Casio G Shock GD350
Countdown timer function has a large, easily identifiable button for direct access
I have been using this watch for nearly two years and I’m continually impressed by its functionality. Specifically, I use a combination of two particular, rather unique features of this watch: 1) a vibrational alarm (which can be used instead of or in conjunction with the standing beeping alarm) an 2) a dedicated “START” button for the watch’s count-down timer (which the user can set to a pre-determined length of time).
I use these two features together for what I call “two-minute tempos*,” which is where I have the timer set to two minutes, the vibration set to ON and the beeping set to OFF, so I simply press the big silver START button, and a two minute timer begins to count down. When the time is up, my watch vibrates (which is plenty powerful for me to feel every time, yet silent, so there’s no sound to annoy me or anyone else around me — especially important in certain settings).
Of course, either the vibrating feature of the pre-set timer feature could be used independently, or the timer could be used for a different amount of time. It only takes a few seconds to re-program this). If I need to occasionally time something longer than two minutes, I often use multiple iterations of the two-minute interval (i.e. five times in order to count 10 minutes). If I need to repeatedly time something longer than two minutes, I’ll change the timer to a longer length, and then change it back to my default two minutes at the end of the activity.
Other than these features, the watch is durable, comfortable, and well-designed. The layout of the screen is among the best I’ve seen on digital watches, including large, a large easily-readable time display, a day and date display, and lights to show which settings are ON or OFF at the top. Best of all, when the countdown timer is running, it replaces the day and date display, while leaving the time display unmodified, so you can easily check the time or the countdown timer without pressing anything while the countdown timer is running (this is especially helpful when running the countdown for longer periods of time).
*Activities I use “two-minute tempos” for:
- brushing my teeth (a pretty standard two minute activity)
- showering (only for 2 mins b/c I live in California, where there’s a drought, plus most of my showers use exclusively cold water for the benefits of cold-thermogenesis, which makes two minutes feel like a long time!)
- physical activities: hanging from a pull up bar (which I do to practice grip-stretch and to allow traction in my spine), interval-training, self-massage (like with a massage ball or foam roller), yoga, static stretching, breathing exercises (like Wim Hoff’s breathing technique)
- meditating (sometimes a two minute meditation is all I need, whereas other times I meditate by waiting to see how many two-minute cycles it takes until I can remember that the vibration is coming, which I’ve found to be a great mindfulness challenge, because usually I get lost in thought before two minutes is up and then I’m sort of surprised when the watch vibrates)
Casio Men's GD350-1B G Shock Black Watch ($107)
