REVIEW – Keep in mind as you read this review that I have been a fan of Casio G-Shock watches for as long as I can remember. I got my first G-Shock in high school one day when a couple of friends and I skipped school to go to a huge mall an hour away from where we lived. Don’t worry. We got caught and had to make up all the work in detention, but I got to keep the watch! I love G-Shock watches. I watch YouTube videos and read reviews on new ones as they come out. So when I got the chance to review one for myself, I could not email fast enough to throw my hat in the ring. And the GA2100HDS-7A did not disappoint.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $110
Where to buy: Casio
What is it?
The Casio GA2100HDS-7A G-Shock is a digital/analog all white version of the Casioak (more on that later) line of watches with blue and silver accents.
What’s included?
- Casio GA2100HDS-7A G-Shock watch
- User Manual
- Warranty card
Tech specs
* Weight: 51g
* Carbon / Bio-based resin
* Shock Resistant Carbon Core Guard structure
* 200-meter water resistance
* Approx. battery life: 3 years on SR726W X 2
* Mineral Glass
* Neobrite face
* Band size: 145 to 215 mm
* World time 31 time zones (48 cities + coordinated universal time), daylight saving on/off
* Countdown timer Measuring unit: 1 second Countdown range: 24 hours Countdown start time setting range: 1 second to 24 hours (1-second increments, 1-minute increments and 1-hour increments)
* Double LED light LED light for the face (Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow) LED backlight for the digital display (Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow)
* Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)
* Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month
* 1/100-second stopwatch Measuring capacity: 00’00”00~59’59”99 (for the first 60 minutes) 1:00’00~23:59’59 (after 60 minutes) Measuring unit: 1/100 second (for the first 60 minutes) 1 second (after 60 minutes) Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time, 1st-2nd place times
* 5 daily alarms
* Hourly time signal
* LED: White
* Button operation tone on/off
* 12/24-hour format
* Hand shift feature (Hands move out of the way to provide an unobstructed view of digital display contents.)
* Regular timekeeping: Analog: 2 hands (hour, minute (hand moves every 20 seconds)), 1 dial (day) Digital: Hour, minute, second, pm, month, date
Design and features
I have always been a fan of all thing all white. I used to only exclusively buy all white shoes. I also have always leaned toward white watches to being with. I opted for the titanium Apple Watch with the white band. I had a white Timex Expedition. And I also have an all white Luminox. I just like the clean look. And this watch is just so clean!
Because of the stark white color the watch does acquire marks quite easily. I realize it’s because I’m wearing it right up against a bracelet with metal beads on it, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that someone is going to do just that. To be clear, I don’t think this is a bad thing. I like my watches to show wear. To show they are used and loved. But if you don’t care for that wear and tear, just keep it in mind. This model will show that love more than some of the darker colors of the 2100 series.
I think I also have to mention the co-branding they have going on with these hidden glow series watches and the new Fantastic Four movie out now. If you go to the company page, there is not a single mention of the movie, yet they have made some short promotional videos and posted them directly to the Casio UK YouTube channel. I don’t actually think these were designed with the movie in mind. I think after they were produced someone saw how well they fit the ascetic of the movie and decided to do a last minute partnership. But that is pure speculation. Either way, it works brilliantly. The stark white with ever-so-slight blue accents works perfectly.
Oh and the silver hour markers are a nice touch (Silver Surfer??).
The “glow” is amazing. It doesn’t last forever and needs to be charged, but mine was glowing for a decent amount of time after just being out in the sun for a couple of hours. I realize my iPhone is doing some mojo processing of the dark photo I took, but its not far off what you can see in a completely dark room. You do have to “charge” it up, as I mentioned, with natural light, but a flashlight will do the trick as well.
And then there is the octagonal design of the case here. The 2100 series is only a toddler of a watch having only just debuted in 2019, and is unofficially referred to as the Casioak because the design closely resembles that of the Royal Oak watch by Audemars Piguet. Those are hard to find under $40,000. With some getting as high as $200,000.
