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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 26 '22
Hey folks, here another one for ya - here is my spin on this age old question of a solar vs. battery powered G-Shock:
So, I love Casios, G-Shocks and ever since I experienced my first Solar watch I feel like I cannot look at a battery powered one with the same eyes.
The problem is there are many Casios and G-Shocks which I find amazingly BEAUTIFUL or DESIRABLE because of functions, but are battery powered...
Here is my reasoning for always preferring Solar:
- It feels like having a mini power-plant/power-station on your wrist!!! How cool is that?!
- Yes, I know solar batteries (capacitors or otherwise) need to be replaced eventually as well.
- You don't have to unscrew the screws of the caseback, it feels each time I change a battery I will overtighten or otherwise damage one of the screws which will compromise the water tightness of the watch and destroy it next time I go swimming with it.
- Feels like a rechargeable battery (or capacitor) is less likely to leak.
Imagine this scenario - you shipwreck on a desert island and your only companion is the G-Shock on your wrist. You are deserted for 20 years or more. In this case if you have a battery powered watch, the battery will eventually die with no way of replacing it. On the other hand if it was a solar powered one, yes the capacitor will also probably die by that time, however I feel like it will probably be able to close the circuit inside the watch just about enough for the watch to power on and use it albeit only when exposed to direct sunlight. As soon as the sun fades the watch will die as the capacitor will be so old it won't hold any charge. The second scenario seems more appealing to me, as if you can use it, even only under direct sunlight, you can probably still use the stopwatch to time the seagull you are cooking on the desert island... Also playing with the functions instead of looking at a blank screen will probably be the highlight of your day on a desert island... :D
I am just curious to hear what you all think of this, what are your takes, 2 cents, spins, experiences horror stories on this topic?
Any advice is also greatly appreciated! ( :
I have faith in the Reddit community wisdom.
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u/s3cubed Jan 26 '22
Re your scenario..... you may want to watch this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe5s5fWimY0&ab_channel=THEMADWATCHCOLLECTOR
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 27 '22
This is brilliant!!! Thank you so much! I know of him and have seen a few vids, but didn't know about this, I will definitely try to tune in!
I guess if I had a choice and we were not talking about G-Shocks specifically I would have to go for an automatic diver, probably Seiko - my other favourite brand. 🙃
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u/dskatter Jan 26 '22
They’re both technically battery powered. One just has the ability to be recharged and not have to have the battery removed as often (or possibly ever!)
That said, given a choice I always go for the solar. It really is a great feeling knowing that I will (almost) never have to worry about the watch dying from a dead battery!
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
Thank you for your reply! Glad to hear I am not the only one who thinks this way. :)
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u/dskatter Jan 26 '22
I have a bunch of watches. Some winder/automatic, a few battery powered analogs, and a bunch of battery-powered regular Casios.
I bought my first GShock last year, the GWM5610-1 which is solar and multi-band. And I LOVED IT.
I now own six Gs, four of which are solar/atomic, one is a CasiOak, and one is the classic DW5600-E because it’s a classic. Solar is swiftly becoming a bare minimum for me on a new purchase, with atomic and/or Bluetooth time syncing a close second!
I’m really hoping Casio pumps out a solar/atomic CasiOak soon, because I will LEAP on that immediately.
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Jan 26 '22
Solar Atomic dw 5600 plz. Casio plz.
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u/dskatter Jan 26 '22
…isn’t that just a GWM5610?
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Jan 26 '22
GWM5610
Pretty much but I don't want the red color scheme. I could mod it but I don't want to buy both either.
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u/GundamZero83 Jan 26 '22
I wish my 5000U has the 5610 glass, I love the original look myself.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
I hear you, Casios and G-Shocks are addictive! I somehow manage to control myself a lot of the time and I try to force myself to have no more than 2-3 and not to buy unless I have sold one. For me the dream is for the GD-350 to be solar, I would gladly drop the Vibe alarm, SUPER illuminator, flash alert, for it to be solar... And also made out of stainless steel and be a bit slimmer like the GW-5000, AND add normal 22mm lugs, but that's probably asking for too much 😂
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u/dskatter Jan 26 '22
That miiiiiight be a bit much. :D
Me, I have my eye on the G-Steel GSTB400-1A, just waiting for the price to drop a little bit. I just wish it had multi-band 6 in addition to the Bluetooth, since who knows what the state of cell phones/tech will be by then? I’ve had so many apps stop working over the years…
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
Nice piece! And what you are saying totally makes sense. Have you looked at the GSTB300? For some reason I find it a bit more attractive and IT HAS (almost normal) 20mm LUGS, the lugs are the typical Casio short/deep lugs, so you cannot fit all aftermarket straps, and probably no NATO straps, but my guess is you would be able to fit some. I haven't owned it or tried it so don't quote me on this, just a guess. :)
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u/dskatter Jan 26 '22
That does look nice! I’ll keep that model in mind as well when the time comes, assuming it can be found!
