According to Casio, this G-Shock reference GW6900NASA241 is part of the brand’s 50th anniversary of making wristwatches. How, then, does that connect to NASA? Speaking of which, this is the fifth G-Shock watch to bear the U.S.’s NASA space agency branding. The NASA connection is loose in that NASA engineers and scientists may have used Casio calculators (and maybe they still do today). In effect, Casio is a calculation device company (that’s what digital watches really are), and on this 50th anniversary of its first watch (the Casiotron), it’s trying to remind people of that fact. This is a very cool watch and would have been even without the NASA branding.
To give a better thematic and inspirational context for this Casio G-Shock watch, I am including two of Casio’s marketing images for the GW6900NASA241 watch. One image includes a vintage “Casio Mini” early budget electronic calculator from 1972 (two years before Casio introduced its first wristwatch). You can see how Casio was inspired by the Casio Mini Calculator colors for this particular G-Shock GW6900 NASA watch. Another is a wristshot image with the watch of someone wearing a pocket protector, surrounded by pages of schematics and formulas. People like that work at NASA, but they also work at Casio. Perhaps this watch is a tongue-in-cheek joke that the people who work at Casio like to imagine themselves being at NASA. In any event, the actual inspiration for this watch is interesting, and the resultant design is actually much more fashionable than anyone might expect the pocket protector-wearing crowd to demand.
While I really like many of Casio’s themed GW6900 watches, I don’t love how they are mostly relegated to Casio’s most entry-level models. That means you normally need to sacrifice features and technology for a cool design or theme. In this instance, Casio stepped it up (a bit) and at least used a “Tough Solar” module as the basis for this watch. While it would have been great to have Bluetooth, as well, having Multi Band 6 (for atomic clock radio signals) and Tough Solar as part of the other core list of G-Shock watch utilities and tools is enough for me to be happy wearing one of these watches and not pine for extra features.
Casio uses a matte-black resin for the case and strap. The GW6900 is really comfortable on the wrist, and in this form is particularly so. The watch is incredibly light at just 63 grams, and it isn’t too thick at 17.7mm (not too thick for a G-Shock, that is). The case is 50mm wide and has a 53.2mm long lug-to-lug distance. Over the dial is a mineral crystal and the case is water resistant to 200 meters.
A graphic behind the backlight is a common feature in limited series Casio G-Shock watches like this. On this watch, it is a bit strange, as well as hard to fully see. It appears to be the term “Gravity,” along with the mathematical formula for determining it as a variable. On the rear of the watch etched into the steel caseback is the term “Impact,” with the mathematical formula for that. On the strap loop, there is a small American flag motif. As an American who is fond of the work of NASA, I appreciate these features, but I also find the NASA connection to be a bit arbitrary. Yes, that will help Casio get more attention for these otherwise cool watches, but it also sort of side-steps the deeper purpose of this watch, which is to celebrate Japanese calculators and the professionals who use them.
The key positives of this Casio G-Shock watch are its overall aesthetic design, the slightly more-than-basic electronic module inside, and the really affordable (under $200) price point. The quirks behind the design features and the ambiguous NASA relationship are just part of the charm. Plus, if you are someone who wears or has worn a pocket protector, you are rarely going to find other watches like this that have your demographic in mind. Price for the Casio G-Shock GW6900 NASA (Reference GW6900NASA241) watch is $170 USD. Learn more at the Casio website.
