G-Shock G100-1BV

Mostly solid; battery needs replaced too often, though

By Eric  Mar 4, 2009 | 0 out of 1 found this G-Shock G100-1BV review helpful

Pros: Tough, good functionality

Cons: Rechargeable battery stops taking charge & needs replaced; bulky size

I don't have the exact watch shown in this ad, but I have had my Casio G-Shock for several years now. Some of the good things about it: large easy-to read digital display; good backlight; good options when it comes to alarms; and best of all -- t...he Waveceptor radio that receives a low frequency radio signal from Colorado every night, keeping the watch synced to an atomic time reference. This is great because my watch is always accurate; it never needs reset & I always know I have the right time.The bad things: This "solar powered" watch is really a watch that runs on a rechargeable battery that is constantly recharged via little solar panels on the watch face. After about a year-and-a-half, the battery stops taking a charge, and it loses all power over the course of a week or two. The battery has to be replaced, and they are not easy to find. I am on my third battery, and it needs replaced again. My last watch was a Timex Ironman that I had for 5 years, and I never replaced the battery once. So much for solar power.I have also run into issues where the firmware that runs the watch gets into a funk and needs reset. Alarms will randomly quit working, for example. I have had to take the battery out & give the watch a "cold boot". It is not frequent, but it has happened. Read more Less