As they used to say on Monty Python, "And now for something completely different!"
I will freely admit that until a few months ago, I was totally anti-G-Shocks. Firstly they're quartz (and it's been a long time since I had a quartz watch in my collection), and secondly I assumed they were nothing more than a rehash of the cheap plastic watches I had as a kid. The idea of me owning one was totally alien to me.
Then a few months ago I was due to be travelling for a couple of weeks with work across different timezones, and also holidaying in yet another timezone, so I started wondering which watch to take with me. My Navi World could've been the obvious choice as it's currently my only GMT, but I really didn't want to take an expensive watch through several airports (and their scanners), or into situations where I'd have to leave it somewhere if I went for a swim, or where I would need to be careful with it in unfamiliar cities. No, I needed a cheap, robust GMT/World Time watch that I wouldn't have to remotely worry about. With this criteria in mind, slowly but surely the idea of buying a G-Shock marched steadily into my brain. So after a quick poll on here I ended up buying a GW-7900....... which after a week turned out to be too difficult to read at a glance in anything but perfect light conditions due to it's negative display, and it was just to big and clumsy looking on my wrist. So a quick sale later, and along came a GW-9000 Mudman, which I took on my travels....... and I must be honest but it performed absolutely superbly! Suddenly I was something of a convert!
So after this success, I started doing what I always do when I find something I'm interested in : I voraciously read about the subject from any and every source I can find. And it wasn't long before I came across the asymetrically designed G-Shock Frogman models, and I was truly startled by some of the prices. The Mudman I own cost me £60 from an on-line dealer : the cheapest Frogman model I found was £225 - more than 4 times as expensive. At the top-end, some Frogman models I found were nearer £800, and some limited edition models I've seen for £3000!
Yep, you read that right - £3000 for a G-Shock! Crazy prices.....
After a bit more reading it turns out that the £600+ models are nothing more than limited edition or hard to come by versions, which usually amounts to no more than different coloured resin, or different coloured wording on the dial : all
entirely cosmetic variations, meaning that the cost is driven up purely by collectors who want rare colour variants. It's a very odd situation - it's like a black dial Navi World costing 4 times as much as a silver dial version.
So, fully armed with this information I decided it was time to take the plunge and order a Froggie for myself - certainly not one of the stupidly priced LE's, but a more readily available and reasonably priced GF-8250. And here it is -
Yes yes, I know, it's yellow(!), but I wanted something a little different, and besides you can pick up black resin to replace the yellow very cheaply. It's also quite a "professional" diver's colour in the flesh, so while I certainly don't expect it to be everyone's cup of tea, I actually really like it.
The first thing to realise about the Frogman models compared to ordinary G-Shocks is that they have a full steel case with a screw-caseback. This is what they look like "naked" -
(I lifted this picture from the net, so apologies to the owner of this shot - hope you don't mind)
The steel case makes them considerably heavier than all other G-Shocks as the cheaper "ordinary" models that use a composite fiberglass/resin type of material for their inner case. The reason the Frogman uses a steel case (and titanium on older versions) under the resin is because the Frogman is actually a
professional diver's watch that is certified to 200m under ISO 6425. This ISO certification means that the stated 200m is a real world value, not the more usual "static water pressure" rating we usually see on watches that is often so prone to different interpretation. In other words, this watch
will operate at 200m below the surface, end of story. Check out the videos on the G-Shock website and you will see one of these Frogmen strapped onto a weighted sled with a depth gauge next to it and dropped down to around 230m or so in the open ocean. It's quite cool to see.
The steel case and the ISO 6425 rating is primarily where the extra money goes, and is therefore the main reason why the Frogman is so much more expensive than other models. To be certified under ISO 6425,
every single watch in a batch is tested - not just a spot check on one or two that happens with lesser water resistance tests. Additionally the watch has to be tested
in water to 125% of the rated value - hence very single Frogman ever made is physically tested to a depth of 250m. Some of the tests are also very time consuming - 50 hours for some of them. All of this means time and effort, and hence cost......., which is passed on to the consumer by way of a more expensive product. Additionally, as a result of this time consuming and costly testing, Casio don't make too many of these models which makes them relatively rare - which again allows them to charge more for them, and keeps demand high, which is the final (but minor) part of the cost equation.
