# To the guys who hate smart watches and to the ones who wear G-shocks



## vinayj009

Why do you prefer G-shocks?
as we could see smart watches as an evolution to electronic and functional watches like the T-Touch and they are much better and of more use and better looking than G-shocks and kind.


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## 88Keys

I'm sure you'll get some flak for this (they can be a tough audience here), but I think your post contains a valid question.

I was thinking something similar just last night. I have a G-Shock that is about seven years old now.










It's atomic and solar powered. Basically, I pulled it out of the box seven years ago, and haven't had to do a thing to it since. Of course, the best part is that it is always dead-on time to a few milliseconds. It also has some vaguely useful functions and some completely pointless (to me).

While looking at this watch last night, I glanced at my Apple Watch. The seconds hand was also dead-on. And, of course, the function set of the smart watch far exceeds that of the G-Shock. Given that both are electronic, and don't have that "soul" that is often referred to when discussing mechanical pieces, does this not detract somewhat from the value of fully electronic watches?

Of course, the whole thing about G-Shock is their ruggedness, and that's where they will still shine over a full-on smart watch, but I must admit there is a little part of me that sees less attraction to digital G-Shocks because of the encroachment of the smart watch.

That's just my opinion, and I will watch this thread with interest!


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## BarracksSi

Because a G-Shock, especially a solar-atomic one, is completely hands-off and maintenance-free. A smartwatch still needs occasional charging.

(speaking as another person who has both)


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## Fer Guzman

I've also had both and BarracksSi is correct. With a g-shock you just strap it on. Nothing will really damage it, it's always on time, the date is always correct and they are comfortable. However, after purchasing the Apple Watch, it is so useful, built with excellent quality, etc. that I've sold my g-shocks. I've only purchased one g-shock since the first apple watch was released. I tried the first bluetooth g-shock and it was useless, maybe the newer connected ones are better.

I don't think an apple watch is better looking than a G-Shock, say a GW-5000, I find them both to be equally ugly.


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## utzelu

With g-shock you get a tough watch with practically 0 maintenance. You can take it to the beach, mountains trekking, snow etc. without thinking about it. Plus the g-shocks have a Sci-Fi look. I wear mine normally with a sports outfit, during weekends and when going on the beach.


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## 41Mets

I just don't have a use for a smartwatch. I have my phone on me all the time, there really aren't many times when I couldn't use my phone when I otherwise would be poking around on my SmartWatch. As much as I love technology and love and I'm addicted to my smartphone, I just want a regular watch on my wrist.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


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## BarracksSi

41Mets said:


> I just don't have a use for a smartwatch. I have my phone on me all the time, there really aren't many times when I couldn't use my phone when I otherwise would be poking around on my SmartWatch. As much as I love technology and love and I'm addicted to my smartphone, I just want a regular watch on my wrist.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


So.... what about your G-Shock?


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## broadwayron

I wear G-Shocks for simplicity and ruggedness (and battery life for the Solar versions).

I actually started a thread looking for a band/case that would make an Apple Watch mimic one of my G-Shocks, but there weren't many replies. All the ones I've seen/read about seem to get crappy reviews for various reasons.


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## PrimeTime0099

I'm a big fan of automatic watches. I bought an apple watch back in May and have been wearing it daily and i can't figure out why. Something about the combination of how it fits well under a dress shirt and the fitness tracking I think. I'm hoping this is just a phase that I grow out of.


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## Scribeliever

Any smart watch will be obsolete in about 3 years. G-shocks are evergreen and just plain cool.


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## westywatch

"I just don't have a use for a smartwatch. I have my phone on me all the time, there really aren't many times when I couldn't use my phone when I otherwise would be poking around on my SmartWatch."

This. 

Once smart watches got popular, I thought about getting one. But the smart watch craze just ended up making it acceptable for me to wear a dorky Casio digital instead of my usual analog automatic.

A smartwatch has a lot of cool features. But many of those SW features only work if I still carry my phone. And most of those features are easier to use on my phone. Now if the smart watch let me do all those things when I didn't also have the phone, then a smart watch would be for me. 

If I don't have my phone, then the smart watch does not do anything much more than my g shock does. But the smart watch is less durable, less waterproof and more expensive. And the SW is yet one more thing I have to have cables for and remember to charge up. The g shock goes for years and years with zero maintenance.


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## Fer Guzman

westywatch said:


> "I just don't have a use for a smartwatch. I have my phone on me all the time, there really aren't many times when I couldn't use my phone when I otherwise would be poking around on my SmartWatch."
> 
> This.
> 
> Once smart watches got popular, I thought about getting one. But the smart watch craze just ended up making it acceptable for me to wear a dorky Casio digital instead of my usual analog automatic.
> 
> A smartwatch has a lot of cool features. But many of those SW features only work if I still carry my phone. And most of those features are easier to use on my phone. Now if the smart watch let me do all those things when I didn't also have the phone, then a smart watch would be for me.
> 
> If I don't have my phone, then the smart watch does not do anything much more than my g shock does. But the smart watch is less durable, less waterproof and more expensive. And the SW is yet one more thing I have to have cables for and remember to charge up. The g shock goes for years and years with zero maintenance.


