1980s, the decade that truly represented modernisation. A time when product design of everyday household items took a 180° turn. Televisions and kitchen appliances went from having smooth to sharp edges. Fashion went from fitted and muted to big and overly saturated. And displays… Almost everything, from oven temperature to car speedometers, went from analogue gauges to digital displays… Even wristwatches took on a more “modern” digital displays too. And with the birth of the Casio G-Shock in 1983, so too did the digital sport watches.

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The Quintessential Digital Sport Watch
Fondly known to enthusiasts as the “Square G-Shock”, its outward appearance changed very little in four decades. Put it side by side with the debut model G-Shock, the DW-5000C, and you can hardly tell any difference. It is, after all, designed to take all the punishment you can throw at it, and still keep working. It’s the ultimate sport watch, and there’s no excuse for how it looks. Unlike the GA-2100 from the previous article, this G-5600UE isn’t a sport watch pretending to be a dress watch.

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Dressing The Digital Sport Watch
There’s no prizes for guessing, this digital sport watch doesn’t suit up well. With that out of the way, let’s get on with pairing this G-Shock with the full spectrum of classic menswear.
(1) Business Formal

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NO, nein, non, nyet, tidak… – Pairing the digital sport watch to business formal is like trying to mix oil with water. Sure, you can try adding in a little soap to coalesce the mixture. But you only end up with an even bigger mess than the one you started with. In short, just don’t do it…
(2) Business Semi-Formal

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Again, NO – Similar reasons as above. This outfit is still too dressy to pair with any sport watches, let alone a digital sport watch.
(3) Business Informal

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Still a firm NO – This outfit may be informal, but it’s still way too formal for a digital sport watch. In fact, pairing of all digital-only display watch is still out of the question.
(4) Business Casual

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Still a NO, but a little less firm – Still a no-go, specifically for the G-5600UE. I’ll upgrade it to a MAYBE if it’s a dressier looking digital all-rounder watch. But no, not a digital sport watch.
(5) Dressy Casual

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YES – This is the highest level of formality that I’m comfortable pairing the digital sport watch with.
(6) Just Casual

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A definite YES – The digital sport watch pairs very well indeed with this level of formality.
And The Best Pairing For A Digital Sport Watch?
Just like the GA-2100 in the previous episode, this less dressy G-Shock model pairs well with sporting activities too. It is, after all, as its name suggests, a sport watch. So the next time you plan to go swimming, water skiing, surfing, or even snorkelling, put on this G-Shock. The G-5600UE will pair magnificently with your swim attire.

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Whatever your choice of sporting activity is, you can’t go wrong with this handsome G-5600UE on your wrist. Doesn’t matter whether swimming, running, hiking, camping, golfing, or simply slow walking around the lake garden. This digital sport watch will pair very well with almost all sporting activities… Well, except for contact sports, that is… In which case, you’re not suppose to wear any watches anyway…
Disclaimer – This Is Not A Sponsored Article
Neither Casio nor any of their distributors/retailers sponsored the G-Shock G-5600UE watch featured in this article. This specific watch is a personal watch, which I purchased with my own money. But that doesn’t mean we’re not seeking sponsorship, or loaner watches to feature in future episodes. So if you’re a watchmaker, distributor, retailer, dealer, we’d love to collaborate with you. Contact us here to feature one of your watches in future episodes.

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If you like what you read here, and wish to encourage me to keep writing, then buy me a coffee. In the meantime, leave your questions, comments and critiques below. And come back for the next episode, where we’ll take a look at the chronograph racing watch.
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