Monday, July 28, 2008

Non-Stop G-Shocks: DW-6900-1V

Today I'm wearing a watch with a story more interesting than the watch itself. It's a slightly beat up DW-6900-1V, the basic version of one of the most popular G-Shock designs (even if you don't count all the terrible fake BAPE 6900s.) I've fitted a pair of aftermarket strap adapters and a 22mm military-style strap with a black buckle that seems to match nicely. I did this because in addition to being well-used and "stealthed" (it has had the colored paint removed from the bezel lettering so it's now all black,) this watch came to me missing the strap and the bezel screws. So, here's the story: A little while ago I bought a limited edition 6900 that had a non-functional backlight. I really wanted to remedy this (and my initial thought was there was just a dirty contact or a spring missing) but the EL light was really and truly dead. So, before I spent the money on a brand new 6900 only to tear it apart, I posted to the Watchuseek G-Shock forum to see if anybody had a 6900 "beater" with working backlight that they'd like to sell. I was very surprised to be offered this 6900 with a perfectly good module for free, including free shipping, by a fellow forum member. Because the model I was fixing had a special LCD as well as a special bezel and strap, I had to switch the LCD display between the two modules (just a matter of 4 screws and pretty easy if you're careful) then switch the modules between the watches. The swap went very smoothly, and rather than keep this watch for pats, I thought I'd put a band on it (I was eager to try out the adapters anyway) and wear it a little bit. It works great, except for the backlight, of course. I think I forgot about this watch and my other 6900 a few days ago when I mentioned I was on my "third-to-last" G-Shock, so I think I actually have two more (the other 6900 I mentioned here and another one I received today) then I'm done with Gs until I get something new.












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