Speed Watch - G-Shock - DW5600C
A little change of pace here, but we're going to talk about watches. I've been wearing a G-Shock on my wrist for a long time now, and have no plans on changing that. I've worn digital G-Shocks as well as analog models, both are great, but this blog post is about a famous model. We've got the need for speed, but we aren't talking NASCAR. No, no, no, THIS is about the bus that couldn't slow down (thanks Homer).
Jack Traven, what a strong name btw, is an LAPD officer called to the scene of a building downtown where there are several people trapped in an elevator and a madman has strapped explosives to the rails. He wants 3.7 million dollars or he blows the brakes. Well, when Jack Traven isn't shooting hostages, he's thinking about what watch he should be wearing that day. For the extent of the film, it's the DW-5600C, now known as the "Speed watch" by collectors. This model has been out of production for a long time but a similar design lives on in the DW-5600E.
The 5600C was one of the first models of G-Shock, and by far one of the most successful of it's time. What sets it apart now is the metal module case and the screwback case back. Newer designs have thinner metal plates that attach via screws, while these old tanks have a large thick screw on case back. Obviously it's still just a watch and how tough does it really need to be, but that's not a question Jack Traven has to ask, because he's rocking the 5600C while he's jumping from vehicles on the highway, getting thrown against a wall by explosions, and riding along the roof of a subway car. Obviously he's in the top 20% most active of G-Shock wearers...
Although they've been discontinued for awhile now, you can still find them for sale on ebay and watch enthusiast pages, but you'll find that most of them that have been worn need their bezel and bands replaced. Unfortunately Casio stopped making those replacements years and years ago, but there are some foreign made replacements available with varying degrees of quality and accuracy.
I'm wearing a DW-5600E while typing up this post, which can still be purchased online and in just about every Walmart across the country for about $52 (thanks inflation). I have a 5600C that sadly has been sitting in a drawer in my closet for several years now after the original band and bezel broke apart after wearing it a few weeks. Replacement parts are finally on the way. The Speed watch will live again.
