AP’s emerald chronograph is a mechanical marvel laden with precious metals, but it doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity to a specialized app or get automatically regulated by daily radio signals.
Sure, AP’s caliber 4401 automatic movement has a 70-hour power reserve and a 12-hour chronograph complication. But G-Shock provides a 24-hour chronograph, world time, perpetual calendar, count-down timer and alarm.
All of which are operable in the dark, thanks to a built-in LED dial light. G-Shock’s Clad Guard case system protects the solar-powered quartz movement from extreme impact damage.
The B2000 Kurogane-iro is a top-shelf G-Shock, with a price tag that surpasses $3,000, but it is still a fraction of the ceramic Royal Oak Offshore’s $58,400 SRP, which you would be lucky to pay if you can even find one.
This physically massive luxury-tier CasiOak makes a similarly eye-catching impression on the wrist and is far more capable, if you set aside the mechanical vs. quartz debate.