This story begins a long time ago in the olden days...Last year.

I was a couple months off turning fifty years old and decided to treat myself to a ninety-minute aerobatic flight in a World War Two fighter-trainer. It was set to take place in Tasmania, a small island-State of Australia across the Bass Strait to the south of the mainland - A beautiful spot of natural wonders and amazing wilderness places.

The plan was a week-long holiday: sight-seeing, hiking, food-eating and my aerobatic flight as the highlight. It wasn't going to be a cheap fiftieth birthday but it was going to be memorable and considering I could be dead at any tick of the clock I figured why not make it happen.

Everything was good to go then...Worldwide pandemic.

The trip was cancelled, as was my five week trip to Scandinavia for later that year, and the money flowed back into my bank account; no holidays and no aerobatic flight.

I was less than impressed as you might imagine.

Resistance is futile but I managed it

Around about mid year I was consoling myself by looking at watches, somewhat of a hobby of mine; collecting them. I have some legit watches but to be honest I wear the cheapest one most of the time; my Casio G-Shock Rangeman triple sensor. I love it.

Anyway, that's when I came across the Mudmaster triple sensor and fell in love. It was a love that would go unrequited however as I have a need over want buying habit so I resisted the urge to purchase it because I didn't need it. I resisted some more. And then I resisted yet again. And again and then again. A lot of resisting happened.

The death of resistance

It was a couple weeks ago when I decided that it was time for me to kick resistance squarely in the ass and simply cave in to love.

I wanted the watch; it wasn't a need at all, just a powerful want.

I justified it by telling myself it was the fiftieth birthday present I never got last year. I had the money left over from the aerobatic flight and so off I went to the store where, coincidentally, Casio was twenty five percent off.

Only...This watch was not included in the sale.

I was going to rant to them about false advertising on the (national) advertising campaign but decided to simply look elsewhere. I went online and found it at an online-only licensed Casio dealer and here's the thing...It was thirty nine percent less than recommended retail pricing. I researched to make sure the online-reseller was legit, genuine and all, and they were.

So...Resistance lost out.

The arrival and the glory of GWG-1000-1A3

My new watch arrived on Saturday and after some initial playing around I had it set up and on my wrist. It's glorious.

I knew it was going to be larger than my beloved Rangeman but I'm ok with that; it's so much cooler and whilst it has the same triple sensor capability it is much better sensor technology and it does some other cool things the Rangeman does not...It just looks and feels cooler as well.

The triple sensor aspect means it has a barometer/thermometer, altimeter and compass in-built and all data can be recorded in the watch for later reference if one needs to - like change of altitude from one point to the next or temperature variations over a given time. It does all the other stuff as well: Alarm. stop-watch, world time and also has multi-band-6 capability, terrestrial radio wave reception, which automatically adjusts the time perfectly. OK, that feature doesn't work in Australia yet just Japan, North America, UK, Europe and China, but who cares right? I have it y'all!

There's also features like solar power which will power the watch for up to six months without charge, water-resistance to 20 BAR, automatic light-on when it's tilted to the face at 40 degrees when dark enough and a cool function that moves all the hands to the 2-position to get them out of the way of the digital screen for easier reading.

The watches' movement is shock and vibration resistant due to gel insulation around the module and mud resistance is provided by an ingenious gasket system. The image below, borrowed from the Casio Mudmaster website, demonstrates it.

It tells the time too

The watch comes with an extensive owners manual and I'll be honest and say that reading it is an absolute must.

This is not the sort of watch you can fumble your way through - It's complicated and to get the best from it one must read the book and know what buttons to press and when. Even the screw-out crown has purpose, changing set values and all. The watch is highly customisable and to get the features all working together one must read the book.

I'd thought it would be the same or very similar to my Rangeman, which is complicated enough, but it is not. So, a word to the wise, read the book and if you want a simple watch the Mudmaster is not the watch for you.

This watch is designed for people who work or play hard and in harsh environments and who need a watch that will stand up to the rigors of such places and treatment. I will use the triple sensor aspect of this watch from time to time as I do the things I do and will take it to the places it's built for and will expect no less than flawless operation, longevity and reliability. That's what I paid for.

So there you have it folks, proof that my need over want buying ethos is breakable and a man can love a watch. [Ok, we all knew this already I think.]

I saved $510AUD by purchasing it online and feel I secured a great product for a great price. This is my fiftieth birthday gift, albeit a year and a half late, and in truth is far cheaper than what that trip to Tasmania was going to cost, and I'm pretty content.

I like my new watch and will wear it with great satisfaction knowing I worked hard for it, thought it through, made a sensible purchase and that it will be with me for a long time...

...Ok, I'm also going to say it...It's sexy y'all! You don't have to agree.