A smart watch without cellphone does way more than a G-Shock. Heart rate monitor, texting and calling with WiFi, hearing music,
GPS. The new one will allow phone calls. And the cheapest iPhone is about the same price as a gw-5000.


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## thunderball man

Scribeliever is of course right. Smart watches may do more but as with any Apple product, how long do you think they'll support the Watches. Also the apps will require newer hardware eventually.

Having said that, I have the Seiko TV watch...analogue of course...and knew I'd never be able to use it in anger!


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## BarracksSi

thunderball man said:


> Scribeliever is of course right. Smart watches may do more but as with any Apple product, how long do you think they'll support the Watches. Also the apps will require newer hardware eventually.


As far as gadgets go, it's been a long time. The first-generation AW shipped in early 2015 and runs watchOS 4, which was released last week. Not sure what they'll add to watchOS 5, but I think the odds are pretty good that it'll run on the first-gen model, even if not all the newest features are supported.

Yeah, it's not as long as any regular wristwatch, but it's still longer than the other smartwatches who have came, disappeared, and remain without OS updates in the short time that the AW has been on the market.


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## wtma

Unlike a smartwatch that's dependent to its mobile phone to be fully functional, I like my watch to work on its own to serve its functions.
Sure a smartwatch may work independently if you're using it just as a time-telling device, but then a standard Casio will do the same for much cheaper - and better looking too 
This inter-connected devices concept just don't work with me, when it comes to watches.


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## Timegentlemenplease

PrimeTime0099 said:


> I'm a big fan of automatic watches. I bought an apple watch back in May and have been wearing it daily and i can't figure out why. Something about the combination of how it fits well under a dress shirt and the fitness tracking I think. I'm hoping this is just a phase that I grow out of.


You will  but it would have been worth it for the sheer joy you'll feel putting your old beater back on, like seeing an old mate. And the aw, consigned to the bedside draw.


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## BarracksSi

(remember, I have both; see my earlier reply, one of the first in this thread)

I got my AW in August 2015. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn my G-Shock since then.

So how long is this “phase” supposed to last?


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## Ron521

vinayj009 said:


> Why do you prefer G-shocks?
> as we could see smart watches as an evolution to electronic and functional watches like the T-Touch and they are much better and of more use and better looking than G-shocks and kind.


Adjectival phrases such as "much better", "of more use", and "better looking" are all subjective, not objective. Whether they are objectively true depends on exactly what you want to DO with the watch.

I doubt many smart watches will run even one month without charging their batteries, while plenty of G-Shocks and similar watches can run for years, if not decades on their original batteries even without solar technology.

Few smart watches will withstand 200 meter submersion.

Do you really think a smart watch is as impact resistant as a G-Shock?

Classic G-Shocks have good resale value. What will be the resale value of any given smart watch in 10 years? Will it have ANY resale value, or like an old computer, just be something to discard?

There is really no need to even discuss "better looking" since it has been recognized for centuries that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"....this applies to watches just as well as women, cars, architecture, clothing, etc.


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## utzelu

The only reason I still resist getting a smartwatch is that I like looking at the watch as an object and appreciate its design. Having a desk job gives me the opportunity to spent 20-30 seconds every now and then throughout the day just looking at the second hand sweeping, the digital face of the G-Shock, trying to discover new details on the case, dial, bracelet, etc. For me, this is the main reason I wear a watch and why I rotate the few watches I have.

With smartwatches, I wouldn't be able to do it since the screen is mostly off (some Android devices have an always on screen but with limited details) and comes on only when raising the hand, for few seconds. The cases are almost featureless, with no interesting details or finish and the screens lack the 3D depth of an analog watch. Even the G-Shocks have interesting designs.


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## LutFi

I prefer gshock (mine G-5600E1): it is tough, not worry when accidentally knocking against rough wall, simply wear it every day to 'charge' it's battery.
I hate smartwatch because it's battery lifetime is too short for my standard, I've tried Galaxy Gear, it feel soulless, even with tons of famous watch dial skin out there.


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## ds514

I have a few smart watches and a few G-shocks in an otherwise overgrown collection. I wear the smart watches less for 2 main reasons: (1) the face dims away when not in use, making it appear like a dead piece of metal or plastic, and (2) because I sometimes don't want to know every single notification that occurs. I tend to wear the the G-shocks for the cool factor mentioned above, and because they are somewhat irreverent, flying in the face of the desire for prestige that watches are frequently known for.


