Backward point
New Member
My good friend and fellow TZer Dave (dejjl) kindly offered me an old G-Shock which he felt may be past it's prime, as I may have mentioned that I was hoping to find an old G to see if I could resurrect it.
When it arrived I could see that:
It was working and the crystal was unmarked.
and
It had not had an easy life.
I was able to identify it as a DW-003, and it was indeed in fine electrical fettle. But that was largely the extent of the good news. The strap was a yellow G-Lide velcro, which, once it had been thoroughly soaked in Vanish and sent through the washing machine a couple of times, looked ok. But I'm not really a bright yellow watch strap person, so it was sent to a fellow enthusiast who is.
I turned my attention to cleaning everything up, using an old toothbrush and soapy water.
Then I started to remove the bezel, and it started to crumble. Then it crumbled some more:
Clearly, patience and superglue can only do so much, and I came to terms with the fact that one of the principal attributes of the G-Shock had been compromised by the passage of time. So I went hunting for a new bezel. Which was when I discovered that DW-003's are quite rare. A change of tack was called for. I discovered that the module was the same as a 9052, and I was able to source a bezel for same from the USA via Ebay.
The result is a hybrid of DW-003 and 9052, with a velcro strap, and is now my favourite "beater":
Patience is a virtue, as I discovered while trying to find a replacement bezel. But the end result was worthwhile.
The buttons are further recessed in the 9052 bezel, and as the 003 has square buttons and the 9052's are slightly rectangular, there are gaps. But it's distinctive and has given a new lease of life to a G.
Regards
Ian
When it arrived I could see that:
It was working and the crystal was unmarked.
and
It had not had an easy life.
I was able to identify it as a DW-003, and it was indeed in fine electrical fettle. But that was largely the extent of the good news. The strap was a yellow G-Lide velcro, which, once it had been thoroughly soaked in Vanish and sent through the washing machine a couple of times, looked ok. But I'm not really a bright yellow watch strap person, so it was sent to a fellow enthusiast who is.
I turned my attention to cleaning everything up, using an old toothbrush and soapy water.
Then I started to remove the bezel, and it started to crumble. Then it crumbled some more:
Clearly, patience and superglue can only do so much, and I came to terms with the fact that one of the principal attributes of the G-Shock had been compromised by the passage of time. So I went hunting for a new bezel. Which was when I discovered that DW-003's are quite rare. A change of tack was called for. I discovered that the module was the same as a 9052, and I was able to source a bezel for same from the USA via Ebay.
The result is a hybrid of DW-003 and 9052, with a velcro strap, and is now my favourite "beater":
Patience is a virtue, as I discovered while trying to find a replacement bezel. But the end result was worthwhile.
The buttons are further recessed in the 9052 bezel, and as the 003 has square buttons and the 9052's are slightly rectangular, there are gaps. But it's distinctive and has given a new lease of life to a G.
Regards
Ian
The crystal looks unmarked!