On one extreme is the smallest digital display of any G-SHOCK, and on the other is arguably the best display of any G-SHOCK; and I love them both.

The DW-5900-1 is a classic, a re-issue of the DW-5900C originally released in 1992 and made popular as the “Walter”, worn by John Goodman in “The Big Lebowski”. A similar, but not identical, recreation, with the same waffle dial and digital display, but without the analog LCD subdial (which was fairly useless, as small as it was), and adding an EL backlight.

It’s just slightly larger than a normal G-SHOCK square, but it doesn’t feel bulky. The buttons are easy to push, none are recessed, and the functions are simple, useful, and easy to use – if you own any Casio, you won’t have any issues with all the capabilities of the DW-5900. Along with the retro 90s cool, this watch has and does everything you need, and nothing you don’t, with a little bit of style and color thrown in. When the backlight lights up, the dial layout reminds you of a cat’s paw, which is unique in the G-SHOCK range.

On the other extreme is the GDB-200UU-9. The “UU” stands for “urban utility”, a special color option on this model. A G-SHOCK with “smart” and fitness tracking capability, which you may or may not find so useful; but there’s no debate about the display. Memory In Pixel, or “MIPs”, makes this a special example, with perfect legibility at any angle. The display is larger and easier to read than any digital watch I’ve seen, it doesn’t matter that it’s a negative display.

What you may or may not appreciate is all the functionality built in – which I will not get into here. I did see that you can rename any of the five “workout” timers; since I’ll never be doing “workout” countdown timing, but I will be timing cooking pizzas or noodles, I’ve named two of the countdown timers accordingly. This may not be what it was designed for, but hey I don’t care. Otherwise, the watch can count steps (again I don’t care), but it can receive notifications from your phone, which I would find useful, along with a vibration feature, phone finder, and automatic time adjustment. With all this extra functionality, it will be interesting to see if the battery needs replaced quickly. Everyone seems to wish it had solar power, and I’d agree. The strap is wonderfully soft and comfortable, making it effortless to wear; but the unique selling point here is that MIPs display, it truly is superior when compared to every other G-SHOCK.

Two very different watches, two very different looks, two very different sets of functionality and use.