Even though the GPW-2000 includes Bluetooth, this isn’t the type of product designed to tell you if you’ve missed a call. Bluetooth is more effectively used in order to allow the watch to communicate with the phone, as well as vice versa. This is important because the companion app available free from Casio allows you to control the watch and adjust various settings. In my opinion this is most useful when you want to do things like set the alarm or timer. This adds convenience as opposed to Bluetooth being more of a gimmick. I think that anyone who wants to make sure of features such as the alarm or world time functionality might find it easier to control them via the application versus doing it on the watch itself.
A feature that Casio included in this beefy aviation-themed Gravitymaster is a sort of geo-location stamping feature. Casio claims that the pilots they consulted with when developing this product specifically asked for a feature like that. The idea is that you press one of the buttons on the case (the lower right one) and it is supposed to ping the app and tell it to use GPS to make a stamp of your current location. You then use the app to track the stamps resulting in a cool little animated map of your travels and metrics related to that. I tried to use this feature and I found that for some reason, I had intermittent connectivity issues with my phone. It isn’t a feature I would buy the watch for, and given that I’m not a pilot, I didn’t miss the feature.
Functionally, Casio predictably offers a lot of tools in the watch. Let’s start with the information on the dial as it is what I think you’ll rely on the most if you get this or any other G-Shock. In addition to the time you get the date, day of the week, AM/PM indicator, as well as a second time zone in 12 hour format. The day of the week is placed on a multi-function disc which is used in various modes, and there is also a functional selector hand on the dial. One of the cool features that is new in this watch is the ability (on a purely analog dial) to indicate (using GPS) your current latitude and longitude. This is very helpful because if you know how to interpret this information, the watch will tell you where on the planet you are (gadget goodness!). The latitude is indicated using the hand for the function selector, and the longitude is told via the small day of the week window on a dedicated part of the disc that moves over to that information temporarily.
Other features you might use often are the world-time feature (which is handy because you can see two distinct times on the dial) as well as the chronograph, countdown timer, and alarm. The chronograph is pretty nicely done, and re-purposes the seconds and the sub-dial over 6 o’clock to measure out the elapsed time. It is pretty cool and fun to use in addition to being genuinely useful.
Legibility is a strong point in the GPW-2000 and when I first saw it I was immediately impressed by the legible hands, and large easy-to-see hour markers. Each of these uses luminous material – though it isn’t very strong. Nevertheless, the dial has a powerful white LED-based backlight system which when activated lights up the dial for easy reading in total darkness.
All this together makes for a very powerful and useful tool. A lot of this functionality exists in other Casio G-Shock watches but as you likely know, Casio likes to continuously up the ante when it comes to functionality. So this particular blend of features isn’t available in anything else at this price point right now at Casio. The GPW-2000 Gravitymaster isn’t cheap, but it does feel like a solid value for all that you are getting.
Likely the biggest issue potential wearers might have is the size of the case. Compared to the previous generation GPW-1000, the GPW-2000 is something like 20% smaller. This is because Casio was able to further miniaturize the GPS module which is part of the 5520 Casio Module movement on the inside. Casio is a king of making large watches wearable – so even at 57.1mm wide and 66mm tall (18.2mm thick) the Gravitymaster GPW-2000 feels comfortable on the wrist. Weight is 120 grams. I think it goes without saying that if you want one of the most durable watches around, then a G-Shock is in order.
This is a top-shelf G-Shock so Casio designed the Gravitymaster to be thoroughly abused. This model also features a sapphire crystal, as well as a carbon fiber reinforced strap, and a carbon fiber tube connection system for the strap to the case. This latter feature more or less prevents the strap from ever being detached from the case – and you can see (and touch) the carbon fiber tube near the lugs. As part of the higher-end “Master of G” G-Shock collection, enthusiasts will also be happy to know that this particular collection of G-Shocks are produced in Japan by Casio at their very impressive facility in the Yamagata prefecture (that aBlogtoWatch visited here).
While some techie watches have a face that only a mother could love, Casio is more than cognizant that its products must not only look cool, but that they also should look pretty. The GPW-2000 range is clearly an “activity watch,” but I find that its legible high-contrast face, and good looking proportional case is actually pretty nice-looking. The watch is big, but it does feel very refined. I also like that the premium resin materials, metals, and sapphire crystal not only make the watch durable in terms of damage protection, but will help the watch age as well as possible.
Overall, this is one of my favorite (if not favorite) fully analog Casio G-Shock watches available right now. It isn’t just the looks, but also the ease of using the deeper features of the watch with the companion phone application, as well as the wonderful accuracy features. Sure the higher-end G-Shock MR-G models are fancier, but they are also several times more expensive and don’t offer more functionality – just more impressive all-metal cases. Combining performance and value, the GPW-2000 collection is a solid way to go when wanting the latest and greatest G-Shock watch. Price for the Casio G-Shock Master of G Gravitymaster GPW-2000 is $800 USD. gshock.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Casio
>Model: G-Shock Master of G Gravitymaster GPW-2000 (reference GPW2000-3A as tested)
>Price: $800 USD
>Size: 57.1mm wide X 66mm tall x 18.2mm thick.
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Durable watch lover who loves the idea of having triple redundancy for accuracy and the ability to control the watch via their smartphone.
>Best characteristic of watch: Great design and mixture of very useful features that Casio has made even more accessible thanks to the Bluetooth connection to a phone. An actually modern watch that proves horological innovation is far from dead.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Expensive given what people are normally accustomed to paying for a G-Shock timepiece. Large size will mean some people will be turned off from how it looks on their wrist. Bluetooth connectivity issues sometimes prevent the phone connection features from working as reliably.
