Hands on: G-SHOCK GA-B2100 Series

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The Casioak gets Solar Tough

Since its first release, the GA-2100 series of G-SHOCKs have carved out somewhat of a niche in the G-SHOCK line due to their rugged design but very wearable size. Now available in a raft of colours, it’s fair to say the GA-2100 line or “Casioak”, as it’s come to be known by its fans, has well and truly cemented itself as one of the most popular watches from the brand.

If you haven’t already and want to learn more about the 2100 series watches, the original resin model and the newest steel version are reviewed here ( insert links). This latest incarnation of the 2100 series, the GA-B2100, builds on the previous success but adds features that I think make the watch an even more valuable and functional proposition.

All the essential functions that made the original a handy and functional watch remain:

• 200 Metres water resistant

• Up to 5 different daily alarms 

• Auto calendar- once set, this remains accurate 

• Carbon Core Guard Structure

• Countdown timer

• Date and weekday display

• Shock resistant 

• Stopwatch function 

• World time functions across 300 cities worldwide 

• Backlighting of the digital display 

The new GA-B2100 series of watches now add two key features that I personally find to be beneficial they are the new Solar Tough and Bluetooth connectivity functions. 

Both of these add new benefits to an already feature-packed watch. The Solar Tough is something that makes this an even more travel-worthy watch, offering a watch that can now charge itself from any light source and, even when in a draw or backpack in complete darkness, can go into a low power mode and remain ready for approximately 18 months. 

The power indicator now replaces the lower half of the half-moon dial display on the half-moon shaped section on the left-hand side of the dial. This shows when the watch holds either a high, medium or low charge. In use, the Solar Tough has been very efficient, with only short periods on the wrist quickly giving me a full charge. This also means the overall dial finish is slightly different as it has to allow the light to pass through to the solar cell. This means the dial now has a sheen or almost sunburst effect instead of the previous flat colour or brushed metal look of the steel models. I personally like this finish as it adds even more depth to an already very sharp looking dial. 

The second feature added is Bluetooth connectivity. This is limited to critical functions of the watch, so this isn’t the watch for you if you're looking for an extensive function list like heart rate monitoring or the like. Still, it does make setting up the watch and changing things like alarms and display features a much easier task. It also means keeping the time accurate is very easy. A simple hold press will connect the watch to your Bluetooth enabled and paired phone and ensure the time is synced. Want to adjust how long the backlight is on when the button is pressed? You can do that, too or change the display to show the date in your preferred format? You can do that too. It also has a find my phone option where if you have the watch permanently connected, pressing a button will make your phone beep. This has a limited range, but I can imagine it could be helpful in some situations.

All these functions are controlled through the Casio Watches App, available on Android and IOS at no cost. As a package, this makes the watch quite the compelling offering from G-SHOCK when you consider this Solar and Bluetooth-equipped version is only £29 more expensive than the original GA-2100 series models!

So, in conclusion, this isn’t a revolutionary watch from G-SHOCK in their series but more of an evolution. The original was and still is a very good watch. With these new features, I think they have made a great watch even better! Both are features I think add nicely to the functionality and usability in a good way and make the watch even more appealing. 

Available in a raft of colour options already, if you have the original and want an upgrade, this is definitely a worthy one. If you haven’t already tried a watch from the 2100 series, then this is definitely the one I would recommend! 

You can read about the original GA-2100 here

And the steel GM-2100 here