The Casio G-Shock “Master of G” Gulfmaster collection is unique for a few interesting reasons. Sort of a dive watch, and sort of a hardcore marine-themed watch, what further separates the Gulfmaster collection from other G-Shock models is actually how they look. Before going more into this Casio G-Shock Master Of G Gulfmaster GWNQ1000-1A reference watch, let’s talk a bit about what the upper echelon of G-Shock watches is all about.
Casio G-Shock fans tend to begin their collecting obsession with relatively inexpensive models typically costing under $200. Many stay there, but the brave ones who truly appreciate the mastery of what a G-Shock watch can do eventually embark on the fascinating road of what I’ll call “high-end G-Shock.” To many active professionals or serious adventure seekers, these higher-end G-Shock watches represent “the perfect watch.” Compared to a high-end Swiss timepiece they are a bargain – especially given the Premium Production Line (PPL) “lab” where they are assembled in Japan (which we discussed in detail in our visit to the G-Shock headquarters in Japan here). With that said, many of these better models approach the $1,000 price tag or exceed it.
The most high-end G-Shock models exist in the MR-G collection, which sits right above the slightly more accessible MT-G collection. Each of these have all-metal structures, with MR-G models typically being in titanium. Right underneath MR-G and MT-G collection watches is the “Master of G” G-Shock collection which includes such model families as the Frogman, Mudmaster, Gravitymaster, and the Gulfmaster. To make things more complex is that each of these sub-collections under Master of G have a range of variously priced models. The better ones have some really outstanding features, better materials, and are made in Japan (versus in Thailand where many other Casio products are assembled).
The Casio G-Shock Master Of G Gulfmaster GWNQ1000-1A is currently at the top of the Gulfmaster ladder and is both the first Gulfmaster watch to sport a sapphire crystal as well as a “quad sensor” array. It also happens to be ideal for people who love G-Shock watches but also like analog dials. The large white hands and hour markers offer excellent contrast and make for superior legibility. Of course, the hands and hour markers have applied luminant, but the dial also features dual LED lights (one for the screen and one to illuminate the dial) for excellent darkness visibility.
What are the quad sensors all about? Starting a few years ago, Casio began to migrate its “triple sensor” technology from Pro Trek models to G-Shock models. In a funny way, this move sort of made the Pro Trek collection a bit redundant, even though I feel they still have a lot of value. These sensors included a compass, barometer/altimeter (they use the same sensor but different math), and a thermometer. The Casio G-Shock Master Of G Gulfmaster GWNQ1000-1A adds a depth meter to the mix, which explains the “quad sensor” designation.
Thematically, it is hard to perfectly explain what exact purpose the Gulfmaster is meant to fulfill. As you can see (and will be further explained), it combines functions from a series of models. One way to look at it is as a slightly more versatile dive watch, just without as many features as the latest G-Shock Frogman GWF-D1000, for instance, and with an ana-digi versus all-digital dial. Look at Casio’s promotional images and you’ll see that they had various active professionals in mind who do things like work on oil rigs, military or law enforcement boats, or other professionals who work mostly on top of water, and sometimes in the water as well.
As a dive watch, the Casio G-Shock Master of G Gulfmaster GWNQ1000 is water resistant to 200 meters. The strap is easily long enough to go over most dive suits, but if you want a really long strap then the Frogman is the way to go. Look on the underside of the watch and you’ll see three vertical slits which is where water is meant to enter to access the depth meter sensor. The watch can measure depth down to 50 meters, and does so in 0.1-meter increments. It also has some logging features (from the last 40 dives) which include dive times, date, and of course the maximum depth.
In addition to the depth meter, the watch has other useful features for people diving or being around water. These include the barometric pressure gauge for measuring weather, which has a cool automatic alarm that beeps if the pressure is rising or falling rapidly; a moon phase (age) indicator; and a neat-looking tide graph. In the past, some people have asked me how to set the tide graph, and its pretty simple and handy, actually. When setting the time, you select your city (which is a bit more varied than the standard 24 time zones), and from there you select the relative latitude of where you are.