DW-5600E-1V

This a small review of my daily beater, the Casio G-Shock DW-5600E-1V. This watch, to me is the bread and butter model for Casio. It was first released in 1996 and is based on the popular DW-5600C-1 (the Speed model, but more on this watch in a later review) and it's predecessor the DW-5200C-1. This watch is cheap and offers great value for money.

Basic Specifications:

Module 1545

Timekeeping Mode: Hour, minutes, seconds, am/ pm, month, date, day of week (time display switchable between 12-hour and 24-hour format)

Calendar System: Auto-calendar from 1995 to 2039

Alarm Mode: Multi-function alarm, hourly time signal

Countdown Alarm Mode (Timer): measuring unit: 1 second, input range: 1 second to 24 hours, auto repeat and repeat function

Stopwatch Mode: measuring unit: 1/100 seconds (first 60 minutes), 1 second (after 60 minutes), measuring capacity: 23 hours 59 minutes 59.99 seconds, measuring modes: elapsed time, split time and two finishes

Dimensions: 43 mm X 49 mm, height: 13.5 mm

This watch is not small, but it does not look as big as its dimensions suggest. It is very light as the case is made from resin, unlike its predecessor which had stainless steel body and a screw down case back. The resin body is tough and is further protected by a rubber case. This rubber case has raised ridges at the top and bottom of the LCD display and this helps to protect the mineral glass used on the case. On the ridges are the wordings 'PROTECTION' and 'G-SHOCK'.

The case back is typical Casio. It is a stainless steel plate held by 4 screws at the 4 corners. The plate is matte, with vertical brushing. This watch is Made in Thailand (Thailand Y). The normal Casio marking are present at the case back, i.e. module number, model number, water resistant, made in data, the G-Shock logo in the center. This watch is water resistant to 200 m or 20 bars.

The buttons are a pleasure to use, large and very tactile. As with most Casio, there is a confirmation 'beep' when the mode button is selected. The watch will cycle through time display, alarm, countdown alarm, stopwatch and back to time display. The 'beep' for the return to time display is different (not much) from the 'beep' when cycling through the functions. This helps the user in that the user knows when he is back to the normal time display. Additionally, the watch reverts to normal time display when the mode button is selected once an operation has been selected, regardless of mode. What this means is if you have adjusted the alarm in the alarm mode, when you select the mode button, you return to normal time display instead of having to cycle through the entire function modes. The current time is displayed in all modes except alarm.

As with most Casio, the adjust button is recessed to prevent accidental selection. The backlight on the watch is good if not great.

The strap on the watch is supple yet strong. It wears well and is very comfortable. It is made of rubber. It has the non-slip ridges on the inside of the strap along the edges. This ridges also help to keep the the strap cool when worn. It comes with 1 keeper but it is broad enough. There are no markings as to where it is made. The only markings are '444, F4, 16'. I figure the last number, 16, indicates the lug size (16 mm).

The buckle is made in Indonesia and it is well made. It is polished and there are no rough edges. Casio QC can be observed throughout the watch. There is raised portion where the buckle tang sits on the buckle.

I like the LCD on this watch but I don't love it. I feel it would look better and the display could be clearer if Casio had opted not to have the 'crystal' effect as the back ground on this watch. The top of the display shows the day, month and date. The lower portion shows the time, either in 12-hour mode (with a 'PM' for afternoon) or 24-hour mode (with 24H indication). In other modes, except alarm mode, the time display will appear in the 'month-date' window.

As I said earlier in the review, this is my daily beater. I wear this watch almost everywhere and it is one tough watch. The picture below shows the watch after spending a day clearing weeds in freezing water at a local wetland. It is a very comfortable and light watch and you tend to forget it is there. I prefer to have some heft in my watch and would like it if the watch had a screw back.

Overall, the watch delivers and offers great value for money.