real black vs mirb / military inspired series part i
it’ s been a month since i updated this blog. and what a month it was… juggling some photography projects, freelance writing and of course: g-hunting.
in the past month, the much awaited men in rusty black / military inspired series finally arrived in singapore stores.
there have been much discussion, debate and comparison between this new series and the old – and now pretty rare - real black series.
today, i placed the real black dw-056bk-1vjf alongside the military inspired (also known as matt black red eye) dw-5600ns-1jf for a quick visual comparison.
the most distinct feature is the printing on the watch band of the mirb/mbre series. all the watches in the set feature its individual module number.
a quick backgrounder:
the module of a g-shock is somewhat akin to the movement of analog watches. different modules carry with them a different set of features and functions in their unique combinations.
conventionally, the module number can found on the caseback of a g-shock next to the model number. module numbers are in turn linked to the instruction manual for the watch. a great resource from casio is the availabilty of manuals in pdf format that can be downloaded here.
the retainers of certain pieces in the real black series also feature the url www.gshock.com printed on the reverse. this is hardly a substantial feature since the print is not visible during daily wearing of the watch. it does help one identify and separate the watch from the many similar dw-5600 variants featuring a reversed display with red backlight.
the retainer of mbre is “double-holed” on the reverse, much like the retainers used in the gw-2xx frogmans and dw-8400 mudmans. the bands of both watches are also of the “smooth variety”, and not those one find on the basic dw-5600e. one headache with such smooth straps is the ease with which they pick up scratches which also become very visible.
other differences between these two models lie in the words on the display/dial. but one does have to look closer.
on the mbre dw-5600ms:
- at the top of the display, the words under CASIO are: WATER 20BAR RESIST, followed by ILLUMINATOR.
- the little markers near the buttons are red.
on the real black dw-056:
- at the top of the display, the words under CASIO are: ILLUMINATOR, followed by WATER 200M RESIST .
- the little markers near the buttons are grey.
another significant feature and a departure from the norm is the use of black buttons on the mirb and mbre series. this is matched with a black buckle.
Hey buddy, I bought the 5600ms-1 afew weeks ago and I realise 1 thing.
When setting the time/alarm in the dark, it is quite a chore. Cos the backlight cannot be activated in ‘Adjust’ Mode.
I was very disappointed with this man.
To me, this is a design failure.
I bought this watch so I can use in any lighting condition I might encounter in NS.
But end up it is only usable in normal daylight condition.
dude, sorry to hear that.. but…
why do u need to set your watch in the dark? for everyday use, normal folks set the watch and that’s it.
as for being ‘tactical”, i think you are buying too much into the hype. you can wear any watch you want in the singapore armed forces. you sound like a new enlistee, in which case, maybe you have been misled into being ‘tactical’.
back to the lighting issue in “adjust” mode. if you need to set a timer or alarm at night… that also means the beeper will sound when time is up. that’s not very tactical isn’t it? i don’t think you will be setting the date at all so that’s not an issue.
in any case, you should have no trouble selling the watch. it is a popular model.
Hi there, it is not that I am trying to be an a$$ about this but there was 1 small incident that prompt my thoughts.
I was about to fall aslp and suddenly rmb that I need to set my alarm, so I try to set it without switching on the lights etc.
That was when I realise how hard it is to set my alarm with no ambient light.
I had other casio watches and all of them allow me to activate the light and set my time/alarm etc. Thats why I am so surprised I cant do so with the 5600ms-1.
Yes, its a big failure with casio g-shock watches that you cant adjust alarm in dark. such as lying on bed in night before sleep in dark to adjust alarm.
beah