DW-5600SA-2JF

This a review of the Casio DW-5600SA-2JF. This is a collaboration model between Mr. Shin Okada and Casio. Mr. Shin Okada is a popular Japanese skateboarder. This watch is part of the Street Art Series issued in 2005. The other model is the DW-5600SA-9JF. As with most DW-5600, this also carries the Module 1545.

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

Size: 48.9 X 42.8 X 13.5 mm

Weight: 60 g

This watch is rendered in 2 shades of blue. The bezel is navy blue while the band is light blue. The body is made of resin. This 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', rendered in light blue. The wordings does stand out against the darker navy blue bezel.

The dial is different from the standard DW-5600E. The dial carries the motif of Mr. Okada doing a couple of stunts, a park bench and the skyline of a city. The basic background of the dial is white and the motif are rendered in navy blue and light blue. All the wordings are in grey. It is difficult to make out the wordings at a single glance.

The case back is typical of Casio in this price range. It is a stainless steel plate, held by 4 screws. The surface 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. Sadly, instead of a special logo in the center, the case back is adorned by the standard G-Shock logo. This watch is water resistant to 200 m or 20 bars.

The buttons are a pleasure to use, large, very tactile and very polished. Typical of module 1545, 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 back light on the watch is good.

The strap on the watch is plain. It does not have the typical depression along the center of the band like the DW-5600E. It is also does not have the 4 circular depression at the top of the band where it attaches to the case. It is wider as compared to the DW-5600E strap. It wears well and is very comfortable and 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.

The strap is adorned with the word 'SOAR'. It comes with 1 keeper and it is rendered in navy blue, like the bezel. There are no markings as to where the band is made. The only markings are '413, H2'.

The buckle is made in Japan and it is well made. It is polished and there are no rough edges. The etching/ engraving is one of the best I have seen. There is no raised portion where the buckle tang sits on the buckle.

I like the LCD on this watch. You can just see the motif of Mr. Okada on the LCD. The background of the LCD is silver in colour. 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.

When the EL back light is illuminated, we can see the motif of Mr. Okada clearly.

Overall, this is a pretty watch. The colour combination is very good. There are issues with the wordings on the dial but for the regular users or owners of Casio G-Shock, this is not a problem. It would have been nice if the case back had a better logo, but it does not distract this watch from being a great piece.