Often copied but never replicated, G-SHOCK’s 5600 is the most formidable digital watch in existence. Debuting in 1987 as a follow-up to the brand’s inaugural DW-5000C, the square-shaped timepiece has become a style icon but lest we forget about its insane durability. The Casio sub-label built the watch to withstand 100m underwater (now 200m), a 10m drop, and 10 years of operation.
While most variants (and there are many) focus on switching up the style of the 5600, G-SHOCK’s latest editions exist to emphasize their ruggedness through industrial design elements.
Functional Beauty Through Texture
At first glance, the GM-5600M-1JF and GM-5600BM-1JF maintain the signature octagonal profile that helped make the 5600 a legend. But the devil’s in the details here — and that starts with the stainless steel bezel. Instead of the smooth metal finish we’ve seen on previous metal-bezeled models, G-SHOCK went with a checkered pyramidal pattern across the entire surface. It’s a texture lifted straight from industrial design language, the kind you’d find on heavy machinery or precision tools for enhanced grip. The approach extends to the black bio-resin strap as well, which mirrors that same textured pattern in much subtler execution.
Through the cutouts in the bezel, you can actually see the glass fiber-reinforced resin that protects the module, highlighting the watch’s famed impact-resistant engineering first-hand.
The Negative Display
G-SHOCK paired the textured bezel with a negative dial display, which flips the typical light-on-dark LCD to dark-on-light. Not a new feature for the brand, but the monochromatic face here plays into the industrial motif by allowing that textured bezel to command more attention. The only color disruption comes from the red “Start/Stop” marking next to the display — a small accent that references functional indicators you’d find on equipment dashboards.
The LED backlight (white, with afterglow function) gives you readability in low light, though negative displays can take a second longer to read in certain conditions.
Built on a Proven Foundation
The GM-5600M doesn’t mess with the core specs that made the 5600 series the best-selling G-SHOCK of all time. You still get shock resistance via the floating quartz module design, 200m water resistance, and the full suite of digital functions: stopwatch (1/100 second accuracy), countdown timer, multi-alarm, and full auto-calendar. Battery life clocks in at approximately five years, and the movement maintains an average monthly variance of ±15 seconds. Likewise, case dimensions remain compact at 43.2mm across with a 49.6mm lug-to-lug and 13mm height.
Spec Sheet
Model: GM-5600M-1JF (silver bezel) / GM-5600BM-1JF (black bezel)
Case Material: Glass fiber-reinforced resin with stainless steel bezel
Case Size: 43.2mm
Lug-to-Lug: 49.6mm
Case Thickness: 13mm
Crystal: Inorganic glass
Movement: Quartz
Water Resistance: 200m
Functions: Stopwatch, timer, multi-alarm, LED backlight, full auto-calendar
Strap: Bio-resin with textured pattern
Battery Life: Approximately 5 years
Pricing & Availability
Both the GM-5600M-1JF and GM-5600BM-1JF are currently available for pre-order through G-SHOCK’s Japanese online store, with the silver-bezeled version priced at ¥29,700 (~$192) and the black-bezeled model at ¥33,000 (~$213). Official release is scheduled for November.
Recap
G-SHOCK GM-5600M-1JF
G-SHOCK’s latest 5600 variants bring an industrial design twist to the iconic square with a textured pyramidal pattern across the stainless steel bezel and matching bio-resin strap.
