Watch Snob On Casio G-Shock

Ever Wonder What The Watch Snob Thinks About The G-Shock? You'd Be Surprised...

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Is The G-Shock MR-G Line Worth The Price Tag?

Hi Snob, what do you think about Casio G-Shock's MRG line? Can a G-Shock be worth that much? I just love how the Hammer Tone looks.

I suspect this may come as a shock to some of the readers but I happen to like the G-Shock watches in general very much indeed. Certainly in general I prefer mechanical watches but I would a thousand times rather have a G-Shock, which is one of the best quartz watches ever made, than a mediocre mechanical watch.

There is a certain wonderful obsessiveness to G-Shocks in general – the fact that they came out of essentially one man’s fixation on making the closest thing possible to an indestructible watch is a big part of the charm, and especially for people with a fascination with gadgets, they seem to be irresistible – I happen to own several myself and though I don’t wear them often I find them fun and in their own way admirable when I do.

That said, I don’t care for the MR-G series of watches very much. I understand in theory what watches like the Hammer Tone are going for, and combining cutting edge Japanese watch technology with a hundreds-of-years old decoration technique is certainly interesting but it seems far afield from what the essence of G-Shock really is. Good for them, and I’m sure they will hold some appeal for someone, but they don’t for me.

A Father's 50th Birthday Gift

Firstly, I would like to express my admiration for you columns and respect for your purist take on horology. My father will be turning 50 in a two years and my brother and I were considering on getting him a watch for this milestone with our budget stretching to 2000SGD/ 1500USD (we are both students after all). He currently owns an Apple iWatch and has no history with automatic or hand-wound watches at all.

I was wondering on whether to get him a Quartz watch from a respectable brand, like Breitling (might have to go second-hand) or Maurice Lacroix, or just get a fashion watch, Gucci or Guess.

If you were my sons, with that budget, and you ended up giving me a Gucci or Guess watch I would disown you and then shoot you, not necessarily in that order. However, one must when one gives gifts, consider the psychology of the subject, so to speak.

Your father is an Apple Watch man? He has absolutely no history with mechanical watches? He might be very happy with a fashion watch although I suspect he would simply be mystified as to why you got him one. Apple Watch is the best of the so called smart watches at the moment; I find them absolutely, monumentally, and totally unappealing but I must acknowledge the effort they put into it and I think it comes closer to succeeding than any other smart watch I’ve seen.

If you are going to give the old boy a watch, however, give him one that is meaningful as a watch. Quartz can be fine, but a respectable quartz watch at that price is a bit difficult – I would suggest either a Citizen Eco-Drive model, or an entry level Breitling. Or even better, stretch your budgets a little bit and look at quartz Grand Seiko, which will give you considerably more bang for the buck, if I may use the phrase. Or realize that at fifty, and with an Apple Watch on his wrist on a regular basis, he’s already got the watch he wants and buy him an excellent bottle of whisky instead.

The Pros And Cons Of The Ronde Croisière de Cartier

Thank you for saving me from buying the FPJ Elegante a few months ago!

Again, I am looking in the unusual corners of the watch universe and happen to very much like the Ronde Croisière de Cartier, Ref. WSRN0002 with the silver dial. It appears to have a decent, albeit entry-level, in-house movement, the 1847 (although at this price point I wouldn't mind an ETA 2892A2 as these are very reliable). It also mixes classic Cartier design elements with a more sporty look, the combination of which I absolutely prefer over the the Calibre de Cartier.

Now my question to you: from your personal perspective, could you possibly elaborate on the pros and cons of the Ronde Croisière de Cartier, please?

Hello again sir. I am beginning to wonder if perhaps I did the wrong thing in steering you clear of the Elegante – based on this your second query you seem to have an incurable fascination with the slightly off! Maybe I should have just urged you to get the Journe so you could have gotten it out of your system.

Anyhow, to the matter at hand: the Ronde Croisière de Cartier. This is one of those watches about which I can only say, that it is not actually a bad watch; the problem is that so often when one has such a watch under consideration, it is a watch that would be much more interesting if it were actually bad.

Allegedly these are part of Cartier’s so-called Cruise Collection. As such (cruise collections are more or less equivalent to resort wear, in the fashion world) they should evoke an atmosphere of escape from a frigid northern winter, to the balmy climes of the South and the scent of sea breezes. These watches, however, merely manage to be dull – so much so it’s hard to even muster any real ire towards them. Completely harmless, utterly banal, and totally forgettable – I suggest you buy one immediately.

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Watches Mentioned In This Article: Casio G-Shock MR-G ($2,900.00), Grand Seiko ($1,949.90), Citizen Eco-Drive (Starting at $84.50), Ronde Croisière de Cartier (Starting at $3,695.00)