Sorry Garmin — forget the Fenix 9, this Casio G-Shock pro surfer collab is the only new adventure watch I want this year

Casio’s GBX-H5600KI-5 Kanoa Igarashi watch has gone on sale It’s aimed at surfers, with a range of features for the sport It could rival the Garmin Fenix 9, which is due to be announced soon Garmin is just about to launch the Fenix 9 watch , and it’s fair to say there’s plenty of hype surrounding th

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Casio’s GBX-H5600KI-5 Kanoa Igarashi watch has gone on sale</strong></li><li><strong>It’s aimed at surfers, with a range of features for the sport</strong></li><li><strong>It could rival the Garmin Fenix 9, which is due to be announced soon</strong></li></ul><p>Garmin is just about to launch the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/play-harder-garmin-has-stealthily-scheduled-its-own-youtube-live-event-presumably-to-launch-the-fenix-9-heres-when-and-how-to-watch">Fenix 9 watch</a>, and it’s fair to say there’s <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/garmin-fenix-9-details-leak-and-if-true-were-getting-three-new-watches-but-the-most-interesting-part-of-this-reveal-is-about-garmins-screen-technology">plenty of hype</a> surrounding the upcoming model. Yet Casio has just arrived to steal Garmin’s thunder with a new wearable that could take the air out of the Fenix 9’s sails — particularly when you consider who the devices are apparently aimed at. </p><p>Casio’s device is the wordily named <a href="https://www.casio.com/us/watches/gshock/product.GBX-H5600KI-5/" target="_blank">GBX-H5600KI-5 Kanoa Igarashi</a>. It’s just gone on sale in the US for $370, which translates to roughly £270 GBP / $515 AUD — way cheaper than the majority of Garmin’s range, and the Ultra-branded rugged adventure smartwatches from the likes of Apple and Samsung.</p><p>It makes up for its lack of a snappy moniker with a feature list that includes a tide graph function, plus moon, sunrise, and sunset info for optimal surf timing. It also boasts blood-oxygen sensors, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, training load powered by <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/polar-loop-review">Polar</a>, and more. </p><p>On the design front, it comes in a dark brown case with lavender highlights. Because of the molding process, each watch has a slightly different look. There’s a MIP display that sports the signature of Japanese-American surfer Kanoa Igarashi, for whom the device is named. You’ll also find the number 50 on the wrist strap, which is a reference to Igarashi’s World Surf League bib code.</p><h2 id="designed-for-surfers">Designed for surfers</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="Rp3u3JQbwzeAoLWzwcXn5m" name="Casio GBX-H5600KI-5 4" alt="The Casio GBX-H5600KI-5 Kanoa Igarashi smartwatch." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Rp3u3JQbwzeAoLWzwcXn5m.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Casio)</span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s that surfing connection that might rain on Garmin’s parade. Garmin’s Play Harder event — where the Fenix 9 is widely expected to be revealed — features a surfer as its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFW9SdPrjAo" target="_blank">livestream cover image</a>, perhaps giving a hint as to what the Fenix 9 could be oriented towards. </p><p>But with Casio’s surfer-themed watch going on sale right before the Fenix 9 makes an appearance, picking a smartwatch for your surfing sessions just got a little more complicated. And then there’s the price: the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/garmin-fenix-8-review">Garmin Fenix 8</a> starts at $849.99 /£749.99 GBP / $1,499 AUD, a cool $480 / £480 GBP / $984 AUD more than Casio’s latest effort. The Fenix 9 is likely to be priced around $1,000 / £1,000 GBP / $1,399 AUD — if it is, the difference compared to Casio’s device will be stark. </p><p>Of course, you get a lot more from Garmin in terms of features, including a larger AMOLED screen and many more tools and metrics. But if all you want is a simple smartwatch to take out on your morning surf, Casio believes it has the answer — presumably much to the chagrin of Garmin.</p><div data-widget-type="multimodelreview" data-model-name="Garmin Fenix 8,Garmin Fenix 8 Solar,Garmin Fenix 8 Pro AMOLED,Garmin Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED" data-widget-title="Today’s best Garmin Fenix 8 deals" class="hawk-root"></div> </article> ]]>