One of the coolest feelings in watch collecting is finding a gem where you least expect it. For me, this was the case for the G-shock-2100-1A. Originally, I was simply looking for a watch to take to the gym that was smaller and lighter than my G-shock Frogman, which happens to be an absolute tank. I ordered this piece simply because of its advertised lightweight; I paid $130 for it. Upon arrival, I realized I had found a piece that was going to get a lot of wrist time outside of the gym and was probably going to become a favorite among my collection.
I know, you’re probably thinking, “It’s a G-shock…What’s so good about it?” And perhaps, my build up is a little hifalutin. Regardless, let me make my case as to why this deserves this kind of introduction.
Dimensions.
The dimensions of this piece are perfect. We all know G-shocks are very big and bulky. Aside from the 5600 line (the rectangle ones), a G-shock is going to carry a 48mm+size, a 16mm+ thickness, and some bold wrist presence. Right off the bat, the 2100 stood apart.
Size: 48mm by 45mm
Thickness: 11.8mm
Water Resistance: 200m
Weight: 50g
Lume: Lumed hands and double LED light.
Features: World time, chronograph, countdown timer, alarms.
Taking a glance at the speculations, the thing that pops out is the weight and thickness. This is seriously light. It disappears on the wrist and feels almost as if you’re not wearing a watch, especially if you’re used to wearing watches on bracelets. Second, the thickness is comparable to most non-GShock watches. For reference, it is roughly the same thickness as the hand wound Stowa Marine, which is often seen as sporting dress watch dimensions. Pair this light and thin combination with the 200m water resistance and the proprietary G-Shock toughness, and you get a fantastic combination and mix of tough and lightweight.
The analog and digital combination is nothing new to G-shock, but still offers a cool mix of the two major ways to tell time. The small screen can feature the digital time, date, or any of the complications mentioned above.
Octagon
We all think of the same thing when we see an octagon case. If you disagree, you’re either new to watches or lying. Octagons are proprietary and the shining flagship of the Audemars Piguet. The historical significance of this watch is best left for another review, but if you are unaware, I invite you to Google “Royal Oak” and go down the rabbit hole that is AP.
To make it clear, there is no real resemblance to a Royal Oak, aside from the case shape. To me, this is a good thing. We’ve all seen those “homage” Royal Oak-ish watches that seem to toe the line between homage and something else. We don’t need screws on the case. We don’t need any similarities to the Royal Oak. To me, the cool factor of this piece stands more on the fact that octagon shapes are rarely seen in watches than any resemblance to a Royal Oak. Realistically speaking, I can’t think of many octagon watches that aren’t going after the Royal Oak aesthetic aside from this one.
Price
At roughly $150, this piece is on par with just about any other entry level G-Shock. This isn’t solar powered. This doesn’t have atomic timekeeping. This has all of core features that make a G-Shock a G-Shock, and it shares the price with its feature brethren.
