Skip to main content

Just $100 buys you this super-tough — and very cool — G Shock fitness watch

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Casio continues to embrace Bluetooth connectivity in its G Shock range, and the latest addition is the GBD-800, an affordable watch with fitness tracking features and a new digital display. This provides more glanceable information than the last G Shock fitness tracking watch, the GBA-800, which was released at the start of 2018.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Bluetooth low energy link syncs with the G Shock app on your phone, and sends data collected from the three-axis accelerometer inside to provide step tracking, all displayed on a graph. Casio says it breaks down the step count into five metabolic equivalent levels (MET), to help people more effectively measure energy output each day. You can set daily goals inside the app, and view calories burned, too.

G-SQUAD GBD-800 product video (Horizontal ver.) : CASIO G-SHOCK

A redesigned digital display with three rows of information shows the step counter, lap number for runners, and also a total number of laps and steps, along with the expected time and date. Because the GBD-800 is a watch first, rather than an all-out fitness tracker, it has the usual watch features including world time, a stopwatch and timer, five alarms, and a bright backlight. The timer can be used to measure intervals when working out, and in the app there is a 3D map system to show running routes as well.

Like the GBA-800 the GBD-800 is a midsize G Shock watch, therefore it should fit most wrists, though it will look large on thin wrists — but then, it’s a G Shock, and that’s the point. Also, as a G Shock, it’s not going to break under pressure due to its shockproof tough body, strong resin strap, and 200 meter water resistance.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The color schemes are more varied, and in some cases less in-your-face, than those of the GBA-800. The bright blue and orange versions really stand out, but the more subtle black-and-red or gray-and-green models seen above will appeal to G Shock fans who want to wear the watch each day with a variety of outfits. Europe will get cool black and white models, according to G-Central.

In the U.S. the GBD-800-1 and GBD-800-8 models — those are the more subtle two-tone watches — will be available online and from various retailers in October for $100.

Updated on September 19, 2018: Added two new images of the G Shock GBD-800.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
The tech-boosted G-Shock GA-B2100 watch is a great buy
Blue and yellow G-Shock GA-B2100 together.

It can initially be quite hard to grasp why the little Casio G-Shock GA-B2100 is such a brilliant watch. After all, it’s cheap, it’s not a sci-fi-influenced limited edition, and on the technology side, it’s not as comprehensively specced as a fitness-orientated G-Shock, let alone an Apple Watch.

Yet it’s one of my favorite G-Shock watches of recent times, and a great buy. Here’s why.
Why is it popular?
The original G-Shock GA-2100 (note the lack of the B in its name) came out in 2019 and was an instant hit. The $99 price point was just right, the analog/digital look is pure G-Shock, and it was available in various colors so it appealed to the many people who buy G-Shock watches as fashion accessories. The passing (if you squint very hard) resemblance to the Audemars Piguet’s octagonal Royal Oak luxury watch helped build its legend online too.

Read more
G-Shock’s red-and-gold MR-G watch makes a strong statement
G-Shock MRG-B2000B on the wrist showing the dial.

Luxury smartwatches aren’t especially common, but if you are a fan of a luxury connected watch, there are more options, especially if you consider Casio’s G-Shock range. The company has released two new entries in its MR-G lineup, the MRG-B5000B and the MRG-B2000B.

Unlike the all-digital B5000, the MRG-B2000B. is an analog watch, but it still has a Bluetooth connection to make setting up and using common features a little easier than just with the buttons. I’ve been wearing the watch with its hand-finished titanium case, and boy, does it make a statement.
Luxury materials, tough features
The MRG-2000B is based on the MTG-B2000. The differences are in the materials used, the module inside the watch, and the way it’s built. G-Shock MR-G watches are built by hand at Casio’s factory in Yamagata, Japan, and assembled by the company’s most qualified engineers. The module used is functionally the same as the MT-G model's, but it's made with gold-plated retainer plates to reduce electrical resistance.

Read more
This $4,000 titanium beauty is the ultimate square G-Shock
The G-Shock MRG-B5000B.

Do you want the very best Casio offers in manufacturing, design, and technology from your new G-Shock, all wrapped up in that highly recognizable square case? In other words, the ultimate version of a truly classic G-Shock watch? If so, the new MRG-B5000B is exactly the model you will want, provided cost is no object. We’ve been wearing it.
What makes MR-G so special?
Although Casio is best known for tough watches that won’t break the bank, Casio also has decades of watchmaking experience, and it showcases its talents most effectively in its highly exclusive MR-G family of watches. These models, its most luxurious, are assembled by hand on Casio’s Premium Production Line located in the Yamagata factory in Japan, where only the company’s most experienced, specially certified technicians work on the top MT-G and MR-G models.

The square G-Shock is one of the most popular models, having been around since the G-Shock brand first started in the early 1980s, and bringing it to the luxury MR-G range is going to see a lot of people reaching for their wallets. What makes it so special? It’s the first time the classic, beloved square G-Shock has been given the MR-G treatment, with most other MR-G models over the past few years featuring an analog dial. There's a huge section of an already large fan base waiting for this.

Read more