According to the G-Shock Japan website, the following models are now in “end of production” status (i.e. discontinued) and have been replaced by the recent “U” Series with updated modules: GW-5000-1JF, GW-M5610-1JF, GW-M5610-1BJF, and GW-M5610BC-1JF. These models have been replaced by the GW-5000U-1JF, GW-M5610U-1JF, GW-M5610U-1BJF, and GW-M5610UBC-1JF, which were released in July 2021. The GW-5000U-1ER, GW-M5610U-1ER, and GW-M5610U-1BER were also released in Europe, and the G-5600UE-1 (without Multi-Band 6) was released throughout Asia. (The G-5600E-1JF is still listed as an active model in Japan, but it seems likely to also be discontinued soon.)
The new “U” editions have the same designs but with an LED light (versus the old EL backlight) and a new module offering enhanced functions, such as adjustable light afterglow, time display in stopwatch and timer mode, timer settable in seconds, adjustable date format and language, and more. (Please visit the “U” Series link above for all the new features.)
(We also previously reported on the lightweight GW-S5600-1JF being replaced by the GW-S5600U-1JF.)
In the past, the “end of production” status appeared to apply globally to all markets, but it’s uncertain how the discontinuation of the GW-M5610-1JF will affect the status of the GWM5610-1 in the U.S., where none of the “U” models were released yet. It seems likely that the U.S. will get the new GW-M5610U version at some point, but considering there is probably a large amount of GWM5610-1 watches still available, it could be a while before that happens.
The GW-5000-1JF in Hong Kong (middle):
In Europe, the GW-M5610 are still being sold in the official Casio website and the GW-M5610U disappeared. I guess they want to get rid of all old stocks they have.
Well spotted: sneaky Casio. I got the U version from the Casio EU store a few weeks ago, now it’s gone.