G-Shock GWA1000FC-2A Review
One of the most fascinating members of the G-Shock family is the G-Shock Aviation collection. The Triple-G Resist construct found in each G-Shock aviation watch makes your watch durable against 3 of the most powerful forces of physics: Graviational force, Centrifugal force and Vibrational forces.
Combined together with G-Shock durability, these make every G-Shock aviation watches a lethal timepiece that attracts not only the aviators, but also G-Shock and non G-Shock fans alike. G-Shock GWA100FC-2A has all these attributes that easily qualify itself as among the toughest watches.
SEE THE LATEST MODEL: G-Shock GWA1000FC-1A Review
Zooming in on GWA1000FC-2A
Earlier, Casio released two aviation models, namely the GWA1000-1A and GWA1000D-1A. These two models are two of essentially the same kind.
The difference between the two is subtle to the eyes of commoners but significant to the eyes of the fanatic.
Thanks to our earlier article which discussed a simple way to decrypt G-Shock serial number (See: Simple Ways to Decrypt G-Shock Serial Number), you can now easily tell the difference between the GWA1000-1A and GWA1000D-1A just from their serial numbering alone.
This is without even looking at the physical appearance of the watches.
Successor to Popular Aviation Models
Following the huge popularity and success of the GWA1000-1A and GWA1000D-1A models, Casio released a new addition to this specific aviation brotherhood.
In January 2013, came the new GWA1000FC-2A. Again, thanks to our simple decrypt mechanism, you can immediately tell what the difference the new GWA1000FC-2A brings to the table.
Since all the three models start with ‘GWA’ prefix, they are using exactly the same module to power the features, functions and capabilities of the three watches. What does this mean to the laymen? This simply means that expect no difference between GWA1000FC-2A and its two predecessors.
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Next, the case model used for the three watches is that of ‘1000’ case model. Again, what does this mean in simple terms? It means that the three watches are made using the same base casing. You can expect all the case dimension (thickness and diameter) to be the same for GWA1000FC-2A and its predecessors.
Now comes the interesting part where the three models differ. First, the GWA1000-1A does not include any material indicator. Black resin seems to be the default material for G-Shock watches. So, this is not spelt out in the model serial number.
Second, ‘D’ is the material indicator for the GWA1000D-1A. The alphabet ‘D’ is used to refer to stainless steel material for the strap. For the new GWA1000FC-2A model, the material indicator in this case is ‘FC’.
This seems to be the first time that Casio is introducting the ‘FC’ label. From its official site, the strap material is said to be made of ‘Fine Resin Composite’ square elements combined with steel-embedded H-shape elements.
The reason for introducing this new material stemmed to be the heavy weight caused by metal bands and lower durability of the resin bands. The new combination of fine resin composite with steel elements is a trade-off between the two. It is lighter than metal band but more durable than resin band.
Recommended reading: White G-Shock Collection: Tough & Beautiful in White
The next difference is the between the new GWA1000FC-2A and its earlier models is the color. ‘2’ is used instead of ‘1’. ‘2’ is used for blue color. In this case, the GWA1000FC-2A combines the navy blue color with black.
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My 2-Cents Worth
In short, if you feel that GWA1000D-1A is too heavy but worry about the strength of GWA1000-1A’s resin band, GWA1000FC-2A could be what you have been hoping for. But if you think that the GWA1000FC-2A is going to cost somewhere in-between its predecessors, then you would be disappointed. The price of the GWA1000FC-2A turns out to be the same as that of GWA1000D-1A.
