Move over Garmin – this G-Shock looks like the best rugged smartwatch

If there is one market segment in tech which has exploded out of nowhere in the last ten years, it's the smartwatch market. What was once the subject of child-like wonder now adorns almost every wrist you see.

If there is one group they tend to alienate, though, it's the traditional watch enthusiast. Whether that comes from a disdain for the flurry of notifications, or just a lack of wrist space, the two parties are rarely seen together.

That could all change here, though. Enter the latest in the G-Shock smartwatch range – the Casio G-Shock GPR-H1000 – which takes the ever-popular Rangeman and gives it a modern, technological kick.

The classic dust- and mud-resistant structure is now filled with a couple of sensors to monitor key health and fitness metrics. That includes a triple sensor which measures compass bearing, altitude and barometric pressure, and temperature.

That pairs up with an optical sensor for measuring heart rate, an accelerometer for tracking step count and a gyroscope for precise location tracking. All of that offers a comprehensive package of data about your body.

It's not the first time we've seen a G-Shock smartwatch hybrid. We've reviewed both the Casio G-Shock DW-H5600 and the Casio G-Shock GBD-H2000 previously here at T3.

However, the introduction of that technology into the ultra-rugged Rangeman series does push it a little further. In fact, I'd go as far as saying this looks ready to take on the best Garmin watches on the market, in the quest to be the best go-anywhere, do-anything watch. We'll have to wait and get hands on with the Casio to know for sure, but it certainly has some credentials worth taking note of.

If you fancy the sound of it, great news! The watch itself will be available from the 19th of January, so there isn't too long to wait. What's more, it's actually quite reasonably priced. With an RRP of £450, it sits in relative parity with the Apple Watch lineup and less than models like the Garmin Fenix 7.