CasiOak: The Casio G-Shock with mainstream appeal

Kikuo Ibe, the father of the Casio G-Shock, is not a watch collector. When this correspondent met him several years ago in Mumbai, he told me that he looks at watches as purely utilitarian objects and that he likes the watches he makes to have as many features as possible.

According to Ibe, the DW-5000C, the first G-Shock, looked the way it did because its design was largely dictated by functionality. That utilitarian philosophy — and rugged aesthetic — has held sway for over three decades at Casio.

Since its launch in 1983, Casio has sold over 100 million G-Shocks, and these include NASA-themed watches, solar G-Shocks, big Gs, and even bigger G-Shocks such as the Master of G range. While several adjectives have been used to describe the attributes and appeal of the nearly indestructible G-Shocks, ‘classy’ or ‘elegant’ has never been among them. Unless, of course, we are referring to the GA-2100 series.

Wide Appeal

Launched in mid-2019, the GA-2100 series — also known as the ‘CasiOak’ — has appealed to men of all kinds, from G-Shock geeks and watch enthusiasts to the average Joe who wants a tough but good-looking watch. Even this correspondent, who last wore a G-Shock over 15 years ago, has been tempted to pick up one, especially the all black GA 2100 1A1.

Thanks to its octagonal bezel, the G-Shock GA 2100 bears more than a passing resemblance to the legendary Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the first ever luxury sports watch (and hence, the nickname). But it’s not just a handsome watch. At 11.8mm, it is also the slimmest G-Shock produced by Casio, and at about Rs 7,000, it is also among the most affordable G-Shock models (and cheaper than the service cost of a luxury watch).

The relatively sleek form factor doesn’t mean that the watches in the GA2100 series are any less tough, or feature-packed than most other G-Shocks. According to Casio, these watches possess a Carbon Core Guard structure, which means the case is made of fine resin embedded with carbon fibre for extreme toughness and durability.

The high-strength resin material is also responsible to a large extent for the thinness of the case. The watches are water-resistant up to 200 metres and equipped with a number of features that most of us would never use. Some models also sport  Neo-Brite luminous hands.

Not surprisingly, the GA 2100 is mostly sold out on e-commerce sites as well as Casio India’s official store. Padmanav Chatterjee, though, was quick on the draw and has, over the last several months, picked up several iterations of the GA2100. The Delhi-based entrepreneur, by no means a G-Shock nerd, has a fine collection that features, among others, timepieces from Oris and Seiko as well as vintage HMTs and Enicars.

“I’ve also got some nice square G-Shocks, but the GA2100 has been a revelation. It’s got several positives, including affordability, but some things stand out — it works well for people with average-sized wrists, and though it also tells time digitally, it’s also keeping analogue alive,” says Chatterjee.

Earlier this month, I got to spend some time with a CasiOak, or, rather, a subtle evolution of the model. The fiery yellow GA2110 didn’t feel massive on my wrist; was, at 51 grams, pretty light; and, if it were not for its colour, I’d have probably worn it a lot more.

If you absolutely must have a G-Shock in your collection, you can’t go wrong with this one.