GORGEOUSLY RUGGED
Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-1000
The GWG-1000 “Mudmaster” is the latest in the G-Shock Master of G series. For those not familiar with the nomenclature, Master of G watches tend to be designed for specific uses identified by its prefix, such as “frog”, “range”, “gravity”, etc. followed by a “master” or “man” suffix to identify if it is analog or digital. Hence, the Mudmaster is an analog G-Shock designed for harsh ground environments with specific protection against mud and grit.
And a good thing too if you love Casio’s analog offerings more than their digital counterparts, because the Mudmaster is absolutely gorgeous. Now, you’re going to say that all G-Shocks look similar, which is true, but there are many little tweaks here and there that make the Mudmaster stand out.
While the Mudmaster is an amalgamation of the digital Mudman and Rangeman series in an analog design, you’re essentially looking at a hulked-out and improved Pro Trek PRW-6000 with hints of the Gravitymaster’s case and thick watch face styling.
Button configuration is more or less identical to the Pro Trek, except the Mudmaster has a fifth button at the bottom to activate lights; the Mudmaster’s hands will also automatically move out of the way of the LCD when you activate any of the sensor readings. What we love about the Mudmaster is that it seemed Casio paid more attention to minute details in its design and construction than they did with the Gravitymaster. Everything from the extralarge buttons to the watch band feature textured detailing that impresses on the whole G-Shock persona.
Functionally, mud and dirt resistance is much improved from the Mudman with new gasket-type buttons and screw-lock crown construction as opposed to conventional urethane caps; it even blocks out fine dust. A side effect to this is the ability to have exposed buttons, which give the Mudmaster a more solid, rugged appearance rather than the plastic-looking Mudman.
The Ver. 3 Triple Sensor used in the Mudmaster is still the same one found in Pro Trek and Rangeman models. Readings for temperature, barometer and altimeter were fairly accurate and can be a useful gauge, but the digital compass was spot on. The watch is completely powered by Casio’s Tough Solar tech and the only thing that’s really missing is GPS time correction like the Gravitymaster. The Mudmaster only supports multi-band 6 radio syncing.