Casio introduces fitness and GPS enabled G-Shock watches for the trekking enthusiast

Arguably one of the best watches in the world, Casio’s G-Shock is in for a bit of a makeover with a couple of new additions to make it more efficient and self-sufficient. The company has released two new watches known as the GB-800 and the GPR-B1000.

The GB-800 will be available in six models, all featuring monotone color combinations. They come with analogue hands and also have a built-in accelerometer which can measure steps. The wearer can see the number of steps they have taken on the watch’s display. There is a lot more information to be had when the user connects the watch to their smartphone with the G-Shock Connected app through Bluetooth. Users will get to see how many calories they have burned and also see graphs of their performance.

Based on Engadget’s report, the GPR-1000 comes with GPS navigation and can function for up to 33 hours on a single charge. More importantly, the watch also has a built-in solar panel that can keep the GPS running. Casio has smartly integrated the solar panel on the face of the watch. Leaving the watch in bright sunlight for about four hours will enable an hour’s worth of GPS navigation. The watch is also capable of wireless charging, thanks to the ceramic casing on the back. The watch is also quite sturdy, being capable of depths of as much as 200 metres of water and capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit. The 1000 will be made available in April for sale at the price of $800. As for the 800’s pricing and release date, nothing has been announced yet.

For those who like the great outdoors and who like trekking, these watches seem like the perfect place companion for the trip. G-Shock has come a long way from being just a rugged time-piece. With G-Shock Connect, users will be able to receive access to time servers that are located the world over to provide the right time in any location. Using the app, wearers will be able to set starting points and end points while going to a destination. There is also the option of saving the tracks on a 2D map or a 3D map. The GPS also collects satellite information in real-time along with having a backtracking feature to let the wearers know how they started from they are.