Master that gravity, baby!
Although your head might be swayed to the latest watches offered by the likes of Samsung and Apple, with black screens showing tweets, Facebook notifications and your hear rate, your sense of style probably hasn't. To us, a decent watch is still very much a finely crafted timepiece; one with hands that rotate around a face, not a screen. However, to match our taste in timepieces with our love of tech, we've been wearing the Casio G-Shock GPW-2000 Gravity Master Watch.
Right, ripping the plaster right off here at the start: this watch costs £800. Yep, almost a grand for something that tells you the time. But surely it does a lot more than that, right? Well, yes it does, but unlike it's admittedly 'smarter' rivals, the Casio G-Shock GPW-2000 Gravity Master Watch costs big bucks because of what it is made from and where it can be taken.
The main body of the watch it made from thick stainless steel that is, in parts, covered by resin shaping details. The glass is made from artificial sapphire which is tough and scratch-resistant, while the band features a carbon fibre core coated in resin to make it practically unsnapable. All that bulk comes at a price (other than the actual price mentioned above) as the Casio G-Shock GPW-2000 Gravity Master Watch weighs 120g, is 57mm wide, and 18mm thick. So this is not a small watch.
However, if you're used to larger watches, that won't be a concern at all, and despite the extra weight and bulk we soon got used to it and found it almost immediately comfortable to wear for long periods. There are plenty of holes in that strap, so you should find a tightness to suit your wrist without issue.
All four function buttons are easy to access with you other hand, and interestingly the crown screws into the body of the watch to keep it waterproof. On that note, the Casio G-Shock GPW-2000 Gravity Master Watch is water-sealed down to 200 metres. So yeah, you're fine in a downpour. Oh, and you never have to worry about charging it, or replacing the battery, as the watch is solar-powered. In fact, any light source will charge the device, not just the sun, so just be wearing it on a regular basis will keep it working.
The watch includes GPS hybrid wave reception, which means that no matter where it is on the planet, it will be able to update to the correct time. You can also use that same function to track your position as you move across the globe, with data like location and time appearing in the companion smartphone app. And how does it link to your phone? Easy, with the built-in Bluetooth.
Just like the cheaper, smaller Casio Edifice EQB-501 we reviewed earlier in the year, Bluetooth can be used to connect to the dedicated app; used both as a handy guide in how to operate the watch, and also to sync data collected by it. We found that using the app was the easiest way to set the likes of the alarm. As there are just four buttons on the watch itself, it can be easy to forget how many times you need to press what to make what work, so it is great the app is there.
For a tough, good-looking watch that will keep on working no matter where you take it, the Casio G-Shock GPW-2000 Gravity Master Watch is extremely impressive. The price and size might put many off, but if you're able to scoop one up, and don't mind the extra bulk on your wrist, we can see this keeping you on time and managed for many years to come, even if you're deep sea diver or polar explorer.
£800
Visit g-shock.co.uk