Module functions of the G-Shock GW-BX5600 GMW-BZ5000 with MIP LCD display (including 1/100-second stopwatch)

The G-Shock GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000 with MIP LCD displays are due to be released soon, and we’ve managed get ahold of the specifications for modules 3578 (GW-BX5600) and 3575 (GMW-BZ5000). Here is a rundown of all the functions and notes about some areas of interest.

Durability: Shock-Resistant, 200-meter Water-Resistant
Main Features: Tough Solar, Multi-Band 6 (auto radio time correction), Bluetooth Smartphone Link, MIP LCD Display
Battery Type: CTL1616 (solar rechargeable)
World Time: Two World Time, 55 cities (38 time zones) + UTC, Auto Summer Time Switching, Home City/World Time City swapping
Alarm: Daily Alarm (5, with one snooze) with 20-second beeper, hourly time signal
Stopwatch: 1/100-second (first hour), 1-second (after first hour), max 23:59’59, with elapsed time, split time, 1st-2nd place times
Timer: 24 hour max, 1 second setting unit, 10-second time up beeper
LED Backlight: Full Auto with 1.5 or 3 second duration
Other: Power Saving, Operation (Button) Tone On/Off, Power Saving, Selectable Date Format, Auto Time Correction Enable/Disable, Full Auto Calendar (2000-2099)
Bluetooth Functions (with Casio Watches app): Auto and One-Touch Time Correction, Phone Finder, World Time (approximately 300 cities), Auto Summer Time Switching, Timer Settings, Alarm Settings, Time & Place Log, Main Display Font Switching

Notes:

The stopwatch is capable of measuring in 1/100-second increments, up to the first hour. This is a first for a G-Shock watch with an MIP LCD, as previous models could only measure in 1-second increments. After one hour, it measures in 1-second increments, with a maximum of 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds. Measurements include elapsed time, split time, and 1st-2nd place times.

The current time is displayed in stopwatch and timer modes.

Changing the main display font type (from the classic LCD style to the larger “standard” style) requires using Bluetooth and the Casio Watches app. [We’re assuming that the watch comes with the classic style as the default, judging from the product images.]

There is no option to change the polarity of the display (i.e. from negative to positive display or vice versa).

There is a low battery indicator [LOW] which is displayed when non-timekeeping functions are disabled due to a low battery charge. There is a also “Recover” indicator on the LCD that displays when non-timekeeping functions are disabled due to high momentary battery consumption. If the battery goes dead and the screen is blank, placing it in the sun will show [CHG] until the battery is charged enough to show the current time. Other than the low battery indicator, there is no battery level indicator on the main display, but the level can be checked on the smartphone app using Bluetooth. [A Chinese video on youtube.com shows that there is an on-watch menu with a selection for Battery information that includes the voltage, which gives an indication of the charge level but not in terms on high, medium, or low thresholds.]

Compared to the GW-M5610U, the GW-BX5600 has more (on-watch) world time cities and time zones, including Eucla (+8.75), Lord Howe Island (+10.5), Chatham Islands (+12.75), Nuku’alofa (+13), Kiritimati (+14), Baker Island (-12), and Marquesas Islands (-9.5). The GW-M5610U and GMW-B5000 have five settable “favorite” world time cities, while the GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000 are limited to two, but both of the world time cities can be displayed simultaneously in timekeeping mode on the GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000. There are also some differences with the GMW-B5000 (on-watch) world time cities.

The date format is adjustable (MM-DD or DD-MM), but unlike the GW-M5610U and GMW-B5000, there is no option to change the language for the day of week.

Unlike the GMW-B5000, there is no Reminder function for notifications on specific dates. (Using the Bluetooth app, the GMW-B5000 allows up to five reminder dates to be set, each with a title of up to 18 alphanumeric characters.)

The four selectable Timekeeping Mode screens display the current time with the following options:
Day of week, month and day (standard)
Day of week, year, month and day (with non-abbreviated day of week and 4-digit year display)
Day of week, date, world time (including world time month and day and abbreviated world time city name)
Day of week, date, world time (including 2 world time cities with abbreviated world time city names and without date)

In terms of solar charging, the charging times required for one day of operation are the same as the GMW-B5000, but the the GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000 take less time to charge from lower battery levels than the GMW-B5000.

Charging Times Required For 1 Day of Operation:
50,000 lux: 8 minutes
10,000 lux: 30 minutes
5,000 lux: 48 minutes
500 lux: 8 hours

In 50,000 lux direct bright sunlight, the recovery charging times are as follows (GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000, GMW-B5000):
Dead battery to medium charge: 3 hours, 3 hours
Medium charge to high charge: 22 hours, 35 hours
High charge to full charge: 6 hours, 10 hours

The GW-BX5600 and GMW-BZ5000 look to be worthy upgrades over their counterparts with standard LCD displays, but there are a few reasons why some might prefer to stay with the GW-M5610U and GMW-B5000.