G-Shock DW9052 and G9000 watches are also worn by Navy SEALs

Disclaimer: The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

(Caption: A West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare (NSW) gives an “OK” before entering the water during combat dive training in the Gulf of Mexico, May 15, 2024. Photo By: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Alex Perlman. G-Central Note: Please do not interpret the hand sign in this photo as anything other than the “OK” sign for scuba diving.)

When it comes to U.S. Navy SEALs and G-Shock watches, the DW-6600 (or DW6600 in the U.S.) is historically associated as the “Navy SEAL G-Shock,” thanks to a notable appearance in the movie American Sniper and widespread photos of SEALs wearing the watch. The DW-6600 was eventually discontinued by Casio and replaced by the DW-6900, which has the same shape as the DW-6600 and is often used by military divers today. Despite the structural similarity, it was apparently the DW-9052 that replaced the DW-6600 as a watch issued to new divers at the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center and to new SEAL candidates up until 2018, according to a Watches of Espionage article about G-Shock watches in the military (watchesofespionage.com). (The DW-6600 was revived by Casio in 2023 for the G-Shock 40th Anniversary but mainly as collector’s models with one anniversary-themed limited edition and one retro-inspired colorway.)

There are six DW9052 models available at casio.com/us. There are also several models available from Amazon.com at a discounted price of around $50, including one model with a nylon band.

(Caption: West Coast-based Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators conduct dive training at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 18. Photo By: Petty Officer 1st Class Alex Perlman)

There is evidence that some Navy SEAL divers still use the DW-9052, as seen in recent military-sourced photos from the 2020s. The DW-9052 and its predecessor the DW-9000 have also been known to be issued to other military units in various countries. G-Shock references (but does not officially confirm) the military connections of the DW9052 (casio.com/us), stating on the DW9052-1V product page “standard issue never looked this good.” Today, the DW-9052 is mainly associated as a U.S. series with several models available there, although it may be found in some stores internationally. (We saw some in Singapore recently.) The DW-9052 is currently unavailable in Japan, and the last international release came in 2017.

(Caption: A U.S. Naval special warfare operator demonstrates casualty litter evacuation procedures with members of the Nepali Army and Nepali Special Operations Force (SOF) Brigade during a subject matter expert exchange at Ganesh Kashya, the Nepali Army headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo By: MC1 Chelsea D. Meiller.)

According to another WOE article about the use of digital watches in modern military campaigns(watchesofespionage.com), the G-Shock Mudman G-9000 is another G-Shock series with verifiable military connections, as the United States Special Operations Command made bulk purchases of the G9000 totaling 1,000 watches in 2014. SOCOM oversees special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force, which include Navy SEAL operators in the Naval Special Warfare Command. Like the DW9052, the G9000 is an example of a G-Shock that seems to be discontinued in most countries but is still available in the U.S.

There is speculation that the G9000 will be completely discontinued in the U.S. like the Mudman G9300 recently was. The G9000 has been available in the U.S. for such a long time (after being discontinued in Japan around 2018) that it seems plausible that Casio was still producing it, but it’s also plausible that Casio produced enough stock by 2018 to last for many years. We noticed that Amazon.com is no longer selling any G9000 models directly like it used to and its G9000-1V product page was completely removed, which may or may not be a sign of something. (As long as we see that a series is available at casio.com/us, we will assume that it is not discontinued in the U.S. yet.) With the shift to LED backlights and older affordable series like the DW-5600 and DW-6900 being updated, it’s conceivable that the DW9052 and G9000 will be discontinued instead of updated, in which case we would expect the DW-6900 to become the dominant G-Shock series for military use.

There are two G9000 models available at casio.com/us. You can also find the G9000-1V on Ebay from authorized seller The Casio Store for $84.99 (ebay.com, not affiliate link).

(Caption: A U.S. Navy SEAL boards a vessel during a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) evolution as a part of Trojan Footprint 21 off the coast of Mangalia, Romania on May 7th, 2021. Photo By: Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Mullen)

(Photo By: Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick Mullen)

More About the DW-9502 and G-9000:

Although some sources state that the DW-9052 series was first launched in 1995 or 2012, the earliest recorded year we found from official sources (Casio Watches mobile app and PacParts official U.S. parts seller) is 2002, and this seems to be supported by the timelines of related series (DW-8800, DW-9000, etc.). The DW-9502 was initially an overseas (non-Japan) release, with some models being re-released in Japan after experiencing popularity in the U.S. The functions of the DW-9052 are the same as the DW-6900.

The G-9000 was originally launched in 2006 and has some unique features and functions over the DW-9052, such as mud-resistant buttons, a low temperature resistance spec (-20℃), world time, two stopwatches (one with a 5-second countdown auto start), five multi-function alarms with one snooze, a progress beeper for the timer (but the timer is only settable in hours and minutes and not seconds), button tone on/off, and 3 or 5 seconds for the EL backlight duration. The G-9000 also has a longer approximate battery life of three years and uses a CR2025 battery.

I found the G-9000 (actually the GW-9000 in my case but with the same exterior) to be the most comfortable G-Shock watch I’ve ever worn on my flat wrist, due to its resin case back cover with a large empty space in the center and small round bumps at the ends which prevented the stainless steel case back from sticking to the skin. However, some people have complained about this back cover. I also found the mud-resistant buttons to be hard to press but not a dealbreaker. Newer mud-resistant series like the Mudman GW-9500 have an improved button structure that is easy to press, but the watch is considerably larger. The DW-9052 is also said to be a comfortable watch with band attachment points that allow the band to rotate and adjust to the wrist more freely than the DW-6900. A suggested modern alternative to the DW-9052 is the GD-010 with a front light button, ten-year battery, and some more advanced features, but it will wear a bit larger on the wrist.