DW-5600C

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Casio G-Shock DW-5600C in regular timekeeping mode.

The DW-5600C is one of Casio's early G-Shock model watches. Like its immediate predecessors, but unlike most newer models, it was cased in a heavy stainless steel screwback "tuna can." (Most current G-Shocks use a resin or composite case, and a stamped metal back held on by tiny screws.) Internal buffers around the module, a thick mineral-glass crystal, and a replaceable protective plastic bezel made the design resilient enough to withstand abuse which would destroy more traditional watch designs.

The DW-5600C was manufactured from 1987 through 1996. Many are still in use today, in part due to its rugged design. This model has also become something of a collectors' item among G-Shock aficionados. The DW-5600C was superseded by the DW-5600E, a similarly-styled model with a composite case and an electroluminescent backlight. The DW-5600E is still in production at the time of this writing (2006).

[edit] Features

Time display in 12-hour or 24-hour format. In regular timekeeping mode, the current home time is displayed to the second, along with the month, date, and day of the week, without any button presses.
Auto-calendar correctly calculates month lengths, leap years and days-of-the-week between 1985 and 2029.
Alarm: One alarm. An unusual feature is that in addition to the hour and minute, a month and/or date may optionally be set, so the alarm will only sound during the specified month or on the specified day of the month.
Time signal (hourly chime.)
Dual time: Hours and minutes can be set separately for a second time zone (seconds are synchronized with the home time.) The current home time is also displayed in dual time mode.
Countdown timer: Can be set for any duration from one second up to 24 hours, in one-second increments; optional auto-repeat function. The current home time is also displayed in countdown timer mode.
Stopwatch: 1/100th second, with one split; rolls over at 24 hours.
Illumination: Backlight is via a tiny incandescent bulb at the left edge of the display.
Reminder mark: A peculiar feature seldom seen on newer watches, this is a user-enabled display flag which slowly blinks in all modes. It has no function except to serve as a visual reminder to the wearer.
Shock-resistant design, intended to survive a 10-meter fall.
Water resistant to 200 meters.
Battery: One lithium button cell, CR2320 in older models (module 691) or CR2016 in newer models (module 901.) Either was expected to last ten years or more.