Why do YOU collect G-Shocks?

rutteger

Administrator
Know a few have touched on this in other threads but thought it might make an interesting top nonetheless. Why do you collect G-Shocks?

I'll go first. Bought my first G-Shock (a G-2500) in the early 00s having admired them in the 80s / 90s but never progressing past a £12.99 Casio Illuminator. That was it for a while. Picked up my second in 2007 when on a work trip to Japan. The watch I had worn out broke in the airport on arrival (doh). Needed a timepiece really and sadly it was a small regional airport so choice was very limited, I ended up buying a kids Snoopy watch for a few Yen. Given I was in Japan thought finding a G would be no problem, it was. Had a look round a few department stores in the town we were staying in but failed to find a G-Shock anywhere, probably looking in the wrong place. On the trip home had a day in Tokyo and managed to find one in Akihabra ;)

On my return to the UK found a few watch forums and the rest is history :D
 

macspite

Member
I think it may be down to a need to express individualism. For years I wore IBM standard suit and white shirt and "rebelled" by wearing interesting ties. When I moved to being on-site engineer for Legal and General I started to wear coloured shirts to go with the ties - to the point that when I left a colleague said "I used to think you were colour blind, now I know you were just taking the piss ..."

Now clothing is either hi-viz orange or stealth black. Little fun in deciding what to wear for the day so spend time deciding which watch should be worn for the task awaiting.

The interest in collecting the watches though is more than just a fashion statement. Partly there is the thrill of the chase, then the interest in operating on the poorly ones with the suspense of whether the operation proves successful, the excitement of gambling by going on to eBay to pick up interesting models and the sheer visual and aural pleasure in seeing a couple of shelves full of fully operating watches with the hourly alarms set :eek:
 

rutteger

Administrator
I think it may be down to a need to express individualism. For years I wore IBM standard suit and white shirt and "rebelled" by wearing interesting ties. When I moved to being on-site engineer for Legal and General I started to wear coloured shirts to go with the ties - to the point that when I left a colleague said "I used to think you were colour blind, now I know you were just taking the piss ..."

Now clothing is either hi-viz orange or stealth black. Little fun in deciding what to wear for the day so spend time deciding which watch should be worn for the task awaiting.

The interest in collecting the watches though is more than just a fashion statement. Partly there is the thrill of the chase, then the interest in operating on the poorly ones with the suspense of whether the operation proves successful, the excitement of gambling by going on to eBay to pick up interesting models and the sheer visual and aural pleasure in seeing a couple of shelves full of fully operating watches with the hourly alarms set :eek:

Interesting take on your reasons for collecting. Clearly I've thought more about how I got into collecting than why I collect. Will have to give it some proper though ;)
 

macspite

Member
Compared to collecting tractors and military vehicles G-Shocks are relatively cheap and require less maintenance. The right kind of tractor or MV attracts no tax and doesn't need an MoT so that doesn't enter the cost equation. Storage is less of a problem with G-Shocks and you can also take them to work on a daily basis.

How many people on here collect something else as well as G's?
 

rutteger

Administrator
Compared to collecting tractors and military vehicles G-Shocks are relatively cheap and require less maintenance. The right kind of tractor or MV attracts no tax and doesn't need an MoT so that doesn't enter the cost equation. Storage is less of a problem with G-Shocks and you can also take them to work on a daily basis.

How many people on here collect something else as well as G's?

I'd imagine quite a few collect other things, it's a very male thing to do. I also collect bicycles which although not quite as space consuming as military vehicles do take up a bit of room. Suppose that's one reason I like Gs, they are/can be (relatively) cheap and easy to get hold of and you can pop a new battery and give a used one a scrub clean in 10 minutes.

Other reasons for collecting off the top of my head
-I like the mix of functionality and style (sounds like a cheesy advertising line!). It's cool something can be tough as old boots yet look sharp. A lot of 'fashion' watches are anything but.
-The quality. Really well made, something like a Frog is a really nice item.
-Developed a bit of a fascination for everything Japanese after various visits. The Gs could only be the product of Japan.
-The variety. One of the first things which struck me when I started getting into the watches was the huge variety of styles, colours, models etc etc.
 

macspite

Member
WARNING - Off topic

Bicycles? How about a Swiss Militar Velo - the infantry bicycle used from 1895 until the mid 80's by the Swiss bicycle troops. Rides like a dream. Astoundingly for a bicycle used in mountainous country it has only one gear.

Mine is a 1922 model with both military and civilian registration plates

294699999_a27c528039_o.jpg
 
Ever since the G-Shock was released I've always wanted to have one because I admired the Japanese quality craftsmanship. For 20 years I only had 1 G-Shock, the DW-5600 then I came across a G-Shock GW-530A in a store that had a Japan Y case back and I did not let it go. I came across two other Japan models in stores and got those as well. After about 6 years I used the internet to buy one that was made and came from Japan...the newest to my small collection is the GWG-1000 1A3JF, wow! Too bad stores don't carry Japan G-Shock anymore.
 
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