Imagine my horror as a G-Steel G-Shock that I had grown to love so much fell off my wrist due to a failure in its bracelet.
I documented this even on my YouTube shorts right at the car wash it happened. Yes, that’s all I was doing, vacuuming the inside of the Ford F-150 with Donald. There was no deliberate tough testing going on. It just slid off my wrist and clunked the plastic between the door and my seat.
What happened to my G-Shock?
I couldn’t believe what happened to my watch from the brand celebrated for its durability. In fact at first I thought the sound I heard of clunking metal was my Leatherman falling out of its sheath. Nope. It was my G-Shock breaking.
Band failures are what drove me to G-Shock to begin with. I was tired of buying watch after watch that just fell off my wrist because a band broke or a pin popped out and I lost my watch before I even knew it. My thinking was that it was better to pay a little more for a watch that would last rather than repeatedly buying cheap watches.
So when I fished the GM2120D out from underneath the seat and assessed what happened I determined that the spring that holds the clasp to the bracelet popped out. My theory is that the pressed metal clasp bent outward due to the flex inherent in flat steel and that allowed the pin to slide out.
When I first unboxed the watch I remarked that the clasp seemed like a weak point. But it’s a budget G-Steel watch so I went with it. I’m saving money on a church watch after all. But I was expecting the clasp itself might give way, not the pins. If the pins go, the whole watch can fall off, which is what happened.
Is “Break” the Right Word?
Some YouTube commenters took exception to the fact I titled the Youtube Short of the event “My G-Shock BROKE!” They said it didn’t really break per se.
Do you really want to split hairs?!
My Navy Blue GM2110 physically failed me. Yes, I found the pin, bent the tabs of the clasp back in, and reassembled the watch. So yes, I repaired it, but what would happen if it fell outside the door of my pickup instead of inside? It would be lost!
And that’s exactly what I want to avoid by wearing a G-Shock!
Going Forward
So as I reassess this situation, I need to ask if I should recommend the GM2110D. It’s a watch at a good price point for a steel G-Shock. It looks fantastic with its navy blue dial and faceted steel indices. The bracelet doesn’t have the dimples so it looks sleek and I had gotten used to wearing it for casual off duty time.
I think potential buyers should just be aware that the tabs that hold the pin can bend outward. I still wear my GM2110D since that occasion, but I take out my Leatherman ARC pliers and bend the tabs inward just to be sure the pin won’t pop out.
Not everyone is as rough on their watches as I am. So if you want to take a shot at G-Steel ownership with the GM2110D, click on this affiliate link to buy the Navy Blue model directly from G-Shock. It’s a good looking watch at a good price. Just be aware of what happened to me.
G-Shock released a Fine Metallic series in Japan where the band is resin but matches the metal bezel of the watch. Perhaps this series will be more durable than the GM2110 series. There’s only one way to find out. So stay tuned!