G-Shock’s GBA-950 Is a Rugged $165 Garmin-Alternative Daily Training Watch
Equipped with Bluetooth tech and compatible with Strava, this formidable Japanese timepiece combines style and fitness capability.
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With over 40 years of history and innovation, G-Shock makes some of the most impressive and formidable Japanese watches ever made. Yet the brand continues to innovate and iterate, filling performance and functionality gaps across its catalog.
The latest, the G-Shock GBA-950 Series , combines sporty styling, fitness-focused capability and the brand's legendary toughness into a single affordable, everyday watch , especially for athletes and gym-goers.
Unlike some of G-Shock's other Strava-compatible watches, this one is more refined for daily wear. - Credit: G-Shock
Hit the road (and trails)
The GBA-950 Series is specifically designed with daily training in mind. To that end, the watch is compatible with Strava, the world-famous fitness tracking app and social network. Using the onboard Bluetooth technology to connect the watch to your phone, you can record your routes, distance traveled, speed, elapsed time and more.
That also means you can use your watch and the app to track your progress, calories burned, life logs, activity history and more. But here's the best part: even without Strava, the watch still has a ton of useful integrated features.
The resin case and integrated strap were designed with influence from the art of origami. - Credit: G-Shock
It has a comprehensive stopwatch, countdown timer, fitness measuring modes (like a lap timer and split time function) and it can keep up to 45 records at a time, so you can maintain your tracking across numerous metrics, routes, exercises and so on.
It also has a bunch of other standard features you'd expect from a G-Shock, like a full-auto calendar, LED backlight for easier low-light reading and five daily alarms. It even has an airplane mode and a low-battery alert.
Inside the resin case, the brand's legendary shock-resistant housing protects the quartz movement inside. - Credit: G-Shock
Shocking, isn't it
The Japanese history- and innovation-inspired construction is undoubtedly another massive highlight of this watch. That starts, of course, with the brand's legendary shock resistance. No matter the route you take, whether through city streets or up and down literal mountains, no amount of jostling or impacts will affect the watch's functionality or reliability.
Like other G-Shocks, this watch is built to take a literal beating and keep right on ticking. But that's not all it has to offer.
The watch has an LED backlight, but it also has lume on its markings and hands. - Credit: G-Shock
The resin case design and integrated resin band are inspired by the classic Japanese art of origami. Better still, the integrated bezel and band are crafted for everyday comfort, offering ergonomic curves made to fit the human body.
It also comes in three unique, bold colorways that stand out, even among G-Shocks. One is black with an orange dial; another is white with a blue dial; and the boldest of all is highlighter yellow with a gray dial.
This is one of G-Shock's most refined training-focused timepieces ever. - Credit: G-Shock
Pricing and availability
The G-Shock GBA-950 Series watches are now available on the brand's official site for $165 apiece, offering an incredibly affordable alternative to other daily training watches, such as those from Garmin.
Casio G-Shock Move GBA-950-1A4
Specs
| Case Size 43.9mm |
|---|
| Movement Quartz |
| Water Resistance 200m |
About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.