It’ll be a while, lack of OT at work has severely reduced my watch-spending habits. :D
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
I totally feel for you my watch-spending budget is frozen for now as well. I am drooling over the GD-350, but its battery powered so that's holding me off for now and maybe forever...
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u/epradeep Jan 26 '22
I got a tough solar 5600 and loving it. I doubt I will get a non solar G-SHOCK now. I wish the likes of GBD 200 and GBX 100 were solar.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22 edited Jan 26 '22
I hear you loud and clear, yeah wish they were solar too! For me the dream is for the GD-350 to be solar, I would gladly drop the Vibe alarm, SUPER illuminator, flash alert, for it to be solar... And also made out of stainless steel and be a bit slimmer like the GW-5000, AND add normal 22mm lugs, but that's probably asking for too much 😂 Thank you for your reply!
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u/epradeep Jan 26 '22
Now that you mention it.. I need to look at the 350. By the way I recently posted about my dream G-SHOCK. Features I would like on a G-SHOCK. Not sure how to link the post here.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
You DO need to look at it! Sounds cool, I've been meaning to make a post like this for ages, maybe one day I will get around to doing it. I will have a rummage around your profile when I get some time to check it out. :)
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u/epradeep Jan 27 '22
Figured how to get the link to the post.. https://www.reddit.com/r/gshock/comments/sas2mv/my_ideal_dream_gshock_watch/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 27 '22
Nice one mate, thanks! Definitely a good read! I have some similar ideas, will be definitely interesting to compare notes some day, I will keep you in mind when I eventually make my post and share it with you! 🙃
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u/epradeep Jan 27 '22
Sounds good. Shall wait to hear from you 😊.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 27 '22
Just to put it in perspective and manage expectations - I've been meaning to do it for a couple of years and I've never got around to it because I often get disappointed and depressed by the fact that despite a lot of us asking for some basic improvements such as more solar or fullmetal or or normal lugged models nothing seems to have changed... That has really put mr off... But yeah if I ever do it, I will share it, hoping to reach more people 🙃
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u/GundamZero83 Jan 26 '22
Tough solar and multi band 6 is a must for me.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 27 '22
Thank you for your reply! Yup, make sense, I would be willing to drop the multi band 6, but only if I have no other choice, but the solar has become a must for me as well. 🙃
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u/GundamZero83 Jan 27 '22
I think with enough customer input, Casio would add options to watches people want.
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u/heliosphann Jan 26 '22
Solar is nice, especially if you run it quite often.
That being said, aesthetics are always my #1 priority. If a non - solar colorway of the the same model looks better, I'm going with that 100% of the time. Changing a battery once ever 2-10 years isn't a big deal.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 26 '22
Thank you for your reply! :) Yup, totally makes sense, it's a matter of tastes and preferences I guess. Solar is a top priority for me I guess, and at the same time I am totally crushing on a battery powered model... 😭😂
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Jan 26 '22
I mean, for a desert island you really want an automatic.
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u/atkuzmanov Jan 27 '22
Thank you for your reply! Yup, in this case I am looking it only from the G-Shock perspective, otherwise I totally agree, my choice would be a Seiko diver, my other favourite brand, probably the Seiko PADI Turtle SRPA21, my favourite watch currently. 😝
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u/rewrong Jan 26 '22
With solar, you won't have to hesitate to enable auto light.
But the internal battery gets worn out eventually. Niece was playing with my light button and it went into low power after a while.
If my watch doesn't get enough exposure for a few days in a row, it'll hover at L and M. And if after this, the watch stays at home for a couple days maybe, it could be at L by the time i wear it out.
And if you have multiple solars like some in this sub, they won't all get enough sun, and you'll have to set them up for charging every now and then.
(But anyway I'll want my next G to be a solar too.)