The more I outwear and use Casio ’s fully link up G - Shock watches , the more I think they are the idealistic casual smartwatch . The most recent watch on my wrist is the G - Shock GPR - H1000 Rangeman , and it ’s very unlike from theGPR - B1000 RangemanI wore in 2018 , which was so grave that it was practically unmanageable .
Just like the Rangeman lookout , Casio has evolved since then , and we should moot its connect watches serious competitors to theApple Watch Ultra 2and theSamsung Galaxy Watch 5 professional , along with Garmin and Polar ’s sports vigil .
Why is the Rangeman a casual smartwatch?
The Rangeman is a great example of a casual smartwatch , by which I signify watches that do n’t really need to be worn 24 hours a sidereal day to get all the benefits from them , and it ’s a segment Casio has perfected with its connected G - jar grasp . The thing with anApple Watch Series 9,Galaxy Watch 6 , operating system Fitbitis they in truth need to be worn all the fourth dimension to get the estimable from the software and health - trailing abilities . I do n’t always want to wear out one of these models , but I also do n’t want to miss out on notice , which is where a watch like the Rangeman match in .
It’smadefor the outdoors , but unlike the similarG - Shock MudmanI wore recently , it has all the connected features you could want . It uses the same platform as theG - daze GBD - H2000 , so it maintains a Bluetooth connection to your phone , delivers notifications , and pass over workouts with its heart pace and blood oxygen monitor . It has a built - in GPS , a compass , an altimeter , a barometer , and a tide graph . If that was n’t enough , it also connects to Apple Health , Google Fit , and Strava . It ’s a comprehensive mix of what makes the Apple Watch Ultra 2 or a Garmin smartwatch tempting , just with G - Shock ’s trademark aim and toughness and without have to make the same story ofcommitment .
I do n’t palpate tie to the G - Shock Rangeman . If I decide not to wear out it , it ’s o.k. . There ’s no pressure involved , as it does not send unremitting monitor to move around or push me to encounter any targets , so I do n’t feel guilty when I do put it back on . When I go back to it , it ’s because I require to wear it , and when I put it on , I hump the direction it looks and puddle me feel . A s much as I like the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra — and appreciate how look out - like they are ( for smartwatches ) — I rarely get the urge to wear them in the same way I do with a traditional watch .
It ’s a wonderful mix you do n’t find in many other place .
Casio has refined its touch base program a great deal over the preceding few days , going from basic connected features like a phone finder to what we have now , which is a series of exercising - tracking feature film , informative metrics , and telling support that rivals sports smartwatches from Polar and Garmin . It has experimented with Wear OS , but its own software is far more meet because it avoids the aforementioned daily smartwatch plodding . It ’s a fantastic mixture you do n’t find in many other places , and the Rangeman is perhaps the ultimate expression of it at the moment .
What it’s like wearing the Rangeman
The Rangeman is n’t a minuscule watch . It ’s a big , serious , impose tool scout , and you need to be passably confident to wear it . At 53 mm wide and 20 mm tall , it does n’t conform to under a shirt cuff and is more well-off worn with your arm behind it , so you could show the sentry off to the world . It come in the ordinary black coloring material seen in our photo or a very bright yellow if you do n’t think the size of it of the spotter will make it stand out enough .
What I love about the Rangeman ( and G - Shock lookout man in general ) is there ’s a intellect for a lot of the design choices . For good example , the alloy guards at three and nine o’clock supply protection for the main button and the sensor and GPS array , while all the other buttons are seal into the subject with special gaskets to keep out mud , dust , and other harmful cloth . And the resin case and specially designed national make the scout shock - resistive and H2O - tolerant to 200 meters .
But even at this size and with all this toughness , the Rangeman is not uncomfortable to wear . It ’s just 92 gram , which is a touch lighter than an Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a stria attached . The bio - resin shoulder strap on the Rangeman is very flexible and forgiving , and the huge metal keeper never hitch on wrist hair . For such a monumental lookout , the Rangeman does a surprisingly good business of not being irritating on your wrist . I love some of the piffling designing touches too , such as the Rangeman ’s trademark wildcat logotype on the underneath of the strap .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
What ’s not so well ? It ’s mineral glass over the screen . At this terms and with it being part of G - Shock ’s prestigious Master of G product transmission line , I ’d have liked sapphire lechatelierite to give it extra scratch protection . It ’s also not suited to wear overnight for rest trailing , despite having the good engineering to do so . But provide you ’re aware of the compromises you ’ll have to make in your dress to comfortably wear the Rangeman , it ’s laborious to target out much that ’s spoiled about it . Casio has been realise giant G - Shocks for 40 years , so it screw how to make a upright one . It really shows with the Rangeman .
Casio included plenty of technology
The G - Shock GPR - H1000 does n’t endure Google ’s Wear O ; alternatively , it utilise Casio ’s own proprietary operating system , which is operate using the button on the case and not a touchscreen . It has a heart rate monitor on the back and will cut through unlike exercises — from walking , course , and motorbike to swimming and gym workouts — plus it supervise stock O level . The datum collected is collated using algorithms from outdoor specialists Polar and present in the Casio Watches app . It measure everything from cardio shipment to tread and Swolf ( a composite measurement in sports swimming ) .
