G-Shock and Pro Trek: the watches that never see a charger

Which G-Shock, in one paragraph

For a watch that never sees a charger and tells you sunrise, sunset, bearing and pressure, buy the Rangeman GW-9400. For the same idea 3 mm thinner and 12 g lighter, buy the Mudman GW-9500. For the only G-Shock with sapphire, buy the Mudmaster GWG-2000 and accept the weight. For a first watch that will survive basic training and a decade after it, the square DW-5600E or GA-100 cost less than a strap for the others. The Pro Trek PRW-61 is the slimmer, lighter version of the Rangeman idea for hikers who never dunk their watch.

How the Casio catalog divides

• Master of G ABC watches: Rangeman, Mudman, Mudmaster. Tough Solar, Multi-Band 6 radio time, a compass, barometer, altimeter and thermometer, 200 m, mud-resistant buttons. Sunrise and sunset on the watch, which is why hunters buy them.
• The GPS G-Shock: the Rangeman GPR-H1000 has multi-band GNSS and heart rate, and a battery measured in days like any GPS watch. It is a different tool from the GW-9400 that shares its name.
• Squares and basics: DW-5600E (coin cell, about five years per Casio), GW-M5610U (solar and radio time in the same case), GA-100 (analog-digital, coin cell). Cheap, light, 200 m, and the reason the brand has its reputation.
• Pro Trek: Casio's hiking line. Same Tough Solar and triple sensor as the Master of G, lighter cases, 100 m instead of 200 m, no mud-resistant buttons.

What decides the price

Tough Solar and Multi-Band 6 together, then the sensor set, then carbon and sapphire. A DW-5600E has none of those and a GWG-2000 has all of them. Our Rangeman vs Mudmaster vs Mudman comparison sets the three Master of G watches against each other, and Pro Trek vs G-Shock settles the hiking question.

The battery figure Casio actually publishes

Casio does not advertise a battery life the way Garmin does; it publishes an "approximate battery operating time" in every module's operation guide, with the usage assumptions listed. The Rangeman GW-9400 is rated at about 8 months from a full charge with no light; the Mudman GW-9500, Mudmaster GWG-2000 and Pro Trek PRW-61 at about 6 months; the GW-M5610U square at about 10 months. Those figures assume the watch is in a drawer. Worn outdoors, a Tough Solar watch stays charged indefinitely, which is why the site's how long G-Shocks last guide is about the resin, not the cell. When the rechargeable cell finally tires, it is a watchmaker-replaceable part; see G-Shock solar battery replacement.

The mistake buyers make

Buying a G-Shock expecting it to record where they walked. Only the GPR-H1000 has GPS, and the G-Shock with GPS guide explains what you give up for it. An ABC watch measures the world around you; it does not map it. If you want a track, the comparison to read is G-Shock vs Garmin Instinct, and the honest answer for most people is one of each.

The second mistake is assuming every G-Shock is a Rangeman. The basic squares and the GA-100 have no solar, no radio and no sensors. They are still 200 m, still shock resistant, and still the right answer for a recruit who will lose a watch anyway; see best G-Shock for military.

By mission

The rankings on this hub are sorted by job: military, hunting, hiking, the toughest G-Shock and the best G-Shock with a compass. Every pick links to Casio's own operation guide for the module, because that is where the real specs live.