Although there are countless water and dust-resistant watches on the market, the toughness of all models in the G-Shock line is at another level – the quartz mechanism is housed in a special, elastic-ring holder, which has taken around 2 years of development and testing before the company released its first model – the DW-5000C. This shock-negating mechanism makes G-Shock watches extremely resistant to bumps and vibrations, which are of course common in all types of outdoor gardening activities.
What Makes G-Shock Watches Good for Gardening?
Watches in the G-Shock line are extremely resistant to the harsh environmental conditions involved in all types of outdoor gardening.
Although there are many other water-resistant watches out there, the shock resistance of the G-Shock makes them suitable for use with vibrating power tools and bumping or dropping the watch on hard surfaces will not damage it. The mud and dust resistance is also very high and soil particles pose no risk to the watch and its buttons.
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If anything, considering its suitability for military use, the toughness of the G-Shock line makes it over-qualified for the environmental conditions involved in gardening. However, this ‘over-qualification’ is not an issue when you consider the affordable price of this Casio line – the cheapest model is less than $100.
Are G-Shock Watches Dirt and Dust Resistant?
All G-Shock watches are dust/mud resistant to a large degree. However, some G-Shock models claim to be specifically designed to be more resistant to dust and mud. Those specific models do feature extra gaskets and protection around their buttons.
The sealing gaskets around their buttons are specially designed to have less ‘crevices’, making them less likely to accumulate dust and mud. If you go ‘elbows deep’ when doing gardening, it’s a good idea to choose one of those models, but this is not an absolute requirement – even the cheaper models have a high enough mud resistance. However, the specific ‘mud-resistant’ models will be a bit easier to clean.
Are G-Shock Watches Scratch Resistant?
G-Shock watches are very resistant to scratches and even if you do scratch them a little, the damage will almost always be to the replaceable bezel.
Tiny scratches over time are inevitable and this applies to even the most ‘scratch resistant’ tools and electronics on the market in general – soil, rocks and sand contain some of the hardest materials in nature, having a hardness of more than 7 on the mohs scale (quartz sand for example).
Even sapphire glass, which is the second hardest known material can eventually get scratched with enough exposure to the elements.
Scratch resistance of the glass surface
G-Shock watches are scratch-resistant, but not all models feature a glass made out of particularly scratch-proof materials. Instead, the raised bezel of the watch protects its glass from scratches. That bezel is easily replaceable and functions as a shield that can absorb damage and be eventually replaced for cheap.
Mineral glass scratch resistance
The actual display surface of cheaper G-shock watches is made out of mineral glass, which although hard can still be scratched. Sand and rock particles, which unfortunately consist of one of the hardest known materials – crystalline silica, can certainly leave little scratches if they come in hard contact with the glass. This however, applies to almost all electronic devices, including mobile phones with a gorilla glass surface.
Mineral glass has a 5 to 6 rating on the hardness scale, which is below the 7 rating of common silica sand.
Sapphire glass
Certain G-Shock models feature sapphire glass – unlike regular mineral glass, which has a hardness rating of 6, sapphire glass has a rating of 9. It is the second hardest material known to man.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily mean that softer materials, like silica sand are completely unable to scratch it. Eventually, even sapphire glass can develop small scratches when used in sandy environments. Those scratches won’t be deep, but extremely fine and visible only when you look at the surface at an angle.
Screen protectors
If you want to absolutely ensure that no scratches appear on the glass of the watch, you can use a screen protector, similar to the one used for mobile phones. This automatically makes the display of your watch scratch-proof, unless an extremely unlikely incident occurs where something sharp bumps into the display with a lot of force.
Those screen protectors can be purchased, but it can be difficult to find one for your particular model – this is why many people choose to cut their own protectors out of standard screen-protector sheets, used for mobile phones. Doing this well and ‘installing’ the screen protector can be tricky and almost always takes more than a few tries.
Getting rid of air bubbles stuck between the protector and the display can be particularly annoying – once a bubble develops, it can be impossible to get out and you have to repeat the whole process again.
Water Resistance
All G-Shock models have high water resistance (200 meters) – they have no problems being submerged and are therefore more than adequate for gardening – in fact they can be cleaned off of dirt and mud by using a gardening hose.
Pressing the buttons while the watch is wet poses no risk – this is a common myth, which originates from the poor water resistance of cheap water-resistant watches, which have imperfect sealing gaskets around their buttons.
Can They Withstand Vibrations From Power Equipment?
As shown above, This G-Shock Rangeman watch has weathered almost all elements and gardening working conditions. Although somewhat bulky in some aspects, this watch has never failed.
Vibration and shock resistance are the most unique features of all models in the G-Shock line. Water and dust resistance are not uncommon in the wristwatch market, with waterproof models being widely available as far back as 1926.
The vibration resistance of G-Shock watches is rated at 20g, which is quite impressive – vibrations and shocks from power tools will not be a problem for any model in this line and neither will be an accidental bumping of the watch against a hard surface, like a wall or a tool handle.
Final Thoughts
G-Shock watches are perfect for outdoor activities that involve a lot of water, dust and vibration/shock exposure. They are absolutely adequate (or even over-qualified) for all types of gardening and even submerging them in muddy water is no problem.
Over time, even the most scratch-resistant models can develop tiny scratches, but this applies to all electronics in general, as a fully scratch-proof material simply doesn’t exist. Minor damages to the watch can be easily dealt with by replacing the inexpensive bezel.
