WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner

"first" watch... 5600 beater... suggestions please! :)

3K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  pIonEerOFtHeNiLe 
#1 ·
hey guys, I'll try to keep this succinct

i'm a 26 year old student from Australia and currently the only watch i have is a ingersoll 1930s mickey mouse reissue which died within 2 months of purchase (argh!), so I'm new to watches and could use a bit of guidance

eventually I'd like an obnoxious 50mm tw steel or similar but until I can afford it I'd like a 5600-esque daily watch. I'd love if you pros could help suggest a model!

essential features are:
--5600/5610/etc g-shock
--reasonably robust
--under $200 AUD shipped
--black/gunmetal/very dark grey etc
--subtle colorway
--decent backlight

grail features are:
--under $150 AUD shipped
--extremely robust
--inverted display
--classic colorway (red stripe etc)
--bright backlight (green would be amazing)

I'm currently looking at:
--dw-5600bb (pre-owned from ebay)
--dw-5600e-1v (cheap & available but not top of the pile)
--dw-5600-ms1 (band could be darker but nice)

does anyone have any further suggestions, general 5600 tips or knowledge, nomenclature corrections, online store recommendations... any and all advice is very welcome!

thanks so much guys! :3
-dane
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Welcome to Watchuseek! :)

I'm not an expert on the 5600 line, colloquially referred to as "squares," but....

If you're in Australia, the ones at the "top of the pile" of the square line AREN'T necessarily the ones you want. The G-5600E is solar-powered, which might be nice, but any of the models with a GW- or GW-M prefix will be solar AND multiband atomic. Radio reception for atomic G's is a nice feature if you live in Europe or North America, but it's likely to be more trouble than it's worth Down Under since you'll probably never ROUTINELY get a strong signal from Japan. (The one at the VERY top of the square pile is the steel-cased solar/atomic GW-5000, but it's out of your price range anyhow. ;-) ) DW- is the prefix for all of the "normal, battery powered" 5600 models -- for a fairly comprehensive list of all of the DW-5600 models, take a look at this Casio parts supplier's website: Consumer Electronic Parts and Accessories at PacParts, Inc. (Note that quite a few of those ARE discontinued, but it may give you some other model numbers to search for.)

A bit of advice on the inverted or "negative displays" -- they look a lot better in Casio's pictures than they do in real life, and they can be hard to read indoors at a glance unless you're in a very brightly lit room. Look at some of the many threads here on the subject, look at some of the pictures, and if at all possible go to a local store and look at ANY model's negative display in person before you decide to buy one.
 
#4 ·
thanks so much for the help mike! very informative which is great for a pleb like myself.

I think I've narrowed it down to either the:
dw5600eg-9 ($90AUD shipped)
or the
dw5600ms-1 (black version, $120AUD shipped)

do you have any experience with either of these?
I'm leaning towards the ms1 (the legibility is no problem for me) due to its stealth looks (goes with more of my wardrobe), but then again the eg9 is much cheaper and also has the great vintage vibe which is probably quite universal too.

headscratcher!
 
#7 ·
Well, every G-Shocker will think legibility is not a problem before getting it. After owing it, legibility is the problem. Btw the two you are thinking, dw5600eg-9, is better looking. But my 2 recommendation for you are better choice for your money in my opinion.
 
#5 ·
I do not recommend 5600MS or 5600BB. Negative display G-Shock is always that much harder for me to read. Especially during summertime under bright sunlight. To me they look good but least practical.

I would suggest GW-M5610 as well. It is solar and carry similar character of original first G-Shock dw-5000C with red line. If you use Canon SLR, the style goes with L lens. Love it! Not expensive, $95-150 depends on where you buy it from. The back plate is slightly nicer design than common 5600.

Highly Recommend you with this piece.



 
#13 ·
I would suggest GW-M5610 as well.

<snip>

Highly Recommend you with this piece.

Who else suggested the GW-M5610?! I recommended AGAINST it, since the OP is from Australia and won't be able to take full advantage of the atomic feature there. (Of course, "from Australia" doesn't mean that he's still IN Australia, but since he didn't tell us he's living anywhere else that's all we have to go on. :) )

That picture is not of a GW-M5610, either -- it says "Multiband 5" on the crystal so it's a GW-M5600.
 
#6 ·
BTW, if you really like all black 5600, I would recommend GB-5600B-1BJF. Bluetooth, not that I am gonna use that blue tooth feature but it is by far the best of best looking all black G-Shock up to date so far. Black checker on display is one of the kind. The only 5600 with such style. The display is a bit improved from previous all black version. Price comes around $150.

 
#9 ·
Unless you really like the look of the GW-M5610, I'd just go the G5600e
We Aussies get no joy from the wonders of atomic time keeping so that feature on the 5610 will be of no use.
The solar side of things, on the only hand, is covered in spades down here.
Solar is a brilliant feature, it's nice to know you won't need to change a battery for an awfully long time.
 
#10 ·
Mike K:
Or he could go "whole hog" like my SIL Mark.
He sprung for the Casio GTX56. The grandaddy of all "squares".
He's a big ole boy with huge developed wrists and the 56 makes
his wrist look puny.

I didn't like his square but its growing on me.And my 8 1/2 " wrists.

X traindriver Art
 
#15 · (Edited)
There's a colorful series of dw5600 out now.

Here is the blue one
DW5600M-2 - G-Shock, Mens, Tough, Water Resistant, Analog, Digital, Watches | CASIO America, Inc.

orange:
DW5600M-4 - G-Shock, Mens, Tough, Water Resistant, Analog, Digital, Watches | CASIO America, Inc.

white:
DW5600M-8 - G-Shock, Mens, Tough, Water Resistant, Analog, Digital, Watches | CASIO America, Inc.

dw5600 is one of the squares where the time shows in the top right corner in the other modes. very handy.

If you're willing to go non square and just want a "beater" G - the cheapest G listed at the lowest price (new) is the DW6900 - available at walmart. Advantage -larger bumpers - ie crystal recessed more than the 5600 series. Fifth button for the light and "g-shock" in big red letters.

Have fun shopping.
 
#16 ·
welcome aboard dane! :-!

i cant really help you since im not a fan of squares but i have seen a couple 5600ms's on wrist and they look pretty tough for a smaller G. if youre fine with a slightly less readability then go for it. check out eglobal - $95 + $19 shipping, not much less but i used to be a uni student so i know every dollar counts!

my personal preference however would also be for a 6900 (or a gd350 but thats straying away from the smaller size, looks great in the all black version and with nice big readable digits tho) if you want a retro look maybe check out the 5500s.

being in AU your chances of trying any of these on however are rather slim. 6900 should be ok but youll have to search far and wide for someone to have a square in stock.

if you fill out your location, i can maybe give you more of an idea on where to look :)
 
#18 ·
hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all, after some deliberation I ended up with the eg-9 and absolutely adore it.

it's definitely a gateway watch haha, I'll be in the market for a completely monochrome/greyscale g-shock soon.

thanks again for all the help, it went very appreciated!
 
#19 ·
If you can find one, I would recommend one of the steel cased, referred to as "screw back", G Shock models.
The GW5000 is the only regular production version, which as mentioned, may be out of your price range.
If you can find one of the limited edition ones go for those.
This one is the "Spike Lee" model:
Casio G Shock DW 5000 Spike Lee Screwback Illuminator DW 5000 SL 1er | eBay

There are also the anniversary models, such as the DW5030c (30th anniversary).
The screw back models, with steel cases are more robust and feel more substantial on the wrist. They are also very collectible.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top