G-Shock revival

[Kobayashi]

I've always been a fan of Casio watches, and I've had several models over the years. The older model G-Shock watches appeal to me because of the solid features like solar charging, atomic clock sync, 200m water resistance, ability to survive abuse. More importantly, the case sizes are reasonable compared to current models, at least for practical daily use.

I picked up this used G-Shock GW-9100 Gulfman a few weeks ago. It was originally made in 2008 and has seen a few hard miles over the years. The bezel and band were scarred and polished from abuse, and the plastic buttons had been impressively sheared off one side. As a testament to G-shock toughness only the button caps were missing, while the actuator pins were still in place, functional, and keeping moisture out of the case.

 

[Cudruln]

I have been using the g shock gw-9400 the last couple years. It has been a great watch, with some very useful features.

My dad has an original triple sensor casio. It's close to 20 years old now. Still runs like it's new out of the box.

 

[Kobayashi]

These things are fairly easy to tear down. The most difficult part about this one was replacing the buttons, which requires removing digging into the guts. The buttons have double o-rings for water resistance and tiny c clips on the pins - which require a bit of patience to remove and replace. I used a rare earth magnet to prevent loss of the tiny parts.

 

[Kobayashi]

The metal inner bezel was a little beat up. 150 grit followed by 400 grit cleaned up the edges and brushed finish.

 

[Kobayashi]

One of the great things about these watches is the availability of replacement parts. A quick scan of Ebay netted new buttons, bezel, and strap.

New bezel installed

 

[Kobayashi]

Crystal polished with Flitz, new resin parts installed.

Nice examples of this model currently sell for $125 used to $200 new old stock (if you can find one). Given the availability of replacement parts, buying used can be a very good deal, especially If you looking for older possibly collectable models. The Purchase and restoration cost for this one was $61.

 

[Kobayashi]

It's been a year since I restored the G-Shock GW-9100, and I decided to add another variant to my collection. I found this worn and crusty GW-9110 on ebay, and worked on it a few nights ago.

 

[Kobayashi]

Like the 9100, the 9110 has the typical features of a G-Shock, including time, date, stopwatch, world time, solar battery, multiband 6 atomic clock sync. The 9110 includes moon phases and tide info (interesting but not useful in metro Atlanta). I tore it down and soaked it for a while to remove the crusted junk. It honestly looks as if it was discovered at the bottom of a lake.

 

[Kobayashi]

The titanium bezel was scarred a bit, but a little work with 150 and 400 grit cleaned it up nicely. The crystal was polished with Flitz.

 

[Kobayashi]

I wanted something a little different from basic black. After a little research I found that casio made a older 9100 model with blue resin. I found an old NOS resin set online. The gray/blue resin along with the anodized red accents gives it a nerdy theme.

 

[dial1911]

Really nice looking work- I had no idea you could rebuild watches (well, Casio's- Rolex is a different story)

 

[Kobayashi]

Really nice looking work- I had no idea you could rebuild watches (well, Casio's- Rolex is a different story)

You can rebuild most any watch if you have the tools. G-shocks are relatively easy as long as the spare parts haven't been discontinued.

 

[Hoss]

You can rebuild most any watch if you have the tools. G-shocks are relatively easy as long as the spare parts haven't been discontinued.

How difficult is it to polish a scratched lens? What is the most efficient process you have found?

 

[KhyberPass]

Badass! Nice work man

 

[Kobayashi]

How difficult is it to polish a scratched lens? What is the most efficient process you have found?

It depends on the material and how deep the scratch is. Scuffs can be polished out. With deep scratches it's easier to replace the crystal. In most cases the crystal can be upgraded to sapphire.

 

[Kobayashi]

Worked on another one tonight. This is one of my favorites a GW-2500b. These were only made for one year, and while you can still find them on Ebay the prices have been steadily climbing over the last few years. This one has a lot of miles on it.

 

[Kobayashi]

Besides the wear, I found 11 years of grime.

 

[Kobayashi]

Cleaned, crystal polished with Flitz.

 

[KhyberPass]

I can see myself getting into a side hobby like this. Especially quarantined

 

[Kobayashi]

The aluminum bezel is discontinued. This one is anodized gray, but has plenty of patina. I considered restoring it with some Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black, and I still might, but for now I chose to smooth it out with some 400 and 1000 grit to even out the battle worn look.