Continued mastery of electro-plating over metal inspired the people at Casio to keep making cool, colorful watches like this particular version of the metal-cased G-Shock GM-5600 known as the GM5600SN-1. Many of the “rainbow IP” (ion-plated) watches from Casio are a bit more high-end and often very limited in their production. At just over $250 USD, this GM5600SN-1 is among the lower price points I’ve seen for some of these beautiful color rainbows for the wrist that our colleagues in Japan have been having a lot of fun making over the last few years.
This color scheme on the GM5600’s 43.2mm-wide steel case (12.9mm-thick) starts as an aquamarine blue that turns dark before it lightens into first a red and then golden yellow glow. This is a good range of the colors possible with an electro-plated treatment but the uniform gradient is very nicely done and, according to Casio, is inspired by the look of Tokyo at night, which combines the brightest lights with the deep blues and blacks of night.
Casio pairs the rainbow IP metal case with a soft red color for the LCD screen digits and puts the watch on a traditional black polyurethane G-Shock strap. The case is water-resistant to 200 meters with a mineral crystal over the screen. The traditional G-Shock movement is battery-powered with a two-year operational life and your classic list of features that the brand’s retro-collection of watches all have. Eventually, I’d like to see more and more of the watches with this fashionability also include Casio’s solar charging and Bluetooth-connected quartz modules.
As a daily wear, beater watch, or just something fun and unpretentious, the DM5600 in resin and now the GM5600 in metal are excellent choices. That said, this particular GM5600SN-1 is actually a bit more high-end than your standard fashion Casio, given its color-treated metal case. Nevertheless, this is an excellent value for a watch whose practicality isn’t going anywhere fast, and whose on-wrist attention-grabbing ability will last for years to come.
The rectangular design echoes those from the original G-Shock watches in the mid-1980s, an angular look that persists as very popular next to some of the more round-cased models that G-Shock is also well known for. If you don’t already have a rainbow IP watch by Casio, I recommend you look into one soon. This reference GM5600SN-1 is a great choice for its otherwise very practical positioning. Price is $260 USD. Learn more at the Casio G-Shock website here.
