Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Really an amazing watch. First, let me talk about the aesthetics. It is a very handsome watch and obviously well made. It is a considerable step up in quality. This watch is made in Japan, unlike most lower priced G Shocks which are made in China. Everything about it is crisp in detail and just looks great. The sapphire crystal is very nice and the raised numerals on the face really pop in the deep case. Now, having said all of that, it is a really big watch in every way. As you can see from the pic I attached, it is very thick and large in diameter. In one of the pics I have it next to a Marathon JSAR which is a very large watch and the Mudmaster is larger. I also included a comparison shot with a large G-Shock GD-400 for comparison. The Mudmaster is still larger than the GD-400. The nice thing about this watch is that even though it is big, it hugs the wrist nicely and doesn't hang over the wrist. It sits very flat and the "wings" help it wrap around your wrist. I have very average sized wrists and I can wear this watch with no problems. Now I want to mention the functions/accuracy of this watch: Accuracy: As soon as I opened the box I started checking accuracy. The watch hadn't updated to the atomic clock in a month and the time was only off by two seconds. It updated automatically the first night and was dead on when I woke up the next morning. Also, changing time zones is incredibly easy. When the watch arrived it was on Tokyo time. I was able to switch to Mountain Time very quickly. I travel quite extensively for work and the ease of quickly switching between time zones is a big plus for me. Compass: When you push the compass button, the second hand becomes the compass needle. I compared it to both my Suunto compass and my iPhone compass and it was perfect. I was very pleased with this and feel that I could trust the compass readings. Barometer: I checked the barometer reading against what the current reading was on the weather channel for my area and it was the same. The barometer seems to function well and tracked well over time. Altimeter: I checked the altimeter reading versus the known altitude for my house and it was dead on as well. I have not had time to test it while hiking to show elevation gain, but I am pretty confident that it will work as expected. Lume: As you can see from the attached pic, the lume is very good. Going from light to dark areas it has good initial lume. It won't last through the night, but the LED light does a good job of illuminating the watch as well. The lume was better than I had expected. Overall: While this is an expensive G Shock, you really do get a very rugged yet beautiful watch that is packed with features. If you need a watch that can handle the worst conditions and still keep on working, this is a great choice. Whether you are in an office in America or in a sandstorm on the other side of the world, this watch is a dependable choice. It also works well while wearing gloves. The large knurled buttons work and work well. One last note. It's big, real big. Make sure that you are the kind of person that can wear a big, thick watch. If you are that person, you won't regret this decision. UPDATE: I buy and sell watches all the time. Other than a couple of Rolex watches, I will usually tire of a watch within a year and sell it off. I also will generally wear different watches throughout the week. There is something about this Mudmaster that is special. I can't really put my finger on it, but I find myself drawn to it. I currently have around nine other "nice" watches. Almost every other watch sits in the safe these days. I will switch between this watch and a Rolex Sea Dweller depending on where I'm going, but 90% of the time I'm wearing the Mudmaster.