[G-Shock Review] DW-D5500BB-1ER – Very Masculine, Almost for the Terminator

Sometimes it seems to me that I have already seen all the G-Shock-and it makes no sense to review the next “repeated” representative from this shock-resistant direction. But it is not. Looking through the offers on the market [which are in active sale], I always come across something new. True, this “new” may be long forgotten by the old, but still interesting. Consider just the old building in the new skin called DW-D5500BB-1ER in a detailed review on the blog of Casio fans.

The DW-5500 [it is the basis of the DW-D5500] first appeared in 1985.

Yes, the guys, this is also one of the most ancient representatives of the “G-Shock-like”, which even now is actively sold and deserves special attention [you can read our historical essay on the blog: 1985 – DW-5500C and DW-5400C. The first round G-Shock and dirt resistance.] It was then that Japanese designers discovered the enormous scope of opportunities for electronic watches. They can be packaged in different types, so long as the module sits under the protection of an engineering impact-resistant system. Just after the first DW-5500, the world first saw the round G-Shock and rushed …

It is logical that the DW-D5500 inherit the DW-5000 case [the world’s first G-Shock watch], so the appearance of the dial and the location of the indices are not surprising. In the DW-D5500BB-1ER, the design outside the digital window is most striking.

This is some kind of ideal concept of masculinity. Masculinity [sorry for such a word] is manifested in every line, bend, button, size. I can’t even imagine how a girl can wear such a watch [also sorry if someone offended], because before my eyes there is a picture of a man in camouflage during a special military operation.

Okay, let’s remove this picture and imagine the modern world – hell, almost nothing has changed, except for the inflated guys from the audience and breakdance lovers. Of course, this is all just my imagination, the watch has no restrictions in the target audience, where everyone can choose what the soul wants.

Sometimes it is interesting to observe non-core communities [usually designer], who consider the appearance of G-Shock-s “defective.” I will not give a link, but the tone of the conversation is approximately the same. So, I will try to describe my opinion a little on the pages of the blog: G-Shock-and fell in love just for originality, for rude lines, for the fact that the clock can be not only round, not only with hands, and not only for representatives of elites. Modern shocks are created just for self-expression, for avoiding stereotypical thinking, for designers with their own unique taste of beauty.

In the appearance of the model DW-D5500BB-1 is just visible all this uniqueness. Unlike the base case, the DW-D5500BB-1 is created in matte black and is part of the black G-Shock collection dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the brand.

Black color goes to shocks, and indices “BB” in the title just want to be decoded as “Black, Black”. Earlier, I also considered the black model DW-5600BBN-1ER on the blog, so this perception [the models, by the way, are very similar].

All the inscriptions are “carved” in the polymer material, so they do not emphasize on themselves paying tribute to the appearance of the case itself.

Frankly, I’m not used to such side buttons. With their forms they complement the style of watches and at the same time are very comfortable to use. For the banal reason: the coverage of the action is greater, and therefore more convenient to press. Pressing the truth is tight, but in such a clock is the norm.

At first glance, the upper left button serves as a “stub”, namely, it does not perform any function due to the distinctive texture of the button surface. But it is not. The button is working, it is simply activated only in certain modes. Great, it’s time to learn and functionality …

In addition to the alarm, I would also note the stopwatch with an automatic start [the report starts 5 seconds before the start and is accompanied by an alarm], the timer with the auto-repeat function [automatically starts counting again] and with the help of a signal reminds you of the start of a new cycle and the end of the previous one [still is signal when it reaches 50% of the time – they say, there is still half]. If in short – the clock can be used so solidly for alerts, there would be a desire.

Even in the clock there is a world time function, but in a rather primitive version: just choose the time in one of the cities and here you have the correct display. I would like to simultaneously monitor the time in my native country, but I did not find such an opportunity.

Strap. Despite the solid width, the strap is still wider closer to the case. This design decision and definitely fits this stylistic image of DW-D5500. A two-prong clasp gives the watch more power. The case, by the way, seems to be very compact [13.6 mm] as for G-Shock of the 21st century.

Backlight. All in the best traditions of inversion [when the main dial is with a dark background] – only key indices are highlighted with a distinct blue color. Automatic activation is present [turn the wrist and the backlight turns on by itself] and this is definitely a plus. Since the clock is a 10-year-old battery, you can not worry about the lack of solar power technology.

Conclusion

Model DW-D5500BB-1ER, like the entire series of DW-D5500, struck by the uniqueness of the appearance. I kind of knew about the existence of the case and saw it repeatedly, but the live model appeared before me in the form of a clock for the terminator. Japanese futuristic or “robotized” can be seen immediately, and this was created in 1985. Perhaps this is the secret of the success of the G-Shock brand? From the point of view of functions and technologies, the old age has remained, but the 10-year-old battery and advanced alert settings, plus a relatively inexpensive cost, make the model very successful.

Read Quick News on DW-D5500:

• [G-Shock Comparison] GMD-S6900 VS DW-D5500 VS GW-M5610
• [G-Shock Old Alternative] DW-5500 started in 1985 and how’s it going now?

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Firstly published, but we carefully translated into English.

Some FAQ moments about G-Shock DW-D5500 Series