Just How Durable Is the Classic G-Shock? I Found Out What It Takes to Break One

I threw it, dropped it and hit it with a hammer. Then I ran it over with my car.

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Published May 6, 2024

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Updated May 6, 2024

G-Shocks have seen combat on soldiers’ wrists. They’ve been run over by trucks. Hell, they’ve even been dropped from helicopters. But how durable are they, really?

I wanted to find out firsthand, so I put the most classic of G-Shocks, the DW-5600E, through a series of torture tests. I threw it, dropped it, hit it with a hammer. Then I ran over it with my car to see just how much it could take before coming apart. Spoiler alert: it was … a lot.

The Watch: Casio G-Shock DW-5600E-1V

Casio G-Shock DW5600E-1V

Specs

Case Width	42.8mm
Movement	Casio digital quartz
Water Resistance	200m

Pros

Extremely comfortable, lightweight and legible
Extremely durable
Affordable

Cons

Buttons and functions could be more user-friendly

$33 at Amazon

$75 (56% off)

The DW-5600E is more than a plastic watch you can feel comfortable tossing around with abandon. It’s a solid everyday watch and one that will accompany you until the end — so long as you don’t purposely find a way to destroy it …

Read my full review of the Casio G-Shock DW-5600.

The Drop Test

When I first got my hands on the DW-5600E I tossed it over my shoulder on hardwood flooring to prove how careless you can be with a watch like this. As you’d expect, there was no visible damage.

Ready to kick things up a notch, I dropped the watch from the first-floor balcony of my building. Again, nothing. So I went up one more floor. Not even a damn scuff and all functions appeared to work properly.

I climbed to the third balcony of my building and dropped the G-Shock. It landed face-down with a loud, plastic-y thud.

So I climbed to the third balcony of my building and dropped the G-Shock. It landed face-down with a loud, plastic-y thud. After the long walk down I picked it up to find it fully functioning. There appeared to be some concrete dust collected on the front of the case that wiped off easily, and the only damage sustained appeared to be a slight loosening of the screw holding the resin strap onto the case.

Finally, I forcefully threw the watch at the wall of the neighboring building and witnessed the G-Shock ricochet its way to the ground. No sign of any damage.

The Hammer Test

Looking to further the abuse in a more creative manner, I went inside and grab a claw hammer.

With the watch resting face-up on a piece of wood, I delivered the kind of considered blow you’d use to drive a nail into wood with one strike. Nope, it didn’t phase the watch.

I attacked the DW-5600E with several fast-paced hits to its side and face.

I tried it again, failing to cause any perceptible damage. Then I rested the watch on its side and delivered another strike, leaving just a small scuff.

At this point, I attacked the DW-5600E with several fast-paced hits to its side and face. While the watch took on a couple of small dings, it otherwise continued functioning like it was just taken out of the box.

The Car Test

Growing frustrated that I couldn’t impart any real damage to the DW-5600E I decided one final test was in order. I considered my Volvo station wagon, nearly two tons of Swedish steel, and put the watch face down on the pavement under the front driver’s side wheel.

I considered my Volvo station wagon, nearly two tons of Swedish steel, and put the watch face down on the pavement under the front driver’s side wheel.

Shifting into first I slowly roll over it over and … nothing. No damage appeared to be done. I tried again, going into reverse. Still nothing.

Finally, I set the watch on its side and tried for a third time. As I rolled over the watch, I hear a pop. The case back popped off, dislodging the screen and movement slightly from their once-impervious housing.

The cracked digital display had nothing on it and the plastic case, slightly deformed as it was ground into the pavement, finally showed the serious scuffs I had been looking for. The case back was not going to attach back on. The watch was, at this point, irreversibly damaged. The only thing working, amazingly, was the backlight.

I had finally succeeded.

And yet, as I was scooping up the remains and putting them in the cupholder of my car, I wished I hadn’t. The DW-5600E had endured far more abuse than any other watch would have, and more than any normal wearer would possibly have put it through.

I felt a lingering sadness thinking about all the life it could’ve had left; I realized, at that moment, that this plastic, bargain-bin watch had an incredible amount of personality.