Concur with the general thought of function over form. The watch is a tool and you need to be "OK" with using it as a hammer if necessary
My Casio use started back in the late 80’s – early 90’s. My first was a Casio ARW-320 (Alti-Depth). The Altimeter function came in handy for navigating in mountainous terrain. Of course it was necessary to understand the impact of weather and barometric changes on the readings. Fate: After several battery changes the watch eventually just stopped functioning and had to be retired.
The first of several G-shocks I’ve owned through the years began with the DW-5900E… Never had issues with the watch although the bands would only last about a year or so. I think Casio changed the materials as the newer models seem to fare better and not be as brittle. Fate: The outer plastic/rubber split and fell off the watch so it was basically a metal disk.
Replacement G-Shock DW met a similar fate after about 4 years of use. The plastic covers over the selection buttons fell off one by one which left fairly sharp pins you either had to press or got snagged on things… There were a couple others along the way that ended up in similar condition and were retired either due to physical damage or after a couple years would simply cease to function for whatever reason. It was cheaper to replace than repair in most cases.
Life for these watches was abusive. All watches went unpressurized to altitude, extremes of heat and cold and were victim to whatever else I went through. None cost over $100. I found increased functionality also included increased battery consumption. Bezel and case construction mattered as the integrity of the watch would be compromised if gaskets were damaged or became worn. I had one instance where a jeweler incorrectly reassembled the watch (inverted a metal gasket during a battery replacement) and took me some time to determine what the cause of the problem was. I liked the durability in relation to the price point. Ease of use and readability of the dial were primary. Didn’t help having a dozen different readouts and indicators on the dial that I couldn’t make out… A digital circle sweeping for seconds was pretty much worthless and just cluttered the face. Likewise function indicators that were very difficult to read were a turn-off.
As a former-action-guy.. I’ve stuck with Casio for day-to-day wear…but have no need for the durability of the G-shock and have gone with the functionality of an analog watch with digital alarms.