Seeing Triple! – Casio G-Shock DW5900 “Triple Eye” Review

90s retro goodness in an (almost) indestructible package at a great price!

It’s been some years since I last stepped into a primary school, but if I had to, I’d venture a guess that the “cool” kids nowadays have an Apple watch. Things definitely weren’t the same back in my day; in the early 2000s, you were beyond cool if you had a mobile phone before age 12 (remember the Nokia 3310!), and in the area of horology, the go to was more often than not, a Casio. Having a watch wasn’t uncommon, and really wasn’t much to scream about in the classroom. But amongst the swarm of Casio equipped children, there were still ways to rise above the rest – and that’s where the G-Shock comes in. If you had a G-Shock, boy you were the kid.

That’s not to say that the G-Shock is a watch designed for children. Far from it, the G-Shock is definitely popular with all age groups from kids playing soldier at playgrounds to actual servicemen on the field, and its not difficult to appreciate that everybody could do with a robust watch. For the G-Shock, “indestructibility” is the name of the game.

The first G-Shock released in 1983, the DW5000C. *Source*: G-Shock EU

The idea of a G-Shock was first conceived in 1981, with an aim to create an indestructible watch based on the Triple 10 concept:

10 year battery life
10 bar of water resistance
10 metres (drop height) of shock resistance

Suffice to say, G-Shock has only continued to evolve since, and has grown to include other functions and performance specifications beyond the “Triple 10”. Pop over to YouTube, and you’ll find G-Shocks being dropped from helicopters and surviving 40m heights.

At this point, I’d like to mention that I too have done my fair share of experimentation on the robustness of G-Shocks. Going back to the classroom, I never had a G-Shock myself but knew a couple of kids who owned one. For reasons unbeknownst to my (now) adult mind, I’d reach over to my friends G-Shocks and give it a smack. I suppose I thought the “shock” in G-Shock meant that you were supposed to give it a good ruffle. Thankfully, no watches were hurt in the process of my childhood and the G-Shocks lives up to its name, otherwise I wouldn’t have many friends. Whoops.

The Case & Specifications

The DW5900 comes in with an official case size of 51.4 x 46.8 x 15.5mm (L X W X H) as listed by Casio. Based on my own measurements, they are accurate, though you may want to note that the 51.4mm measurement is taken from the ends of the case, where the straps meet the lugs (beneath the words “G-SHOCK” and above “PROTECTION” respectively.

The lug width seems to be 26mm, with the strap starting at 26mm wide before tapering down to 19mm. This is probably not so relevant however, as its unlikely you will change the watch strap, which appears to be firmly screwed into the case. Should you need to, you will probably buy a new G-Shock strap or find compatible third party adapters.

Lug-to-lug sits at 51mm – the DW5900 is no small boy and I must admit that its a tad too large for my wrist (16cm). In photos, this is not immediately apparent (just as it wasn’t to me), so if size is your concern you might want to turn to the smaller, but classic, cousin of the DW5600.

That being said, if its any watch that can be worn big without drawing the ire of watch fanboys, it’s the G-Shock. The G-Shock stands for toughness, and isn’t afraid to let its presence be known. With its straps seamlessly fitting into the case, it almost feels like an “integrated” watch, and any overhang is not immediately apparent when viewed head on. An added bonus is that the DW5900 only weighs 60g, making it great for all day wear even in the toughest of conditions (or that casual hike out in the woods).

The DW5900 is operated by 4 buttons, located at the 4 corners of the case, forming a somewhat octagonal case profile. The various buttons have lots of different functions – I’ll leave it to the Casio manual to show you the way. The buttons take a bit more force than usual to actuate, but feel robust and in line with the G-Shock ethos.

Looking closer, the DW5900 features many different ridged surfaces, especially at the 3 and 9 o’clock position, with 2 “gems” (okay really, its probably plastic) as decorative elements. It adds a bit of visual interest, and sets it apart from other G-Shock models, with a cleaner and simpler case.

Caseback is pretty simple, as it is with most Casio watches. The stainless steel caseback features a G-Shock motif, along with some specifications. Notably, the watch comes with 20 Bar of water resistance – aside from that, I doubt you’ll ever be needing to look at the caseback much.

The Dial

The indestructibility of the G-Shock case is well and good, but for the DW5900, the dial is where all the goodness lies. In particular, it was the “Triple Eye” design that drew me in. The main display where the time is shown only occupies half the dial – above it sit 3 circular cutouts. The one in the middle provides various indicators of whether certain functions have been activated, while the “eyes” on the left and right are an animated display that slowly fill up (and subsequently empty) slice by slice as the seconds pass. Functionality wise, it’s really not that useful, but it sure is fun to stare at!

I didn’t have any problems reading the time, even with the compressed real estate. But if bigger displays are your thing, you’ll probably be wanting to look at other G-Shock models.

One thing I didn’t notice before the DW5900 got into my hands was the half-waffle dial. I felt that it was a nice added decoration, and overall the dial just exudes with retro goodness.

No applied lume (duh) for this one, but hitting the “light” button lights up the screen with a fluorescent green that is sure to guarantee you your nighttime visibility.

The Movement

The DW5900 is powered by the Casio 3465 module, which is a quartz movement. Accuracy comes in at +/- 15 seconds a month, with an expected battery life of around 5 years. As with every Casio, it comes chock full of features:

World time (which I find particularly useful, especially if you are travelling overseas)
Stopwatch
Timer
Alarm
Full auto-calendar to year 2099

In other words, it’s probably got everything you need, in a fuss free quartz package. Neat!

The Strap

The strap that comes with the DW5900 is a pretty standard resin strap. You may notice the strap ending off in a squiggly (kind of like pasta) shape at where it meets the case – the shape allows the strap to act as a spring should the watch be dropped (the horror!), cushioning its impact. It also has an added benefit of allowing for some air ventilation.

One thing I didn’t like about the strap was that it was a bit stiff, though it does get better over time. The strap comes with a number of adjustment holes, but I’m in between sizes so I’m forced to wear it loose, which isn’t ideal given how it is a relatively larger watch for my wrist size. Because of the way the strap is attached to the case, you may also find that the strap doesn’t cut down towards your wrist, expanding the lug to lug as I mentioned previously and illustrated in the photo above.

Styling

Unless you buy a strap adapter, you’re pretty much stuck with the strap the DW5900 came with, which I feel is how it looks best anyway.

If you want something more colourful, the DW5900 actually comes in multiple colour variants. There’s even one that’s bright orange!

The Price

Depending on the colour of choice, the DW5900 can go between S$100 – S$150 (SGD). For what you’re getting, I’d say that is really good value. Watches that cost 10x more probably wouldn’t be able to deliver the same functionality in a package to this degree of robustness. Not much argument here!

Overall Thoughts

There’s a reason why G-Shocks are so well loved, especially here in Singapore where we pride ourselves on convenience, speed, and wearing flip flops everywhere with every outfit to combat the sweltering heat. They’re fuss free – throw on a G-Shock and you’re good to go. No fiddling with crowns, no worrying about scratching a polished case; the G-Shock is in all definitions a daily beater. It’s ready for whatever comes at it, and if you somehow break it (which is in itself a challenge), it really doesn’t break the bank to get a new one.

Amongst the G-Shock models out there, the DW5900 is a great example. G-shocks can vary a lot in price, but the DW5900 remains on the affordable end of the spectrum, while keeping all the benefits of toughness and functionality. The “Triple Eye” keeps things playful, and injects a bit of retro fun. Yes, it wears a bit big and if that’s a thing for you then this probably isn’t the watch for you. But it’s a G-shock, so heck, go big!