This is the all time, most rugged, durable watch you will ever own. Yes, it looks out of place at dinner parties. Where it looks at home is on your wrist while working out, running, repairing a greasy engine component in your car, or while out in the woods clearing trees and brush with a chain saw.

The G-Shock DW-6600 has all the components a man needs in a functional, everyday-wear watch. I have had one for well over 10 years and other than a battery replacement and a new band, is still trucking along doing exactly what it is supposed to do, and doing it accurately. I have an early G-Shock made in Indonesia (Japanese quartz movement) that has been a tank, enduring daily wear in a mechanics job, being exposed to bumps, scrapes, lubrication overspray, the shock of being on a wrist while pounding heavy objects with a hammer on a routine basis, and it is still a flawless time piece that amazes me with its accurate time keeping.

It does all this while remaining light on the arm. I have a stainless Seiko divers watch I wear rarely, mostly because its weight makes it so noticeable (also lacks features I use regularly that the G-Shock has). The DW-6600 with it resin case, band, and LCD display blends in as if it weren't there weight-wise.

I use the chronograph and count down timer frequently. The easy-to-find light button makes checking the time in pitch darkness a breeze. The buttons are sufficiently recessed and protected that you will never find any setting inadvertently changed no matter how vigorous the activity involved.

As a result of working for 30 years as a mechanic in various industrial jobs, I have found that no matter what kind of watch you have on, there is one design imperative that has to be considered...the crystal MUST be recessed, or as sure as the sun rises you will either scratch or damage the watch face, as I have many times with various other watches. This is another area where the DW-6600 shines, since its face is recessed WELL below the top surface.

Here's what I need to have in a watch so I know it will last - a durable, waterproof build, a recessed crystal, an accurate quartz movement, and the functionality I use routinely (chronograph and count down timer the most). The Casio DW-6600 has it, at a price that is well inside even the most frugal shoppers budget. You will not be disappointed with this main battle-tank of a time piece.