While it often seems like all of the good, quirky and fun ideas in watches come from the Microbrand scene, it’s easy to ignore the larger, more-established brands. Casio are a case in point. Their G-SHOCK range comes in roughly a billion different hues and styles but it was the 2100 Manga series that really showed that the Japanese giant still has some tricks up (on?) its sleeve.
Available in white or cyan, this chunky offering sets itself apart with it’s comic book inspired aesthetic. With each of the edges marked it a sketch-style black line and with classic ‘halftone’ shading, this thing looks like it was drawn by Stan Lee, cut out and put in its box. And the effect is even more striking when you put it on your wrist. At first it’s such a strange look, appearing to be a comic book artifact manifested in the real world. Remember the video to Take On Me by A-ha? It’s basically that but less twee (okay, fine, it’s a pretty decent ’80s pop banger but we’re never getting on the A-ha train).
The whole ‘Manga’ thing isn’t really for us normally but this look is equally applicable to the comics you might have grown up reading in the ’80s in the UK or US too. And aside from a Manga style logo on the back of the case, the look really isn’t exclusive to Japan. But none of that matters because you’ll be taking gleeful glances at this thing on your wrist for days after you get it. It really nails the whole illusion.
Once you get past the quirky looks of this thing, the classic G-SHOCK staples are all there. Sporting the hexagonal ‘Casioak’ style case shape, this has all of the functionality you’d get with a regular G-SHOCK. It’s all controlled with their standard four-button layout, two on each side of the case.
A ‘G-SHOCK’ label gets the top of the bezel and ‘PROTECTION’ is at the bottom – this of course being made out of that tough resin that could take a punch from Alex Pereira and still keep on ticking. On the dial itself you then get ‘G-SHOCK CASIO’ (a little bit redundant to say G-SHOCK twice but whatever) and ‘WR 20BAR’ which is, of course, in reference to the watch’s 200-meter water resistance.
The thick black edging on all of these elements makes it all look printed too, matching the comic book style. It’s all deliberately rough and inconsistent giving this a feel of the latest issue being rushed out for children ready to get their comic fix on a Saturday morning but it all works perfectly. It doesn’t look cheap, or even childish, it just looks different. Even the hour markers and chapter ring keep the gag going. This model also has a day marker and instead of Casio’s usual pointer, they use a speech bubble symbol to show what day it is.
While it’s the look that will get all the attention, this is still a G-SHOCK at heart and is therefore packed full of all of the usual functionality and this is all controlled by their four-button layout.
At the top-right we have the ‘light’ button which provides some illumination from the bottom-right corner of the bezel. There’s also a little bit of lume on the hands but it’s pretty useless. The other button on the right is lower and controls the stopwatch function.
On the left you have the ‘Mode’ and ‘Adjust’ buttons for setting the time, date and an alarm as well as configuring the the little display that sits in the bottom-right of the dial. This display is pretty interesting, albeit typical of the base 2100 model of G-SHOCKs. You see, while this is predominantly an analogue watch, you can also see the time digitally on that display as well as the date (albeit in the US date format on this particular version of the watch).
If this was your only watch or at least your main daily driver, all this functionality would be fine but if you’re rotating this as part of a larger collection, figuring out how to set some of the functions can take some figuring out. Still, it’s only four buttons and all you can do is tap or hold them, so you’ll figure it out.
The main issue is that the LCD screen is inverted which suits the duo-chrome style they are going for but is horrible to read. As such, we hardly ever reference it, even if we need to know the date. But it’s there if you’re prepared to squint a little. Oh and the mineral glass front could be prone to scratching if you’re too bold with it (although it is sunken in a bit to protect it).
Being a G-SHOCK, this watch is a bit of a chunkster. The case size is 48.5mm (L) x 45.4mm (W) however because of the strap which plunges downward almost as soon as it leaves the case, it wears a lot more comfortably than you’d expect. Even on my skinny 6.25 inch wrist, this never felt comically oversized. But even if it did, I guess the watch’s crazy look wants to be seen and so you’re not looking for stealth here. The thickness is only 11.8mm also which does help it stay tucked in under your sleeve if you need it to.
The other downside is that these are completely sold out and have been for a while. Originally listed at just £139 (a proper bargain), these were pretty popular. These days you can pick them up on eBay pretty easily. Expect to pay around £200 for this version (which was actually the New Zealand model) the EU and Japanese versions tend to go for a bit more. Don’t fall for any of the overpriced ones though. There are a few chancers on there with this watch listed at over £400. Avoid those dirty scutters.
The ‘Ten Watch Box’ Verdict: So, will it hold down a place in our ten watch display case? Well, no. It did and for some time. We bought the watch on eBay for £215 back in January and it had quite a bit of wrist time, albeit mainly in the gym. But we’re looking to get the collection down from ten to six and at that point, sacrifices had to be made. It’s a fun watch and obviously pretty striking but this reviewer is 51 in a week’s time and ultimately it was probably a little too silly. It would have definitely stayed in the ten box but there are too many nice options out there to keep in in a six. And so, we’ve just sold it (on eBay for basically the same price we paid).
Availability/Options: This watch comes in cyan or white but either way you’ll be looking on the grey market for it. If you’re in the UK/Europe and not too worried about the date format go for the NZ model which is going to be the cheapest (it’s not like you can read it all that easily anyway). Just make sure you’re not ripped off.
Brand: Casio
Model: G-SHOCK GA-2100MNG-2A
Reference: GA-2100MNG-2A
Style: Casual
Case Size: 48.5 x 45.4mm
Movement: Digital
Material: Resin
Band Width: 20mm
Band Type: Resin
Price Paid: £215 (eBay)