The Cheapest G-Shock You Can Buy Is Also One of the Best. Here’s Why Every Collection Needs One

The DW-5600E isn’t perfect and it lacks many advanced features. But it’s perhaps the purest distillation of the G-Shock brand.

By Andrew Connor

Published May 6, 2024

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Updated May 6, 2024

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The DW-5600E is not the original G-Shock from 1983, though you wouldn’t know from looking at it. The 5600 series first hit the scene in 1987 and it’s been in production, in one form or another, since then.

The current iteration is pretty much the most basic G-Shock you can buy. It’s also the cheapest (currently on sale for as little as $33). But don’t go thinking it’s at all a compromise in legacy or performance.

Casio G-Shock DW5600E-1V

$33 at Amazon

$75 (56% off)

Of all the G-Shocks in production, the DW-5600E is perhaps the purist distillation of what Kikuo Ibe, creator of the G-Shock, aimed to produce back in the 1980s — namely, a nearly indestructible watch.

The DW-5600E is the quintessential G-Shock

Save for a few small details here or there, the DW-5600E is incredibly similar to the original G-Shock, but it uses a plastic case in place of blacked-out stainless steel.

g shock watch on a fence — The square G-Shock is a design classic.

That might sound like a mark against the DW-5600E right off the bat, but plastic works in the watch’s favor. For one, it means it’s affordable. And because plastic has an elasticity to it that metal just doesn’t have, it absorbs shocks better.

caseback of a g shock — Though the first G-Shocks were made of metal, the plastic “resin” material currently used contributes to the watches’ famous durability.

Given that Kikuo Ibe set out to engineer a timepiece that could withstand careless wear without any issue — including going 100 meters underwater — it’s not in any way out of line with the brand’s ethos. (For what it’s worth, it can go 200 meters.)

a wet g shock — All G-Shocks are rated to 200m of water resistance.

It’s highly wearable and comfortable

Strap the DW-5600E to your wrist, and you’ll notice that it doesn’t really look or feel like many other G-Shocks, which can be massive, chunky, heavy and covered in countless nubs and facets. The DW-5600E, on the other hand, is comparably minimal.

g shock watch on its side — At 13.4mm, the DW-5600 is one of the thinnest G-Shocks available.

At 42.8mm wide and 13.4mm thick, it doesn’t wear much larger than most sports watches you can buy today. Its design, still firmly rooted in its 1980s upbringing, is comparatively mundane.

Fumble through its many functions — time, countdown timer, stopwatch, alarm, backlight — via its tiny, recessed buttons, and you’ll get an equally ’80s-tastic nostalgia blast.

A G-Shock is more than a beater

I could easily recommend this most basic of Gs to anyone who needs or wants a beater watch and doesn’t want to spend much money. The good ol’ G-Shock has been the timepiece of choice among military servicepeople, police, firefighters and construction workers — so if that’s you, this is as good a choice as any.

The good ol’ G-Shock has been the timepiece of choice among military servicepeople, police, firefighters and construction workers.

If that isn’t you, but you still need something to wear while camping or working on DIY projects, this is still an excellent choice, especially if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on something you know will see some type of abuse. There are those among us who actually think the 5600 series of G-Shocks are pretty cool and iconic, too.

Not every feature is useful

To be fair, the DW-5600E isn’t perfect. Using the chronograph functionality and alarm is clunky, and setting the time and date isn’t intuitive, either.

The recessed buttons — which you’ll need to be pushing a lot to set the time — certainly don’t help in this regard. But this is more of an annoyance than a fatal flaw.

The Bottom Line

For less than $50 you get the toughest watch you could ever need, and while the DW-5600E is incredibly simple, with no frills to speak of, this is refreshing in and of itself. There’s no fuss with this watch — it does its job, and it does it well.