Ribbit, Ribbit.... The Frogman Is Here
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 3:31 pm
All the G-Shock talk around here got me thinking (not a good thing), and it felt like a good time to buy something cheap and fun. I thought about a lot of different models, and the more I looked the more it felt ok spending real money on a G. When I bought my first G, I couldn't imagine spending more than 50 bucks, but I decided that if I would actually wear the watch and not relegate it solely to beater duty, why think about it differently than any other watch.
At first I wanted a red G with a negative display, but the model I wanted (GW7900) is sold out, and I refuse to pay a premium for a G. Then I decided that whichever one I bought would have to be colorful, because I figured that I would wear the G on days when I felt like wearing a crazy watch, and a black one wouldn't interest me in the same way. I went to the mall last weekend to have a look at G's, and came across this Frogman (GF-8250). Macys had the Frog in their case, and when I tried it on it just felt right. It is huge, wild and crazy, and that is exactly what I wanted in a G.
It is not an atomic model, but has all the other features that you could want. There's a chrono, countdown timer, world time, moon phase, tide graph, dive timer, and maybe some other stuff that I haven't figured out yet (my other G doesn't have a countdown timer, and I think this will be one of the most useful features for me).
The watch has a very different feeling than my other G. It doesn't seem like a digital watch, but more like a dive tool. It's probably due to the asymmetrical shape and weird stuff going on all over the place that I don't feel like I'm wearing a geeky digital watch, instead I feel like I'm ready to jump in the ocean with an air tank on my back.
Many people say the Frogmen are too expensive for a plastic watch, but I'll give you my thoughts on that. First, they are made in Japan and not China or Taiwan. The watch is built more like a "real" watch than my other G. If you look at the pic of the caseback, so you can see that it has lugs and a springbar. The watch is actually a SS case covered in a plastic shroud, so it's basically just a digital watch with a protective cover- not a "plastic" watch. The list price is $450, but I got mine on Ebay for $300, so I'm happy.
Case-back with the diving frog:
Here's a size comparison to the GW-530 and the SEAL. The Frogman is really big, but not overwhelming at all on my ~7.5" wrist.
And one of the coolest features:
At first I wanted a red G with a negative display, but the model I wanted (GW7900) is sold out, and I refuse to pay a premium for a G. Then I decided that whichever one I bought would have to be colorful, because I figured that I would wear the G on days when I felt like wearing a crazy watch, and a black one wouldn't interest me in the same way. I went to the mall last weekend to have a look at G's, and came across this Frogman (GF-8250). Macys had the Frog in their case, and when I tried it on it just felt right. It is huge, wild and crazy, and that is exactly what I wanted in a G.
It is not an atomic model, but has all the other features that you could want. There's a chrono, countdown timer, world time, moon phase, tide graph, dive timer, and maybe some other stuff that I haven't figured out yet (my other G doesn't have a countdown timer, and I think this will be one of the most useful features for me).
The watch has a very different feeling than my other G. It doesn't seem like a digital watch, but more like a dive tool. It's probably due to the asymmetrical shape and weird stuff going on all over the place that I don't feel like I'm wearing a geeky digital watch, instead I feel like I'm ready to jump in the ocean with an air tank on my back.
Many people say the Frogmen are too expensive for a plastic watch, but I'll give you my thoughts on that. First, they are made in Japan and not China or Taiwan. The watch is built more like a "real" watch than my other G. If you look at the pic of the caseback, so you can see that it has lugs and a springbar. The watch is actually a SS case covered in a plastic shroud, so it's basically just a digital watch with a protective cover- not a "plastic" watch. The list price is $450, but I got mine on Ebay for $300, so I'm happy.
Case-back with the diving frog:
Here's a size comparison to the GW-530 and the SEAL. The Frogman is really big, but not overwhelming at all on my ~7.5" wrist.
And one of the coolest features:
