As most watch enthusiasts know, a common recommendation for a someone getting a new watch or getting into the watch hobby is the famed SeikoSKX007/009, but they're becoming more elusive, rarely being found new for less that $400CAD. A newcomer on the scene over the last year, is the much hyped Casio GA2100's dubbed the Casioak, speculators flipping them at over double their retail and the Stealth being the most desired - is drawing a crowd of non-watch wearers.
You hear the sound of wind whistling, suddenly Ryu’s theme plays quietly... a Stealth Casioak appears out of the corner of your eye, and then - the flash of the Seiko jubilee catches your eye. The Seiko’s lume is fully charged, but little does the diver know, just how light the Casioak is... Round 1 of this fight is going to be a good one...
The Seiko needs no introduction, with a lineage and history in dive watches, appearing on the scene in 1996 along with X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but like Ryu, its abilities are well known; it delivers as a reliable dive watch. To learn more about the SKX's legacy, The Monochrome covers this HERE. The thing about the SKX is that it's like Mike Tyson, retired. The SKX keeps lining up fights on legacy; it's definitely a knockout but you've got to know the SKX to appreciate it. We all know Mike Tyson's a beast if we've seen his footage, but to the crowd who met him in The Hangover, they don't know just how quick he is.
The Stealth Casioak is hot right now. It's been covered to death by watch media (a great piece by Worn and Wound HERE) like we talked about Akuma's Raging Demon. It's good, we get it; but there's weakness' right? Even though it has a long list of features, you've got to want a G-SHOCK. A battery operated quartz. Sure it's light, and incredibly tough - but are you going to input LP LP -> LK HP?
One thing is for sure, if you're following The Casioak on Instagram, you may know on the Round 1 fight there, the Stealth Casioak took 66% of the votes. Why is Round 1 nearly no contest? Because in 2020 we're not going to see GSP fight Khabib. Even though the Stealth is nearly impossible to find at retail (it's possible), you can't just get an SKX. Like Akuma wasn't always a playable character, eventually you can unlock him, but at this point the SKX is more like Evil Ryu than Ryu. The Casio GA-2100 is still technically a "mall watch". It should be widely available and likely someday will be. The SKX has been discontinued and replaced and sitting comfortably in the comfort of their owner's safes now.
In terms of recommending the Casioak to someone new to the hobby or looking into getting a watch, at it's price point and incredible list of features (like most G-SHOCK's to be fair), is pretty impressive. What's unique about this piece is its general appeal. What Seiko is doing with it's Seiko 5 line is also generating general appeal for a quality mechanical watch, but it still costs significantly more at retail. Even if you have to hunt, you will find one and that's part of the joy of getting a new watch. Sure, there are a couple new moves to learn, but that's why adding new characters is fun. There are great classic characters, in the watch hobby, we've got to welcome those new ones.
For general accessibility, features and price-point alone, the Casioak could have got a perfect in the first round. It was over before it started and the flash of a Raging Demon finish hits the screen.