suggestion of a physical side by side. Of all the rather small differences between the standard and atomic/solar 7900's the temp resistant LCD of the standard stood out the most. Being from a very cold part of the world my decision was made. That and Cal.45's thoughts on the reliability and general length of service of the batteries. As a bonus it was really inexpensive-- should be here by the end of the week.
 
#76 ·
Paul,

the all-black G-7900 (sadly) seems almost impossible to get these days. If you are lucky enough to catch one, you probably will pay a premium price for it, which I wouldn't even though I love this watch. If you are all over it, I recommend to get the olive green model and dye it to black. Since the moonphase is yellow and the tidephase is blue on this one, it doesn't support the monochrome look of the all-black model but honestly it looks equally cool (that's why I can never decide which one I like better). But before you start dyeing, you may wanna wear the olive for a week or so, you might find it pleasing to your eye making a dye unnecessary. Two links:

Amazon.com: Rit Black Powder 1 1/8 oz.: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Casio Men's G-7900-3DR G-Shock Green Resin Digital Dial Watch: Watches: Amazon.com

cheers
 
#77 ·
I just got the G-7900MS-3 (the yellow one). I wasn't sure if I'd be warming up to the band, but after wearing it for a while I'm starting to really like it. It's definitely a different feel from the typical CASIO resin.

I would have liked to go with the all black model, but I didn't want another reverse LCD watch (I have 3 of them). What I really like about the yellow is that it echoes the coloration of the LCD background, which seems to go well with the yellow color. I'm just not too keen on the yellow protectors, so I'm going to order black ones to make it less "loud".

Incidentally, I noticed that the G-7900 says "low temp lcd" on the dial and this is NOT on the GW-7900. I can't find anything about it in the manual or on the CASIO website, other than the generic statement about temperature ranges. I see that cal..45 stated the limit is -20 Celsius. Where was this information found?

Overall, I'm glad I got this over the GW-7900MS. Frankly, while I do appreciate solar/atomic, I don't need yet another one. And to be truthful, I agree with Cal that it's "nice to have" but not essential. I have time adjusted my G-Shocks and this works well for me. PLUS, I noticed the moon phase graph on the GW-7900 is really small. On the G-7900 it's large and visible. And last but not least, it has the bezel plugs that stay in place. ;-)
 
#79 ·
The functions as you describe them certainly are more feature rich than any of the G's I own. Target alarm could be especially useful, I think. That, and those buttons. Love that you can operate with gloves. This watch is well thought out for real mission-critical situations. I'm not a digital person myself, but that's only because I like the analog aesthetic. Digital is just easier if you're in a hurry or a panic. Not much chance of mis-reading. And I'm crazy about that wide nylon strap, very tough looking. Your review was definitely an eye-opener with regard to features.
 
#80 ·
Thank you MikoDel.

I also like analog watches a lot and sometimes I can't stand to wear a digital watch for days or even weeks, but based on my experience G-Shock's do best in the all-digital domain. When it comes to analogs, I prefer either mechanical Seikos or quartz watches with H3 Tritium vials. The G-7900 is made for extremely rough abuse indeed, the big case along with the deep recessed crystal offer maximum protection and the contrast of the display is still among the best I have seen on a G. The strap however isn't too great, yes it looks and feels good but once it's wet, it take ages to dry up and it starts quickly to tear on the edges. I replaced it with a 24mm maratac one-piece Zulu (you need additional adapters for that) and this little detail, puts the G-7900 on an even higher level in my opinion:







cheers
 
#88 ·
Thank you MikoDel.

I also like analog watches a lot and sometimes I can't stand to wear a digital watch for days or even weeks, but based on my experience G-Shock's do best in the all-digital domain. When it comes to analogs, I prefer either mechanical Seikos or quartz watches with H3 Tritium vials. The G-7900 is made for extremely rough abuse indeed, the big case along with the deep recessed crystal offer maximum protection and the contrast of the display is still among the best I have seen on a G. The strap however isn't too great, yes it looks and feels good but once it's wet, it take ages to dry up and it starts quickly to tear on the edges. I replaced it with a 24mm maratac one-piece Zulu (you need additional adapters for that) and this little detail, puts the G-7900 on an even higher level in my opinion:







cheers
Huge necro, but where did you find those adapters for the nato strap?
 
#81 · (Edited)
One thing that was bothering me with the G-7900MS (yellow version) was the "wings". They weren't so much uncomfortable as unsightly--the yellow stood out a little too much for me. I was planning to buy the black version of the wings and swap them in, until... I discovered that they were holding the watch up too high on my wrist. With long sleeves, I'd have to wrestle with the watch a bit, which I ran into when I recently donned a light jacket for the... *sigh*... change of the season (I love summer). So I took them off and found that the watch fit comfortably. No slippage. No real need to have them. But those pesky holes left behind. Erg. I had some vintage CASIO watch parts left over from a DW-210. The case-back screws fit pretty well. I'd prefer black ones, but then I'll probably just end up using a black marker on the heads.

Nice clean look without the yellow wings:
Watch Wrist Hand Watch accessory Analog watch

Watch Watch accessory Wrist Analog watch Fashion accessory

(Pardon the white residue on the bezel... I neglected to clean the watch before photographing it)

Here you can see the before-after:
Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Dive computer

Watch Digital clock Watch accessory Stopwatch Timer


Works really well for me. I'll still pick up the black wings, just to test out, but I expect I ultimately won't end up using them.
 
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