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 GBD-800 looks husky, but the round shape and weight from the lower end of the series make it very wearable. The form descends from the legendary DW6600 as used by the Navy Seals. The 5 mm hole spacing (closer than normal) on the watch enables a better fit on the wrist.
In addition to the precision strap, the watch has a lap/split button on the front and a comprehensive interval timer. 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:
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.
Stopwatch with 1/100th precision to 60 minutes and 1-second precision to 24 hours. The watch keeps a record of 200 times and displays split and lap times with a forward-facing button. You can also set 10 target times.
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.
Proper Super Illuminati backlight with a blue tone. You can make it automatic (usually unnecessary), and the Afterglow can be set to 1.5 or 3 seconds.
Use the G-Shock Connected application to track your step count.
Pairing the watch with a smartphone ensures the watch keeps 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.
