Military grade? Not sure. But definitely looks sturdy AF. Photo: Casio
I think the biggest compliment to be made about any surf watch is you don’t notice it. Bare with me. Unlike flashy diamond encrusted dinner plates with multiple analog swiss movements (not a real thing, I don’t think), surf watches are all about utility.
In the water, whether you choose to strap your watch on over or under your suit – I’m an under guy myself – you want your watch to reliably tell you the time, and maybe a few additional morsels of useful info. Tide is a plus. And if you surf in contests, maybe a timer or a stop watch.
Beyond that, I want my watch to be the last thing I think about in the water. Because, if it’s on my mind, I’m probably in a state of discomfort, or it’s no longer giving me the information I depend on for peace of mind – to know that I still have a few more minutes to sneak another wave before immersing myself, yet again, in the monotony of the rat race.
Oohh. The colors. Photo: Casio
When I first put on the Casio G-Shock G-LIDE GAX-100A, it hit all the toe marks. Comfortable. And a display with useful information. Time (both analog and digital). Day of the week. Temperature. And if you’re curious, a little diagram of what the moon is up to. The watch was easy enough to set – an aspect I typically assess based on whether or not I need to pull out the user’s manual. I didn’t. And aesthetically the thing looks like it came fresh out of infantry school. Military grade? I’m not sure. But it looks like it could take a bullet, that’s for sure.
Next, and this is probably most important, I took it for a surf. The first thing I noticed was when I put my arms through my long sleeve wetsuit top, the watch didn’t catch. The old one I owned (made by someone else, mind you) had a rubber casing. It always seemed to get stuck in the arm of my suit. See also not noticing your watch when you surf. The G-LIDE has a resin band, which means it easily slides through neoprene appendages. Not to mention, it doesn’t rub on your arm hairs. Which, for all the males and females out there who aren’t competitive swimmers that shave their arms, is a plus in my book.
Bottom line, the GAX-100A is all the information you need, and just the information you need in a reliable package that might just outlive you. Like I said. It’s bulletproof. Maybe.
Editor’s Note: This #RADGEAR was created along with our good friends at Casio.
