BRIERLEY HILL, ENGLAND, March 17, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- For most people, the sheen of a new watch is an important factor in the purchase, but a new watch from the G-Shock range by Casio Watches takes a different approach.
The Japanese based brand has been working with Britain's Royal Air Force on a new range designed for use in combat. Along with all the normal bells and whistles you would expect from a timepiece engineered for its ruggedness there are a number of traditional visual cues missing from the watch.
The watch lacks any of the normal shiny metallic surfaces you would associate with a new timepiece, instead going for a muted shade of grey. Its' bracelet and all connective hardware is also the same colour meaning that, should a crash landing in hostile territory become necessary, you won't be given away to the enemy by reflections from shiny buckles. Grey is also a neutral colour between the two designs of flying suits worn by RAF pilots
The watch has a range of military-inspired features such as a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of a plane. The watch manages to display this information using the hour, minute and second hands as indicators.
The G-Shock also has dual time zones. However, one of these zones is aligned with Zulu time, or to us civilians Greenwich Mean Time. The additional time zone means that pilots flying to other parts of the world are able to stay in touch with each other and keep a check of how long a fellow pilot has been flying. The new G-Shock is able to change between times quickly due to its one-touch display The watch also has a stopwatch for recording flight times.
As you would expect from Casio Watches models at this price point, the time is kept accurate using atomic timekeeping based on a radio receiver that picks up signals from one of six atomic clocks located throughout the world. An device designed by Casio Watches is embedded within the circuitry of the watch picks up this long wave radio signal and adjusts the time accordingly, ensuring the watches the watch is always accurate.
The radio function means the watch uses a lot of power, but luckily, it is fitted out with a solar cell underneath the dial and a rechargeable battery to guarantee years of trouble-free service.
An eminently practical watch, it does have one design flourish, a carbon fibre resin keeper on the strap decorated with the RAF 'wings' logo.
Set to go on sale in June 2012, the GW-A1000RAF is being released in a limited edition of 2000. The retail price from retailers such as www.thewatchhut.co.uk is likely to be around GBP500.
The Watch Hut is one of the UK's best known specialist online retailers. Available online at www.thewatchhut.co.uk, the company offers more than 8000 watches from more than 90 manufacturers and brands.
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