My core watches have been or are turning out to be relatively affordable, fun, and largely Japanese (though the Nuage employs a Swiss quartz engine).

Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI always expect to pay VAT and charges on purchases from the EU now. The wide variety of colors available is akin to painting a tank — it still drives and operates like a tank. But the biggest change, the streamlined flow of the modes and the display of current time in all modes, is really great. Whether you're an adventurer, an athlete, or simply someone who appreciates cutting-edge technology and design, this G-Shock model has you covered. The GW-M5610BC-1JF is a solar and Multi-Band-6-powered GW-M5610 with a composite metal and resin band.One question, though – what does one do if/when the the solar cells stop working at some point in th future?

I laughed when I read your line above, "Overall, it's kind of a frivolous upgrade to the "U", I admit. I think the matte black plastic legitimizes the all-tool appearance of a square, but a clear bezel (all the resin options are transparent for some reason) makes it look like a cheap fashion watch, taking away the tough-looking appeal of the watch. The GW-5000U-1ER, GW-M5610U-1ER, and GW-M5610U-1BER were also released in Europe, and the G-5600UE-1JF (without Multi-Band 6) was released throughout Asia (as the G-5600UE-1). but it’s an even more important feature since G-Shock made the GW-5000U-1JF available to the European market last year, branded as GW-5000U-1ER. Connecting to a phone for accuracy seems a lot less cool and much closer to home than receiving a faint atomic time signal broadcast across a continent.

That’s why it was a Japan-only model for so long, but there was a lot of demand for it outside of Japan. Overall GW-5000U-1JF Multiband 6 with DLC is a timepiece that exemplifies the G-Shock ethos of toughness and innovation. S. will get the new GW-M5610U version at some point, but considering there is probably a large amount of GWM5610-1 watches still available, it could be a while before that happens. There are a number of G-shock watches that Casio produces for sale only to the Japanese domestic market (JDM). But for some reason, I was never all that keen on the Bluetooth connectivity that the metal models come with.

Pursuing further toughness while inheriting the DNA of the first G-SHOCK model (DW5000) the GW5000U-1 is constructed with a solid metal case and a screw back.

I think that's maybe a facet of fashion and being accustomed to having a chunkier watch on my wrist, but it still takes a moment to acclimate to a more compact watch. We welcome all manufacturers including Casio G-Shock, OMEGA, Rolex, Breitling, Rolex and Tudor, Seiko, Grand Seiko and others. The new “U” editions have the same designs but with an LED light (versus the old EL backlight) and a new module offering enhanced functions, such as adjustable light afterglow, time display in stopwatch and timer mode, timer settable in seconds, adjustable date format and language, and more. The square design (in parallel with the rounded 6900) is tried and tested over years of real-world hard usage by military, law enforcement, intelligence, outdoorsmen etc.