If missing a few yellow accents were all that kept you from a new G-Shock purchase, well, your time has finally come with the new Casio G-Shock Master Of G Yellow Accent Series that is introduced with the G-Shock GGB100Y-1A and G-Shock GW9400Y-1.
The GGB100Y-1A is a Mudmaster that offers so much of what one expects to come with a watch bearing that designation. A round bezel, large, chunky pushers that are easy to find even when covered in mud, and easier still to press wearing safety gloves, a beautifully integrated, swiveling strap, and an ana-digi display with massive hour markers. Aahhh. Having owned a Mudmaster for years — albeit one that isn’t nearly as cool as this — these positively soft pushers and the shockingly good wearing comfort are what spring to mind when I hear the word Mudmaster — and my sentiments are certainly backed up by many fans out there with a “MUD RESIST” watch on their wrist.
What’s exceptionally cool about the GGB100Y-1A, beyond the “emergency yellow” accents, of course, is the triple-layered bezel in carbon-fiber-reinforced fine resin. This bezel might remind you of the IWC Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance from exactly 10 years ago and, frankly, not too many other watches since. As the industry embraced forged carbon, it didn’t advertise the fact that one of the reasons for doing so was that forged carbon is easier to manufacture and shape than these multi-layered carbon components, easily identifiable from their chequered pattern.
Ready to connect with the G-Shock Connected app to sync various functions including Mission Log that automatically records altitude data obtained from the watch and route data obtained by your smartphone, as well as easy time synchronization, the G-Shock GGB100Y-1A Mudmaster is also equipped with Quad sensor technology. Quad sensor allows the GGB100Y-1A to display altitude, direction, barometric pressure, temperature, and step tracking. The construction features air filters to prevent mud from entering the case, along with a stainless-steel back panel and a back cover made of shock-resistant fine resin reinforced with glass fibers. All this is built around a high-rigidity carbon core to keep damage and warping at bay and ensure extreme airtightness and shock resistance. As with any Master Of G model from G-Shock, you can expect these two new watches to happily keep on ticking through impacts and conditions that will, by every chance, rough you up. The only thing missing is solar charging — you are looking at approximately 2 years of battery life on a CR2025.
As with any super-tough G-Shock, the GGB100Y-1A is a beefy watch, measuring 55.4 by 51.3 by 19.4 millimeters — but, as always, don’t be put off by these gargantuan dimensions, as these large G-Shocks can wrap around even a narrower wrist beautifully. At just 92 grams, it’s also relatively light, thanks to a large number of carbon and resin components and a resin band in place of a cumbersome metal bracelet. Shock-resistant, mud-resistant, and, of course, 200-meter water-resistant, the G-Shock GGB100Y-1A Mudmaster is your typical Master Of G Mudmaster — but now in cool black and emergency yellow.
Thankfully, there is a companion to the Mudmaster to consider, and the Rangeman design responds just as well to a dash of emergency yellow. The G-Shock GW9400Y-1 Rangeman is not much smaller at 55.2 by 53.5 by 18.2mm and weighs virtually the same at 93 grams. It compensates for the loss of an advertised mud resistance with a solar battery and replaces Bluetooth connectivity with Multiband 6 radio control — an older, but still very impressive and arguably less cumbersome technology that also helps keep the watch close to atomic time.
Equipped with Triple Sensor, the GW9400 Rangeman delivers altitude, direction, temperature, and barometric pressure readings. The cylindrical button guard structure ensures the smooth and accurate operation of the sensor button. Press that button, and the most recently used sensor mode is instantly displayed. Three different types of beeps indicate different measurement modes — handy for a no-look operation that frees your focus during a rugged adventure. All this is, of course, complemented by a familiar variety of additional features including 31 time zones (48 cities + coordinated universal time with and without daylight savings), sunrise and sunset display, 1/100-second chronograph, countdown timer, 5 daily alarms, and a white LED backlight that Casio calls a “Super Illuminator” that we like very much.
Connected through a shared black and emergency yellow color scheme and differentiated in design, as well as some important functionality, the two watches within the Casio G-Shock Master Of G Yellow Accent Series make for a logical and likable extension of the fan-favorite Rangeman and Mudmaster lines. The Casio G-Shock GGB100Y-1A Mudmaster Yellow Accent Series watch is priced at $380, while the Casio G-Shock GW9400Y-1 Rangeman Yellow Series watch is priced at $330. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