However, this watch does have its downsides. I know this is personal preference, but I tend to hate the feel of G-Shock bands. I don’t find them comfortable at all. But I’m going to tough it out for the sake of the review. I have a feeling I will be replacing the bands once it’s over.
P.S. I actually get quite used to the standard band. I had to push through it for the first 3 or 4 days, but it really isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Which is a great thing because replacing the bands on G-Shocks is such a pain!
I don’t care for the band connection on any G-Shocks. The pins themselves are very small. On this one, it’s 16mm. But the way the bands are designed, the band extends past the pins on both sides. This does look better if you are using the bands they come with, but makes it almost impossible to get third party bands without some sort of adapter. There are a couple of companies that make adapters. Jays and Kays on eBay make adapters that work well. I would just prefer not to have to use adapters at all, but it is a must if you want to use any third party straps.
The buttons are very well inset into the case. Even wearing a bracelet on the same wrist, I have had no issue with accidentally pressing any of them. I can not say the same for many smartwatches I have tried over the years.
The analogue part comes from the LCD display between the 3 and 6 hour markers. It is also a positive display which I prefer to a negative display. Negative displays can be quite hard to read at certain angles (at many angles actually).
Performance
Setting the date and time and all the other bits and bobs is pretty straightforward. Just do yourself a favor; don’t read through the manual. They are very technical. If you prefer that, then enjoy. But for everyone else, I would suggest searching for a setup video on YouTube. It is so much easier to watch through and pause where needed to set everything up. And there are dozens of them for any and all G-Shock watches.
The timer function is great. You can adjust it from 1 second to 24 hours. Though it is a bit fiddly to adjust with the buttons. It will remember the last timer set though, so I like to leave it at the one that I use the most. That being a 16 hour timer for fasting. So as soon as I’m done eating dinner, I press the start button, and the next day it lets me know when I can eat. When a timer is done, it beeps for 10 seconds and then stops on its own.
I normally don’t sleep in a watch but just for grins I slept with this GA2100 on and had no issues whatsoever. Everyone is going to be different here so your mileage may vary, but I thought it was comfortable enough. It’s big, but not so big that it gets in the way.
As far as water resistance goes it’s covered for most anything you want to do while wearing it. I wore it in the shower, while swimming in a pool, and as it happened on the ocean while on vacation, and have had no issues. I realize that is not the most rigorous testing, but I am approaching this as I do all my reviews, from the viewpoint of the average user. I’m not a Navy SEAL nor a professional orienteer. I’m a desk working dad that likes to workout and read. And this thing gets the job done superbly.
As for connections, well, it has none. But that’s ok. I don’t need everything to connect to my phone, but Bluetooth would have been nice on this model. Not necessarily so, I can get all my notifications on my wrist, but to set time and timers and alarms.
And tough solar would have been great as well. However, I’m assuming if this one had solar, it would have eliminated the phosphorescent glow on the face, which is where the solar cells sit. And that glow is kind of the whole point of this model.
Final thoughts
G-Shocks are such a staple that there is not a lot to say. They have their different models and you either like them or you don’t when it comes to the design. I absolutely love the GA2100HDS-7A. The white Casioak is such a classic look. If you are a fan of G-Shocks and white watches, you really can’t go wrong here.
What I like about the Casio GA2100HDS-7A G-Shock watch
- Rugged build (as are all G-Shocks)
- Design (white Casioak with blue and silver accents)
- Glow face
- Multiple functions
- Wear-anywhere water resistance
What needs to be improved?
- Switch to standard band connections
- Bluetooth inclusion
Price: $110.00
Where to buy: Casio and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Casio. Casio did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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I’m more impressed by your cool bracelet.
Ha! Thanks. I wish I could tell you where it came from, but I think it was one I found on a vacation a lifetime ago.