As far as EDC watches go, the humble Casio G-Shock finds itself in a unique position: it’s a rare case of an underpriced watch that overdelivers on its capabilities. It’s the watch guy’s tool watch, built to be worn and abused in any situation on any day. But don’t be fooled—while there may be hundreds of affordable base models to choose from, Casio isn’t afraid of turning it up to 11. Some of their lines carry a legacy of extreme performance, with decades of field-tested reliability. Models like the Frogman, Gulfmaster, and Rangeman have all made comebacks in recent times, and this year, the Mudmaster gets the modern overbuilt treatment. With a new fit, finish, and features afforded by modern materials and construction, the Mudmaster is a supreme everyday contender on any wrist.
With a name like “Mudmaster,” you know that this is a watch that isn’t afraid to get dirty. Its massive 55 mm case makes room for a ton of structural engineering that its name suggests, starting with a Carbon Core Guard structure that protects its movement and its modules with a carbon fiber reinforced resin case. Its ports and button openings are designed airtight with redundant o-ring seals on the pushers to ensure dust and mud resistance. The Mudmaster’s caseback is dual-layered to protect its internals, while a triple-layered carbon fiber-inserted bezel adds even more durability to its display. To say that this watch is shockproof would be an understatement—all of those features add up to 200 meters of resistance and one of the toughest timepieces you can put on your wrist.
The Mudmaster isn’t all brawn, however. It comes with plenty of tech under the hood as befitting a modern (smart)watch. You get four environmental sensors: a thermometer, barometer, altimeter, and digital compass, making the watch effective for any outing or duty. These, along with a step counter powered by a 3-axis acceleration sensor, make use of the digital readout at the 6 o’clock position, leaving the main timekeeping to the hi-vis hands and beefy markers. And when you need a bit more visibility, a double LED gives extra bright illumination to light up the entire face. Finally, a Bluetooth module lets the Mudmaster connect to Casio’s smartphone app, extending its features further with automatic time adjustment, display switching customization, a calorie calculator and even a phone finder to its paired phone.
When you need a watch that’s nearly invincible for EDC, the Mudmaster is ready to play rough. Pick it up from Amazon at the link below.