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## Snape315

I've got a new Casio PRG-650Y-1 on the way to replace a very old Casio Pathfinder (that still works just fine). I did seriously consider both the Casio Protrek Smart watch (WSD-F20-BK) and the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier. But going from a super tough, practically ZERO MAINTENANCE watch to one that requires frequent recharging and attention just isn't something I'm interested in right now.

But... if the next version of the Casio WSD-F20-BK adds the Tough Solar Charging...


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## peagreen

Watches with the 'flat tyre' don't even enter into consideration for me. Plenty of examples prove it isn't necessary.


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## xevious

I don't "hate" smart watches, but I've not seen an overwhelming need to have one. At least, not something like an Apple Watch, which is rather expensive for what it delivers.

As to the merits of one over the others, it's apples to oranges. Each of them have their place. I would NOT take an Apple Watch on a rugged adventure, but a G-Shock would certainly go along. I don't jog with a G-Shock. I use either a pedometer or other activity based watch. And an Apple Watch or equivalent from another brand would do the job.

I have gotten used to charging my phone about twice per week. It's only one device I have to worry about. I used to have a Bluetooth ear piece, but tossed it. Never got as good voice quality from it as with directly using the phone, and I couldn't be bothered with recharging the damned thing. I would *NOT* want to be bothered with charging an Apple Watch every 1~2 days. You have to take it off for that. Sure, it's easy to lay it on an induction charging surface... but about 4 times per week? 2.5 hours each time for a full charge? That's a real bother for me.

I would buy an Apple Watch *IF* it could accomplish the following:

Fully charge in 1 hour
Need recharging about 1 time per week
Designed for use with a protective bezel, with a range of colors, materials, and other variations.
Comfortable enough to sleep with
Cost $249

I recently picked up a slightly used vivoactive HR smart watch. The main reason for owning this is to have it strapped to my right wrist most of the time, for measuring things like heart rate, activity steps, and sleep. That's pretty much it. I had a vivofit2, which did this all somewhat OK... but then when I lost it, I went looking for a replacement. The vivoactive HR is discontinued and replaced by the vivosport. The vivosport is sized somewhere between the vivofit2 and vivoactive HR, while having about 80% of the vivoactive functionality. Trouble is, that screen is too small. So I went with the vivoactive HR. Bought a gently used one off eBay, complete with original box, no scratches on screen, etc., for the meager sum of $77 shipped.

The vivoactive HR requires recharging about every 7 days. If you use the GPS feature aggressively, it'll require more frequent charging. In fact, if you leave everything on the whole day, including GPS, heart rate, Bluetooth, etc., it'll last about as long as an Apple Watch. The vivoactive HR requires about 1.5 hours to fully charge. It's highly customizable. Here's just some of the possible clock faces you can install:



























[_Please forgive my crude images -- just took them rather quickly_]

So while I wasn't really looking to get a "smart watch", but more of an activity/health watch for collecting heart rate, sleep, and activity, I'm finding the other features offered are pretty cool. I didn't realize I had notifications turned on and while I was synchronizing my vivoactive HR, a text message appeared on it. Nice and easy to read, then dismiss. Didn't even have to pick up my phone. It can also display weather info, compass direction, altimeter... but I'll never really use that info because the smart watch is much more capable.

One really nice thing about the vivoactive HR is that it has a very strong vibration motor. I _really _feel it. It seems to be twice as strong as a CASIO GD-350. It has actually been able to wake me up! :-!

Now the dilemma... what happens to my other watches? Is my collection now invalidated? Well again, I wasn't looking for a dedicated smart watch. So the Garmin vivoactive goes on my right wrist, while my other watches take turns on my left wrist. But I have to say... I'm going to have to start pruning my collection a bit, as there's probably going to be many more that won't be getting wrist time.

Ideally, once the battery problem is solved where smart watches can go something like 30 days between charges, provide the feature set they have today but in a rugged case like a G-Shock, I think these older watches will worsen in obsolescence. The only real impetus to wear one will be nostalgia. Do you need to wear 2 watches at once? Not really. But, I'll be taking off my smart watch when I'm in the shower or doing a rugged activity that might damage it.


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## Aidy

I’ve nothing against smart watches but your all going to die from radiation and magnetism poisoning. Honest.


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## kramer5150

I have had a love/hate view of my moto 360 and Android Wear. It worked GREAT for 11 months, and I had no complaints at all. Then in March 2017 Android updated the OS to 2.0 and killed my watch so I could not receive text message notifications. So it just sat on my night stand from Mar 2017 to Nov 2017, where I used it as a clock. At some point in Nov 17', Android released another update to Android Wear and like magic... my watch is running fine again here in Dec 2017.