If you ’ve been abide by Casio ’s connected G - Shock image , this may all sound intimate , as these are the same features bid by the GBD - H2000 watch . Does this have in mind the two are the same ? Not quite . Casio uses different modules — the name given to the central brain or motility of a G - Shock — identified by a mention number . Inside the GPR - H1000 Rangeman is the 3554 faculty , but inside the GBD - H2000 is the 3515 mental faculty . The only divergence I can see is the Rangeman capture clay resistance and a tide graphical record ; the connected and practise features appear to be identical .
The emphasis is on walk , running , cycling , and trekking , with the legal age of the in - depth data encompass those activity . It ’s childlike to start tracking a workout , as the watch pulls in a GPS signaling within a minute , and the data shown in the Casio Watches app is comprehensive . This is n’t a tracker for anyone who require a lot of motivation , though , as it presents rather than analyse the data . Again , it ’s a great casual smartwatch , but there ’s enough astuteness and functionality ( you could activate movement reminders and so on if you like , but they are off by default ) to make the Rangeman worth wearing .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I went into item about how a connected G - Shock watch tracked exercising and also how the Casio Watches app shape when Ireviewed the GBD - H2000 ; I suggest taking a feeling at that inspection for a more in - depth testing . But what you need to know is that it ’s all very well-off to apply , the push button sequences are simple to pick up , the screen is shiny and react quickly to actions , and the backlight really shines in the shadow . I ’ve had the watch join to anApple iPhone 15 Pro Max , and it has been very dependable and the Casio Watches app has steadily improved , too , once I got used to the somewhat frustrating layout . It ’s also available for Android .
Two easy ways to charge the watch
Wearing the GPR - H1000 Rangeman outside your sleeve has a benefit in addition ti comfort . The watch is solar - power , and by let it see the Sunday , it may never require to be charged up any other way . If you use the GPS or heart pace monitoring feature every day or for an extended period of time , it may not be able to keep up , though . For those times , you may use the included charging cable .
It has a clever oversize crocodile clipping - mode plan , making it unsufferable to not decently align on the picket ’s body and charge pins , it does n’t obscure the watch look when its attached , and it work from a battery plurality so it can be used when you ’re not near a plug socket . Casio estimates about two months of use from the electric battery without using the heart rate sensor and seeing sunlight at all , with about 14 minute possible when using the heart rate sensor continuously during intensive , extended activity .
The comfort station of not having to constantly recharge the watch is another grounds the Rangeman is great for casual wear , as it will almost certainly still be work when you go to put it on , even if you have n’t worn if for week .
Casio
How much does the Casio G-Shock GPR-H1000 cost?
The GPR - H1000 Rangeman costs $ 500 in either the black or yellow-bellied colour scheme and is useable directly through Casio ’s G - Shock on-line store and retailers now . In the U.K. , the sentry cost 450 British pounds .
This makes it $ 100 more expensive than the GBD - H2000 , an arguably much more wearable and manner - focus associate G - Shock . It ’s a actual alternative to the Rangeman , and apart from a few little differences , your decisiveness will likely be led by which design you prefer . If you do n’t care about the connect lineament and want a tough GB - daze for some rasping - and - tumble bodily function , the GW-9500 Mudman may suit you too .
However , neither fits into the honored Master of G range , so they lack the cache of the Rangeman . For those new to G - Shock , Master of G sentinel are designed for professional person and specific activity , with the outdoor Rangeman andMudmasterjoining theaviation - based Gravitymasterand thediving - focused Frogman .
Casio
The Rangeman be less than the $ 799Apple Watch Ultra 2 , but more than the $ 400Apple Watch Series 9and the $ 280Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 . It ’s also a lot more than the excellentFitbit Charge 6and a muckle less than theGarmin Epix Pro Gen 2 . However , it ’s a very different lookout compare to all these models , which absolutely require to be worn all the prison term if you ’re going to get the most from them .
A smartwatch you don’t have to wear all the time
Casio has polish its app , made the ripe move by getting Polar on board to dish out with the exercise datum , and made its on - watch software as simple as possible while still only using forcible buttons . Its connected G - Shock watch are the good they ’ve ever been , and now fill the gap between tire out a non - connected watch and a smartwatch absolutely .
The new Rangeman is a brainy blend of both G - Shock and smartwatch humanity .
The Rangeman , like the GBD - H2000 , is a true intercrossed smartwatch that equal theWithings ScanWatch 2 , but without the guilty feeling that you ’re miss out on “ valuable ” data if you resolve to wear something else instead . The Rangeman ’s size and weight do n’t really make you desire to wear down it all the time anyway , but for once , this is n’t really a negative .
Call it what you like : A casual smartwatch , a hybrid smartwatch , a smartwatch for people who hate smartwatches — it does n’t matter . The new Rangeman is a brilliant blend of both G - jar and smartwatch universe , play most of the good thing together without the one affair that puts many determine enthusiast off : a necessity to only ever wearonewatch .
