G-Squad is Casio's sporty line of G-Shocks and has digital (GBD) and Digital/Analog (GBA) models. These watches have a step counter, Bluetooth connection, and training functions, but unlike common smart watches, these can take a beating, and the battery lasts for years.
The GBA-900 looks husky but is actually a medium-sized G-Shock. The form descends from the legendary DW6600 as used by the Navy Seals. The soft urethane strap and a 5 mm hole spacing (closer than normal) on the watch enable a better fit and comfort on the wrist.
In addition to the better strap, the watch has comprehensive stopwatch functions (auto/manual lap, split, pace, distance, and an interval timer. It has analog hands that can be shifted out of the way, and it's made in Thailand. If these appeal to you, comparison between models just got easier.
Features
These are features that may require clarification and may not be found on all models. The GBA-900 official info mentions an MIP LCD, but it looks like an ordinary segment LCD to us.
Actual glass with heat treatment to prevent scratches. All G-Shocks have at least a mineral glass; the more expensive ones have a sapphire layer on top of it.
You can choose from over 300 cities to set a secondary time, and you can display the time for two locations at the same time. Automatic daylight saving can be toggled. (On a side note, we should all stop that nonsense.)
This isn't your usual egg timer: you can set up to five different times and repeat them in various orders for 1–20 times. E.g. you can program 10 minutes of jogging, 4 minutes of sprinting, 10 minutes of jogging again, and then 4 minutes of running. The timers can be set with 1-second increments up to 60 minutes and automatically started with a 5-second countdown.
Stopwatch with 1/100th precision to 60 minutes and 1-second precision to 24 hours. The watch keeps a record of 45 times and displays split and lap times as well as pace/distance.
You can set five daily alarms and hourly time signals on/off.
You don't have to check the date setting of this watch each month: leap years, Februaries, and Biblical events are covered for a very long time – automagically.
Dual Super Illuminati backlights. You can make it automatic (usually unnecessary), and the Afterglow can be set to 1.5 or 3 seconds.
Use the G-Shock Move application to use the watch as a training tool to measure and log your activity and goals.
Pairing the watch with a smartphone ensures the watch keeps the exact time automatically. You can also opt to get notifications for messages, phone calls, and so on. The door swings both ways: using the Phone Finder allows to make your phone ring – even when silenced – in case you have trouble finding it.