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Casio G-SHOCK DW-5600UBB-1ER Black Strap Watch - W17573
Ref. DW-5600UBB-1ER
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The 5600 line began with a single dropped prototype in 1983 — an engineer at Casio threw the original DW-5000C from a third-floor bathroom window to test whether a watch could survive a fall that would destroy anything else on the market. The rectangular module that came back undamaged became the template, and the case shape has not changed in the forty-odd years since. This particular variant belongs to the Solid Colours blackout series, and the "U" in its reference marks a meaningful internal update: the older electroluminescent panel is replaced by an LED backlight, which is sharper, faster to respond, and considerably easier on the battery. All-matte and running an inverted LCD — light digits on a dark field — the dial sacrifices some legibility for a look that reads as deliberate rather than default. At 53 grams the watch is light enough that you stop noticing it within the hour, and the rectangular case, familiar as it is, sits more neatly on a narrower wrist than a round case of comparable width tends to. The strap is bio-based resin that matches the case without seam, fastened by a plain tang buckle adjusted across moulded notches — nothing requires tools.
- Reference
- DW-5600UBB-1ER
- Brand
- Casio
- Collection
- G-Shock
- Case size
- 42.8mm
- Case thickness
- 13.4mm
- Case material
- Resin
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Movement
- Quartz
- Functions
- Day-date, Stopwatch, Countdown timer, Alarm, Backlight, Perpetual calendar
- Water resistance
- 200m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 48.9mm
Learn more about Casio
Tadao Kashio founded Kashio Seisakujo in Tokyo in 1946 as a machine shop. The company's first success was a finger ring that held a cigarette, and its second was the 14-A of 1957 — the world's first all-electric compact calculator, which used solenoids rather than gears.
Casio entered watchmaking in 1974 with the Casiotron, a digital watch with an automatic calendar that knew the varying lengths of months. The company approached watches as an electronics manufacturer rather than a horological one, and that difference produced the G-Shock.
The G-Shock came from a single engineer, Kikuo Ibe, who broke a watch his father had given him and set out to build one that could not break. The specification was three tens: survive a ten-metre drop, ten bars of water pressure, and ten years of battery life. It took over two hundred prototypes, and the solution was suspending the module inside the case on a cushioned internal structure rather than mounting it rigidly. The DW-5000C shipped in 1983.
It became one of the most durable product designs in any category, adopted by militaries, emergency services, and skateboarders alike, and Casio has since added solar charging, radio and GPS timekeeping, Bluetooth, and full-metal and carbon variants.
Casio also produces the Edifice, Pro Trek, and Oceanus lines, and remains an independent Japanese public company.
- 1946
- Tadao Kashio founds the company in Tokyo.
- 1974
- The Casiotron is Casio's first digital watch.
- 1983
- The G-Shock DW-5000C survives Kikuo Ibe's three-tens brief.
- 1994
- The Frogman extends G-Shock to ISO dive certification.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Casio G-Shock range (84), Back in Stock (4,683), Sports Watches (800), Watches Under £100 (589), Dive Watches (568), Rectangular & Square Watches (426) and All Black Watches (315).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 200m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- 48.9mm lug-to-lug keeps the 42.8mm case wearable
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Casio's range as we list it
Casio G-SHOCK DW-5600UBB-1ER Black Strap alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | DW-5600UBB-1ER | RM343JX9 | 72005 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £100 | £100 | £129 |
| Case size | 42.8mm | 43mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 200m | 100m | 200m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Rubber strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 200m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
It can, over time. Mineral glass handles daily wear but will pick up fine scratches that sapphire would not.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWill it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 48.9mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
F.Hinds is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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