There are watches I keep in the box, watches I may even keep on a winder, and then there’s the GW6900-1, which lives on the hallway table, wedged between a bowl of keys and a stack of unopened mail. Don’t get me wrong … it’s not neglected. This is the watch I throw on when I have to dig through the yard or get out the door in five minutes. And after having it for a few years, I figured it was the perfect time to get my thoughts down on this watch. It doesn’t care about its feelings being hurt, and I don’t worry about it dying on me. Of course, this is all part of the G-Shock magic we’ve come to love as collectors.
The G-Shock GW6900-1 has been around forever it seems, and at this point, it’s earned its place in the G-Shock hall of fame. What keeps me coming back is practicality. I will always stand by this fact. It has the cleanest dual time display I’ve ever used on a digital watch. No sub-dials, no GMT hand or bezel. Just a tidy digital readout on the top right that lets me know what time it is somewhere else. It’s all powered by Casio’s Tough Solar movement, topped off with Multi Band 6 atomic sync. To me, it’s a quartz watch that quietly handles the smart stuff so you don’t have to think about it.
That practicality isn’t just about readability—it extends to the sheer range of functions packed into the case. You get the full G-Shock toolkit here: world time across 31 time zones, 5 daily alarms (including a snooze), countdown timer, 1/100-second stopwatch, and the signature hourly chime. And despite all that, the module feels easy to navigate. The Multi Band 6 radio sync works across Japan, China, the U.S., UK, and Germany. Mine connects overnight like clockwork, usually grabbing the signal pretty early just after midnight.
Of course, all that utility wouldn’t mean much if the thing wore like a brick. This thing is no featherweight in dimensions—53.2mm long, 50mm wide, and 17.7mm thick. In true G-Shock fashion, it wears like a puff of resin. The lightness makes you forget you’re wearing it until you smack it into a doorframe, and even then, it’s the doorframe you feel bad for. The steel caseback and full resin build give it a utilitarian, mission-ready vibe. “Mission-ready vibe.” Gosh, I hate myself for writing that. You get the sense it was built with hard use in mind like something you’d find issued to someone who actually needs a watch to survive the day. I like to think of it as the roided-out companion to the Casio F-91W models I reviewed for the site here.
And that wearability makes it a natural fit in a collection that’s otherwise full of personality pieces. In a collection that includes things like the Doxa Sub 300 and the Halios Seaforth, watches that drip with personality and vintage-coded charm, the GW6900-1 holds its ground. Those watches get rotated, stored, maybe even babied a bit. The G-Shock lives outside that rotation. It’s a default setting. When I’m not in the mood to think about what goes on the wrist, this is what ends up there. That makes it more useful than half the stuff I spent months hunting down on forums.
The triple-eyed dial layout might look like a sci-fi HUD at first glance, but it’s intuitive in practice. The stopwatch function is fast to access and refreshingly accurate down to 1/100th of a second—useful whether you’re tracking a run or timing a French press. The countdown timer is just as usable, with a satisfying beep that won’t let you forget something’s ticking. And the five daily alarms? I’ll be honest—I don’t really use them. But I’m glad they’re there. If I ever needed a set-it-and-forget-it wrist reminder, this is one of the few digital watches I’d trust to actually deliver the alert without fuss. The large main display gives you your primary time and date, while the three upper circles handle everything from stopwatch functions to radio signal reception. The display is crisp, and the EL backlight—activated by a big, friendly front-facing button—is still one of the best. It’s bright, green, and instantly legible in the dark. Some folks wish this model had the newer LED backlight, but I’ve never had a visibility issue.
That everyday dependability continues with the strap. It comes on a resin strap that’s functional, flexible, a little squeaky when new. It hugs the wrist, stays put, and dries fast. You could swap it for something custom, and I know some folks even fit straps from the square G-Shocks to it, but I’ve never felt the need.
That no-nonsense build carries into the experience of actually using it. Operating the GW6900-1 feels refreshingly straightforward. It’s digital, but every function is deliberate, easy to engage, and clearly built for real-world abuse. The solar charging means you’re never opening the case back. Even after stashing it in a drawer for weeks, a couple hours in the sun gets the battery indicator right back to “high.” The Multi Band 6 sync keeps the time pin-neat, whether you’re bouncing between time zones or haven’t touched it in a month. You press a button, it does what it says. I’ve never babied this watch and it’s never let me down.
Which brings me to how it fits into the rest of what I own. It doesn’t draw attention or demand a spot in the rotation. It just works. Some days, that’s the only thing that matters. While other watches get their moments in the sun, this one sees everything else—yard work, airport security lines, dropped tools. It’s always ready, always charged, and never out of sync. And after all this time, I still reach for it. It’s held up better than I expected. And that, honestly, says everything I need it to.
Co-Founder & Senior Editor
Michael Peñate is an American writer, photographer, and podcaster based in Seattle, Washington. His work typically focuses on the passage of time and the tools we use to connect with that very journey. From aviation to music and travel, his interests span a multitude of disciplines that often intersect with the world of watches – and the obsessive culture behind collecting them.