The G-Shock watch is a staple in the time-keeping industry. Ever since it was introduced 30 years ago, it has earned a reputation as a durable, all-purpose watch for nearly any situation. In the old days, you could buy any watch with this name and it meant you were buying the best G-shock watch available.  

But things have changed.  Now there are so many options out there you can easily spend way too much money on junk. To find the best G-Shock watch, you need to spend hours and hours researching all the different options. And that’s exactly what we did. 

We applied our rigorous testing methodology to G-Shock watches and have determined the GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch to be the best G-Shock watch available on the market. It’s loaded with features such as a compass, thermometer, and barometer, and it also has atomic timekeeping, a solar powered battery and is resistant to shock, water and scratches. 

If you want a watch that is full of features, will last forever, looks great and doesn’t cost a fortune, check the latest price and get the GW-1CR Master of G Digital Quartz Black Solar Watch.

Why You Should Trust Us

As outdoors enthusiasts, we know how important having a reliable watch can be.

For example, when I was hiking in the Grand Canyon, it was extremely hot. I needed to keep a close eye on the time to avoid heat exhaustion or dehydration.  There were parts of the trail that were impossible to hike in the sun.  If I couldn’t make it before a certain time, I needed to stop and wait for the next day. Not doing so would have put me at serious risk of dehydration or heat exhaustion.

This is serious stuff, so we take it seriously. We aren’t going to recommend just any old watch. We recommend only the best, the stuff we would use.

But you don’t just need to take our word for it. To make sure we are recommending the best, we’ve spent hundreds of hours reading reviews, examining specifications and testing out those that met our criteria to find the best G-shock watch available on the market.

Why Use a G-Shock Watch

Because they are the best. There’s not much more to it. G-Shock is a brand made by Japanese watchmaker Casio, and it is impossible to beat it in terms of quality and durability.

G-Shock watches hit the market in 1983 when an engineer working at Casio decided to make a watch resistant to shock, water, and scratches. The idea was to make something that could last at least ten years.

What sets G-Shock watch apart from the competition is that the quartz timekeeping module is protected by 10 different layers, including a stainless steel case, a urethane rubber bumper, and a hardened mineral glass watch crystal.

Also, the timekeeping device “floats” in a foam cradle, making it even more resistant to shocks.

All of this protection means the watch can also be submerged into around 200m  (600ft) of water and survive being dropped from 10 meters (approximately 30 ft.)

Many G-Shock watches also come with a whole host of other features, such as a compass, thermometer, barometer (to measure pressure), alarms and much more.

With so many features and such a high level of quality, a G-Shock watch is ideal for virtually any outdoors situation. They can be a tad expensive, but you won’t have to buy another one until you want to, so it’s well worth it.

How We Conducted our Review: What Makes the Best G-Shock Watch

To try and weed through the various different options and find the best G-Shock watch, we carried out a detailed process combining thorough analysis and personal testing.

To trim the list down, we started by throwing out the options that had a history of bad reviews. Unfortunately, though, since G-Shock is such an awesome brand, there were very few of these. So, we set up a list of criteria and then went out and tossed out those that didn’t fit the bill. This got us to a much smaller list, and we tested these remaining few ourselves to try out things such as fit and feel.

Here are the criteria we used to trim down the list and find the best air rifle:

Digital vs. Analog

One of the first decisions you need to make when choosing a watch is if you want digital or analog. In the end, this is something that depends largely on what you like. There isn’t too much difference.

However, if you are unsure, we would recommend digital. This is largely because no clock hands means fewer parts to break. G-Shock watches are famously strong, but this doesn’t mean they are completely indestructible. Using a digital watch gives you just one small extra point in terms of durability.

Some people consider it easier to read a digital watch, and they are also considered to be more exact since you can get the time down to the second. Using an analog watch only requires a small adjustment, but this little difference is something to keep in mind.

Battery Type

The way your watch gets its power is a critical factor in deciding which one to buy. Traditional watches use small batteries placed in the back that will run out and need to be replaced after several months.

Nowadays, most G-Shock watches are solar powered. Your watch will be constantly receiving solar energy and recharging so that it runs all the time. Solar powered watches can last years and years.

Casio has developed a more advanced version of this, known as Tough Solar, which can make use of even the weakest sun rays. Not all G-Shock watches use this technology, but we consider it to be a feature well worth paying for as it ensures you will never be without your watch.

Atomic Timekeeping

The most important thing you want your watch to do is to be accurate. You don’t want to have any doubt in your mind it is telling the right time.

To solve this, many G-Shock watches come with a special feature known as atomic timekeeping. These watches come equipped with a small radio transmitter that receives a signal every twenty-four hours from a centralized source, allowing it to autocorrect each day, ensuring your watch is 100 percent accurate.

Traditionally, atomic timekeeping only worked in the region where you bought it. For example, the radio transmitter in the U.S. is in Fort Collins, Col., so if you are in Europe, this feature wouldn’t work. And if you bought your watch in Europe, it wouldn’t be able to pick up the Fort Collins signal.

However, manufacturers eventually realized it was silly to have different signals for different parts of the world, so they came up with something known as Multiband 6 Atomic Timekeeping.

This makes use of 6 different radio frequencies, two in Japan and one each in Fort Collins, China, the UK, and Germany. By using this technology, you can be sure your watch is perfectly accurate no matter where you are.

The one thing atomic timekeeping does not do, though, is adjust for time zone. These watches do not come with GPS tracking, yet, so they calibrate based on the time zone you set. However, if you travel, all you need to do is change the settings and you are good to go.

Special Features

The beauty of G-Shock watches, and the reason they are the best is that they are much more than watches.

Standard models come with a backlight, stopwatch, alarm clock, and world clock, to be able to keep track of multiple time zones.

More advanced models will include things such as a compass, barometer, and thermometer, and the most advanced models will include information about the tides or moon phases. There are also some versions specific to aviation that can measure wind and other relevant information.

The obvious thing to remember here is that the more features your watch has, the more expensive it will be. You’ll want to find a balance so that you can get a watch that performs above and beyond a traditional watch. But you probably don’t need some of the most advanced features. Getting them will cause you to spend more money than you probably need to.

For us, we draw the line at the compass, barometer, and thermometer. This information has come in handy in more than one situation. But the additional aviation-specific features are too much for us and not really worth the money. Of course, if you are a pilot, be our guest, but chances are these will be extras not worth the money.

Material

There isn’t too much to variation here, but it is worth mentioning. Most G-Shock watches are made of rubber, this is why they are so resistant to shock and water. However, there are some made of other materials, including some metal ones that are designed to have a more professional look.

Unless you are looking to wear your watch into work, stick with the rubber. It is more durable, easier to clean and often times more comfortable.

Testing Results

The first step in the testing process was to eliminate any option with less than three stars on Amazon.

However, there aren’t many of these, so the next step was to try an