The button tones for using the mode button can be turned off. This means that the watch no longer beeps when switching from one function to another. Preset alarm or countdown timers remain active when the button tones are deactivated. The daily alarm reminds you of daily recurring events, in which an acoustic signal is emitted at the set time. In addition, a switchable alarm draws attention to the expiry of each hour. This model has five independent alarms - especially convenient for taking medication on a daily basis or keeping regular appointments.

The feature of permanent displaying the home time sacrificed the stopwatch somewhat. It still runs to a maximum of 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59 seconds, but the old module offered 1/100 of a second for the full maximum duration of the stopwatch. With the new module, 1/100 of a second is only available for the first hour (59′ 59” 99”’), thereafter the maximum accuracy is one second. For me, the permanent availability of the time in the display is way more usable. Alarms and Timer For those who want to know exactly: The countdown timer helps to remember special or recurring events by emitting an acoustic signal at the set time. The time can be set every minute and up to 24 hours in advance. This function is especially convenient for daily medication or interval training. For fans of precision: the countdown timers help you to remember specific or recurring events by giving off an audible signal at a preset time. The time can be set to the nearest minute and up to 24 hours in advance. Ideal for people who need to take medicines every day or those who do interval training.Adjustable date format (M.DD or DD.M) and adjustable day of week language (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian) Technical amendments and errors excepted. The sizes in figures do not correspond to the original sizes. Adjustable 1.5 or 3 second afterglow for light (versus 1.5 second non-adjustable afterglow on module 3159) Simply, because it is a great digital watch. In terms of time, date, world time, alarm, stopwatch and timer, the upgrade to the "u" version has fixed some of the minor issues of the previous iteration and has everything you really need unless you want to get into fitness or smartwatches. The upgraded world time features make switching between time zones a double button press away and its stealthy appearance keeps it off the radar of luxury watch theives. So, a great travel watch in other words.

The world-time function was the closer for me and ended my hunt for a dedicated, mechanical world-time watch. I was agonizing over adding yet another watch to my collection that would be single-purpose, and a relatively quirky one at that. The GW-5000U-1JF is a veritable Swiss Army knife. In the week I’ve owned it, I’ve found multiple uses for the stopwatch, timer, and alarm functions as well. And I’ve used the world-time function more often than I thought I would already. I may be at serious risk of a one-watch collection if I don’t start wearing another watch soon.For athletes and all those who want to know exactly: Elapsed time, split time and end time are measured with an accuracy of hundredths of a second. The measuring capacity of the watch lasts up to 24 hours. The daily alarm reminds you about recurring events with an acoustic signal at the time you have set. This model has 5 independent alarms for flexible reminders of important appointments. Weight wise, it is, unsurprisingly, the heaviest of the bunch at 154gm - over double the weight of 5000u and triple the weight of the 5610u. That puts it firmly into steel diver's watch territory in terms of wrist presence. Some may feel this is a desirable or less desirable thing depending on use case and preference. So much for the software upgrades. For those not already familiar with the hardware, the standouts are: Other features include Tough Solar power, Multi-Band 6 automatic radio time syncing (except for G-5600UE), mineral glass, full auto calendar, 1/100-second stopwatch with split, 1st and 2nd place (1/100-second for first hour, 1-second after first hour), 5 alarms with 1 snooze, adjustable hourly time signal, power saving function, 12-24 hour format, and button tone on/off.

If desired, the key tones can be switched off with the mode button. After switching off, there is no longer a beep when switching from one function to the next. Set alarms or countdown timers are still active after the key doors have been switched off.Resin is made of synthetic resin and is the ideal material for bracelets due to its extreme durability and flexibility. Functionally, the 5610u matches it. However, the visceral experience of putting on the 5000u after wearing the 5610 feels like step up in class. The all-metal B5000 has a few extras like Bluetooth connectivity and short reminder message possibilites but that may even be a negative for some. Likewise with its weight. I then went with the GW-5600 that linked through to my iPhone which I quite liked - but I still hankered after the simplicity of the self contained GW-5000.