The GF-8250 I have is Tough Solar (which means it's solar powered and on a full charge it can be stored in the dark for up to a year and still function), but it does not have Atomic timekeeping - however it keeps time to approx 5 seconds per month which is fine by me. It has a polished stainless steel case under the resin, which certainly lends a more classy feeling to the watch compared to most G's -
It also feature a Casio
in-house module (Casio don't call them movements as they have no moving parts, but they are all built entirely in-house) which features a tide graph, moon phase, world time/GMT, stop-watch, plus a bespoke dive timer, perpetual calendar till 2099, and the usual selection of alarms. As usual with G-Shocks, the module is protected by all the usual G-Shock shock-protection technology with urethane shock absorbers inside the steel case which effectively meaning the module "floats" in the case. The crystal is a toughened mineral glass that is definitely thicker and more robust than the usual G-Shocks. They use mineral glass for two, maybe three, reasons - firstly mineral glass is much less brittle than sapphire and therefore less likely to shatter in an impact (which is always Casio's "big thing" when it comes to G-Shocks). The trade-off is obviously less scratch resistance, but the crystal is recessed a good 5mm below the outer resin, so scratches should (I hope!) be rare. Secondly, non-AR coated mineral is less reflective than non-AR coated sapphire, meaning better legibility underwater. And the third possible reason is one of cost as sapphire is more expensive than mineral glass, although to be honest I personally believe that Casio use mineral due to the benefits outlined above, considering that the Frogman is very much a "no expense spared" model. The Frogman models are also only produced in Japan, whereas production of all other models these days takes place in Thailand. And lastly, the resin used in the Frogman models is possibly of a slightly higher and more flexible quality compared to the standard models as well.
After my success with the GF-8250, I kind of "got" the whole Frogman thing, so I really wanted an Atomic version as well. (The Atomic models synch with the Atomic clock via 6 transmitters around the world, ensuring that the watch is never wrong). Enter the GWF-1000 for a not insubstantial price of £385.... and that was very much the best on-line price I could find. (Retail on the GWF-1000 is in the region of £500 to £600 I believe in the UK
).
The GWF-1000 is the very latest Frogman - it's a Diver's Watch ISO 6425 certified to 200m, Tough Solar again, but this time also with Atomic timekeeping. In other respects the watch and the module itself is pretty similar in terms of construction and function to that in the GF-8250 albeit with a slightly larger display and a more modular construction to the outer resin, but the steel case is now DLC coated for even better corrosion resistance. It no secret I'm no fan of surface coatings, but on the GWF-1000, the DLC is pretty much hidden by the resin on the front of the watch, and the caseback is always protected from damage against the wrist. I must say however, that the DLC steel work on this watch is very nicely done.
Just a word of warning though - while the GF-8250 is a large watch, the GWF-1000 is
HUGE. It's right at the limit of what I am comfortable wearing from a visual perspective. As you can tell from the wrist shot by the length of the strap, it's very much designed to be worn with a wetsuit, although if you have wrists at least as big as mine (7.75") the you should be fine. In terms of physical comfort it's superb, but it's still a very big angular watch. That said, it's no bigger than an SA, and I really love it.
All in all, I can safely say that they are definitely worth the additional premium provided you don't pay retail, and obviously steer clear of the stupidly over-priced LE versions. Both these Frogman represent the absolute maximum I would be prepared to spend on a quartz watch as they do everything I want from that type of timepiece - they're rugged, super tough, have no moving parts to be damaged, they're technologically at the cutting-edge, very nicely built, have in-house movements(!
), and don't cost the earth. Sure, they're never EVER going to be a replacement for a good mechanical watch on my wrist, but for what they are, they are superb IMHO.
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