Dressing The Retro Digital Sport Watch

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.

Close-up of a Casio G-Shock G-5600UE, a typical digital sport watch.
Released in 2021, the G-5600UE took its design cues from the G-Shock debut model from 1983, the DW-5000C. The design language and dial layout are imperceptibly identical to its predecessor’s.
Image by Author

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.

Close-up wrist shot of the G-5600UE, matched with a vintage denim trucker jacket. This G-Shock is a typical digital sport watch.
The G-5600UE is as unpretentious a sport watch as it comes. Designed to provide you all the information easily, with very little emphasis on how it looks whilst doing its job. It is, after all, a tool watch, not a fashion accessory.
Image by Author

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

Solid charcoal grey suit, solid white shirt, solid burgundy tie, and solid white pocket square.
Two-piece, solid charcoal grey suit, with a solid white shirt, solid burgundy tie, and solid white pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of solid black plain toe Oxford dress shoes.
Solid black, plain-toe Oxfords, are as conservative as you can go.
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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

Solid olive green suit, solid blue shirt with white contrasting collar and cuffs. Burgundy tie with small repeating patterns, and pocket square.
Two-piece, solid olive green suit, with sporty, slanted hip pockets, and a ticket pocket above the right hip pocket. A pale blue shirt with contrasting collar and cuffs, small-patterned burgundy tie and coordinating pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of whole cut in ox blood, with wingtip patterned brogue. Another type of typical dress shoes.
Whole cut in ox blood, with burnished toes, and wingtip patterned brogue.
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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

Solid navy, double breasted blazer, with 6 X 2 gold buttons. Solid blue shirt with navy and yellow regimental striped tie, solid grey trousers, and pocket square.
Double breasted navy blazer with 6 X 2 gold buttons. Solid pale blue shirt with navy and yellow regimental striped tie. Solid medium grey trousers, and a contrasting pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of brown double monk-straps. A less dressy dress shoes.
Brown, double monk-straps, to exude a more playful vibe.
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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

Grey sport jacket in mini-Glen check weave, a solid pink OCBD shirt with block stripe knit tie in autumn colours, and a pair of solid burgundy chinos.
Grey sport jacket in mini-Glen check weave. Solid pink OCBD shirt with a knit tie in autumn colours. Solid burgundy chinos, and a contrasting pocket square.
Image by Author
Close up of a pair of brown penny loafers. One of the least dressy dress shoes.
Brown penny loafers, a typical “less dressy” dress shoes.
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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

Unstructured, charcoal brown flannel sport jacket, denim OCBD shirt, and khaki chinos.
Charcoal brown, unstructured sport jacket with an open collared denim OCBD shirt. Khaki chinos, and a contrasting pocket square.
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Close up of a pair of khaki canvas derbies.
Derby shoes in tan canvas stretch what it means to be “dress” shoes.
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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

Denim trucker jacket, solid white t-shirt, and solid olive green jeans.
Denim trucker jacket, solid white t-shirt, and olive green jeans.
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Close up of a pair of white trainers.
White trainers, with a thin red and black stripe. A stereotypical pair of casual footwear.
Image by Daniel Storek of Unsplash

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.

A pair of swim trunks and a pair of swim goggles, to indicate water activities.
Swimming, with a pair of swim trunks, a pair of swim goggles, and a digital sport watch.
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Wrist shot of the G-Shock G-5600UE, on the bare wrist, suggesting water activities with a sport watch.
Whether in the pool or the ocean, you can never go wrong with this digital sport watch on your wrist.
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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.

Vintage denim trucker jacket, with a black t-shirt, displaying the G-5600UE as a typical digital sport watch.
Doesn’t the G-5600UE look handsome, paired with this casual outfit?
Image by Author

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.

Do you prefer analogue, digital, or ana-digi watch displays?
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About CHOW Wei Ming

Brand consultant, photographer, creative director, storyteller, and a true believer of the power of visual communications. Outwardly expresses a friendly disposition, but hides a perfectionist nature deep inside him.

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