Casio's new heart rate sensor-equipped G-Shock launches in more markets

Kanoa Igarashi has more signature G-Shocks than almost any individual athlete Casio usually works with. The GBX-H5600KI-5, officially unveiled earlier this month, is his fourth, after the GLX-5600KI-7, GBX-100KI-1 and GLX-5600KB-1, and it is now heading for Europe.

The design is based on Ericeira, the Portuguese town where Igarashi trains. Bio-based resin is the material used for the bezel and band in a brown mixed-colour moulding (meant to reflect coastal cliffs), and because the resin is combined during production, no two units will have the same pattern. Lavender accents on the face have been applied via vapour deposition — that's a reference to the ocean at dusk. His signature sits below the display and on the caseback, with his World Surf League number 50 printed on the lower band.

The new watch is based on the GBX-H5600 platform Casio introduced earlier this year. An optical heart rate sensor and three-axis accelerometer feed training analysis running on Polar algorithms. The functionality covers cardio load and sleep recovery alongside pace, distance and stride. Surf-specific data includes tide graphs, moon phases and sunrise and sunset times. The MIP LCD is great for visibility in both direct sun and while you're underwater.

The case measures 51.1 by 44.5 by 17.3 mm at 47 grams — buyers get a carbon fiber-reinforced resin caseback that Casio says removes roughly 18 grams against the previous heart rate model. Mineral glass, 200m water resistance and solar charging round the feature set out. You get continuous heart rate tracking rated to 35 hours as well.

German, Dutch and Spanish listings have now gone live at €329, each with a notification signup rather than a buy button and no date attached. T3 has reported September for markets beyond Japan and the United States.