asio released the GM-H5600-9 for $385, a hybrid watch that straps an optical heart rate monitor and a gold-tone stainless steel bezel onto a classic square profile. If you want a traditional digital look that counts your steps without forcing you to swipe across a sluggish touchscreen, this $385 release looks like the exact middle ground you have been waiting for. But before you tap your card, let's look at what you are actually getting for your money.
Casio's square design dates all the way back to the DW-5000C introduced in 1983, a heritage that fans respect for its indestructible resin build. The GM-H5600-9 keeps that iconic rectangular display and protective case, but wraps it in a gold ion-plated stainless steel bezel featuring four machined openings at the corners. It looks bold, flashy, and unmistakably different from your beat-up resin beater.
The GM-H5600-9 combines stainless steel with resin components and uses carbon fiber-reinforced resin for the case back.
Despite the metal treatment, the watch isn't solid steel, as Casio combines stainless steel with resin components and a carbon fiber-reinforced resin case back to accommodate the new sensors. Measuring 51.5 × 44 × 16.5mm and weighing approximately 63 grams, it has substantial physical dimensions on your wrist. That 16.5mm thickness means it will catch on your jacket cuffs every single time, proving that modern fitness tracking demands extra bulk even when dressed in retro gold.
Underneath the gold exterior, the GM-H5600-9 packs an optical heart rate sensor on the case back that uses light to measure blood flow during your workouts. A three-axis accelerometer steps in to measure your movement, estimating pace, distance, and energy expenditure for running and walking. Casio even incorporates algorithms from Polar for training analysis, delivering cardio load data and recovery information straight to your wrist.
To show off all this data, the watch swaps out traditional segmented LCDs for a high-resolution memory-in-pixel, or MIP, LCD that handles detailed text and graphics with ease. You navigate everything using physical buttons rather than a touch interface, preserving the classic G-SHOCK operating feel while requiring you to learn a new menu structure.
The GM-H5600-9 connects to compatible smartphones through Bluetooth using the CASIO WATCHES application.
Yet the feature set comes with glaring omissions that will frustrate anyone coming from an actual smartwatch. The watch lacks an independent GPS receiver, meaning it relies entirely on your smartphone's GPS to correct running distance and pace measurements. Without your phone in your pocket, you are trusting an accelerometer to guess how far you ran. Beyond workouts, the Bluetooth connection to the CASIO WATCHES application handles world-time settings for approximately 300 cities and pushes notifications for calls, emails, and calendar events to your wrist.
Charging is a hybrid affair combining USB power with solar assistance, though solar energy is really only there to keep basic timekeeping afloat. Casio specifies up to approximately 35 hours of continuous operation when you use activity functions with heart rate measurement turned on from a full USB charge without solar help. If you turn heart rate monitoring off and use it as a basic watch, that operating time jumps to approximately one month. You can stretch it to roughly 11 months if you lock it into power-saving mode under Casio's specified conditions.
If you actually use the fitness features you paid for, expect to plug this watch in regularly just like any other smartwatch. If you want a reliable fitness tracker, buy a tracker; if you want a classic digital watch, keep your resin model and save your cash.