G-Shock’s First Watch with a Heart Rate Monitor Has Been Announced

In a move that should not surprise anyone who has followed G-Shock over the last few years as they’ve dabbled in connected watches and app integration, the brand has announced their first timepieces to include a heart rate monitor. The GBDH1000-1A7 and the GBDH1000-1, part of the new G-Shock Move lineup, are full featured G-Shocks and are every bit as equipped to handle shocks, drops, and other assorted pitfalls as any G-Shock, but with the addition of a heart rate monitor and its ability to track exercise intensity, this is very much a fitness watch, and takes square aim not just at the Apple Watch, but popular smartwatches and fitness devices from Garmin, FitBit, and others.

G-SHOCK Move

• Case Material: Resin/Stainless steel
• Dial: LCD
• Dimensions: 63 x 55 x 20.4mm
• Crystal: Mineral      
• Water Resistance: 200 meters 
• Crown: n/a              
• Strap/bracelet: Resin
• Price: $399
• Reference Number: GBDH1000-1A7, GBDH1000-1
• Expected Release: May 2020

The G-Shock Move not only displays your current heart rate on its LCD screen, but is also capable of showing you your “heart rate zone,” which is useful for pace management during workouts. Using an algorithm developed by Firstbeat Technologies, the G-Shock Move can also measure and track your maximum rate of oxygen consumption, a key metric for athletes in the midst of endurance training.

In addition to the optical sensor on the watch’s caseback that tracks your heart rate, the G-Shock Move includes sensors to track altitude/barometric pressure, compass bearing, and temperature, while an accelerometer tracks movement and distance traveled. These features allow the G-Shock Move to track activity in real time, and provide plenty of context for that data, which can be used to improve and manage workouts. 

There will be two versions of the watch available at launch. In addition to the variant seen here with a white strap and yellow highlights, there will also be an all back version available. The G-Shock Move features large non-slip buttons and a high contrast LCD display that provides plenty of timing and fitness tracking information in a legible manner. When the G-Shock move becomes available later this month, it will work with a new app designed specifically for this series of watches that tracks all of the data collected by the watch’s sensors, and integrates the watch to your phone, allowing for the management of phone calls and text messages. 

In terms of aesthetics, this is a G-Shock through and through. Pardon the pun, but the case is not for the faint of heart: it measures 63 x 55 x 20.4mm. That’s a big watch by any measure, and underscores that the G-Shock Move is truly a purpose built object, designed to be worn during physical activity that you have a need to track. In other words, this is not a daily wearer, or a candidate for a one watch collection (at least for most of us). But if you’re a G-Shock fan and want to dip your toe into their take on fitness tracking. G-Shock