Perhaps the greatest asset of Casio's key G-Shock line, apart from its immense durability and functionality, is the range of the series. You can find a G-Shock to suit almost any taste and budget, from playful digital models costing less than $100 to handcrafted Japanese masterpieces in the exclusive MR-G sub-line priced at $8,000. While the variety of current G-Shock offerings from Casio is greater than ever, the brand consistently strives to bring technical and material enhancements of high-end models to its more affordable offerings.
The latest G-Shock model from Casio is a prime example of this commitment to affordable convenience, bringing the sturdy Carbon Core Guard structure and a sleek thin profile to one of the brand's most accessible analog offerings. The new Casio G-Shock GA2200 series helps raise the bar for entry-level G-Shock offerings by combining enhanced shock resistance, a new three-layer case construction, and a trio of vibrant colors in a bold and charismatic new design.
Maintaining the hefty feel of the G-Shock series at 47.1 mm across, the Casio G-Shock GA2200 has reduced the case thickness to 12.8 mm. While not particularly thin by general watch standards, considering the series' tendency towards cases 15 mm thick and up, the thinner profile is likely to stand out on the wrist among its peers. The crownless case shape takes a rounder and smoother approach to the classic G-Shock design, yet retains visual elements like hexagonal screws on the wide smooth bezel, a broad trapezoidal button at the “6 o’clock” position for LED dial lighting, and wide recessed knurled buttons at the “2 o’clock,” “4 o’clock,” “8 o’clock,” and “10 o’clock” positions.
In short, this model should serve as a midpoint between the standard G-Shock aesthetic and the more compact GA2100 “Casioak,” appealing to those who want the look and feel of traditional G-Shock with less overwhelming visual mass. To reduce the GA2200 profile, Casio designed a three-part sandwich-style case. The bezel and buttons form the top layer of this sandwich, which is screwed down to the lower layer, including short square lugs and the case's lower sides. Both these layers are made from G-Shock's signature resin and connect to the stainless steel caseback with another set of four screws on the case's back. Casio uses this layered approach to play with color on the GA2200. In the base model G-Shock GA2200BB-1A, it's simple – black on black, but in the GA2200M-1A and GA2200M-4A models, the separate layers are used to create a two-tone design.
In the GA2200M-1A model, the two-tone contrast is subtle: a black bezel is enlivened by turquoise accents on the gray lower layer. The GA2200M-4A model plays to the bolder side of the G-Shock style, opting for a traffic cone orange bezel over a black lower layer. This two-tone design gives striking uniqueness to the visuals and visually separates the case sides of the GA2200 model, giving it an even slimmer look. Like all G-Shock models, Casio rates the GA2200 line's water resistance at 200 meters.
The dial design of the Casio G-Shock GA2200 series is a simplified evolution of the perennial “ana-digi” concept. This series runs on the same movement as the popular G-Shock GA2100 “Casioak,” and this shared platform manifests in the dial design with a functional subdial at the “9 o’clock” position and an angled digital subdial running from “3 o’clock” to “6 o’clock.” While the GA2100 series aims for visual simplicity of these elements, the GA2200 instead retains some distinctive features that make the classic G-Shock aesthetic so unique – bold forms, a sense of immense visual depth, and a rich mix of surface details.
The subdial at 9 o’clock is a prime example of this philosophy: an outer ring with a ribbed PVD finish inspired by a brake disc frames a disc-shaped cutout hand. The inner bezel surrounding the digital subdial, with its angular surfaces and high profile, continues this trend, as do the relief details on the main dial and the heavily grained dial surface. These elements have a rugged, industrial look that remains true to the classic G-Shock design language in images, but their use here is more balanced and restrained than in many other models. Each of the three color variants of the GA-2200 interprets the look in its own way. Like the case, the dial of the GA2200BB-1A model is entirely black, with a low-contrast mix of gray tones on the subdials, high curved indices, and pointed sword hands with exaggerated counterweights.
Despite the aggressive and stealthy appearance, the lack of bright blacks, whites, or accent colors may lead to readability issues. The GA2200M-1A model takes a more balanced approach: pale gray accents on the hands aid legibility, while a bright aqua-turquoise PVD finish on the subdial and hand at the “9 o’clock” position enhances visibility. The GA2200M-4A model adds even more color to maintain a wilder and more aggressive look with medium gray hands and applied indices, complemented by bright orange strokes on the indices and the 9 o’clock subdial.
The Casio G-Shock GA2200 series watches use the in-house Module 5611 quartz movement. Protected by Casio's Carbon Core Guard internal structure, the Module 5611, in typical G-Shock fashion, offers a wide range of complications. These include a 24-hour chronograph with 1/100-second measurement capability, dual LED lighting, a perpetual calendar accurate to the year 2099, a 24-hour countdown timer, five daily alarms, a world timer, and an hourly time signal that provides greater accuracy than the base +15/-15 seconds per month.
Casio claims a solid battery life for the 5611 module – three years. The brand completes the GA2200 series with the standard G-Shock accordion-style resin strap with a quick-release feature. For the GA2200BB-1A and GA2200M-1A models, this strap is in simple black, but the brighter orange color of the GA2200M-4A model is complemented by a matching signal orange resin strap.
While the new Casio G-Shock GA2200 series is unlikely to achieve the same widespread popularity as its sibling GA2100, it further refines the classic look and functionality of the G-Shock ana-digi for a new generation and continues the trend of bringing high-level innovations to entry-level models. The Casio G-Shock GA2200 series watches will be available at selected G-Shock retailers starting August 6, 2021. The starting retail price for the Casio G-Shock GA2200 is $120 USD. For more information, visit the brand's website.