When it works Android Wear is great, when it fails it sucks. I expect better from a $350-400 consumer product. I pretty openly discourage people from buying any android wear watch. Even though mine presently works OK, that has not always been the case. _*When you buy an Android Wear watch the Borg mother ship can remotely kill it at any given moment, and theres nothing you can do about it.*_

In that ~8 month stretch I did buy a G-shock and a Sunnto clipper compass and love it!!... I have worn it on a dozen camp outs, trail hikes and backpacking trips. It just works.


















Android Wear on the other hand...
When it works its AWESOME!!... how else can I get a Hamilton Murph Khaki?









When it doesn't its garbage, or in my case a $350 night stand clock.


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## xevious

Aidy said:


> I've nothing against smart watches but your all going to die from radiation and magnetism poisoning. Honest.


Oh boy, sounds like you missed the debriefing. Microwaves don't poison you either. No radiation. Totally harmless. ;-)



kramer5150 said:


> I have had a love/hate view of my moto 360 and Android Wear. It worked GREAT for 11 months, and I had no complaints at all. Then in March 2017 Android updated the OS to 2.0 and killed my watch so I could not receive text message notifications. So it just sat on my night stand from Mar 2017 to Nov 2017, where I used it as a clock. At some point in Nov 17', Android released another update to Android Wear and like magic... my watch is running fine again here in Dec 2017.
> 
> When it works Android Wear is great, when it fails it sucks. I expect better from a $350-400 consumer product. I pretty openly discourage people from buying any android wear watch. Even though mine presently works OK, that has not always been the case. _*When you buy an Android Wear watch the Borg mother ship can remotely kill it at any given moment, and theres nothing you can do about it.*_
> 
> In that ~8 month stretch I did buy a G-shock and a Sunnto clipper compass and love it!!... I have worn it on a dozen camp outs, trail hikes and backpacking trips. It just works.


I hadn't heard of the Android Wear. Nice watch-like design. I like that Hamilton Khaki simulation. :-!

Isn't there any setting where you can configure the smart watch to update manually? That way you can wait on updates, if you're unsure about applying. Most devices have that kind of customization.


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## Aidy

xevious said:


> Oh boy, sounds like you missed the debriefing. Microwaves don't poison you either. No radiation. Totally harmless. ;-)
> 
> I hadn't heard of the Android Wear. Nice watch-like design. I like that Hamilton Khaki simulation. :-!
> 
> Isn't there any setting where you can configure the smart watch to update manually? That way you can wait on updates, if you're unsure about applying. Most devices have that kind of customization.


Sorry mate I should have put a smiley face after it,my jokes arnt great. I have heard they can give you genital warts though


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## kramer5150

xevious said:


> Oh boy, sounds like you missed the debriefing. Microwaves don't poison you either. No radiation. Totally harmless. ;-)
> 
> I hadn't heard of the Android Wear. Nice watch-like design. I like that Hamilton Khaki simulation. :-!
> 
> _*Isn't there any setting where you can configure the smart watch to update manually? *_ That way you can wait on updates, if you're unsure about applying. Most devices have that kind of customization.


Oh great point, yes there is a setting for that. I forgot about it. I just turned off the automatic updates. THANKS!! That works to a certain point, you can simply ignore the updates, but after a certain time android will force the update. At least thats what happened with with the 2.0 in March 2017 with my particular watch.

This thread is about smart-watch hate and G-shock love, but to be honest, there are things smart watches CAN do that G-shocks can't. Yeah the downloadable watch dials are one of the positives to smart watches. There are virtual horologists out there who are writing code for some very rare and un-obtainable watch designs.


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## PJR

The G-Shock is my travel watch. Solar, atomic and always ready to go at a moment's notice. Durable and inexpensive so that if it gets stolen, lost or left at airport security I don't particularly care. 

I don't hate smart watches but the need to charge them frequently is a significant obstacle. I do not want my watch running out of power at the wrong moment or have to carry a charger and be perpetually seeking a wall plug to keep it going. My G-Shock just needs to be left in the light to stay running. 

I am warming to smart watches however. Initially I thought they were a one-way ticket to Geekville but the Samsung G3 has piqued my interest.


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## SmashingHarlots

I wear both mechanical and Gshocks. Had a sony smartwatch 2, didn't work out for me as it's extremely buggy.
Been hearing good things about Samsung Gear S2 and I might just give that a try.


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## Smol5146

_*Because...

*_
I don't think you can take an Apple Watch, or any smartwatch really, out in harsh conditions like you can in a G-Shock.


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## utzelu

You can, with an aftermarket case and strap. It even makes it water resistant. I find the ability of morphing the apple watch from a dress watch to a rugged adventure watch very appealing and something missing from the mechanical watches.



Smol5146 said:


> _*Because...
> 
> *_
> I don't think you can take an Apple Watch, or any smartwatch really, out in harsh conditions like you can in a G-Shock.


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