Even the snobbiest analogue collector loves a good G-shock watch.
It’s one of the most celebrated and respected tactical watch brands in the industry.
But most importantly, the cool rugged aesthetic and digital face of a G-Shock makes me feel like Batman.
Out of all the compass bearing watches in the line, the G-Shock Rangeman and the Mudman have the most in common.
We’ll break down, quality to quality, what makes these two timepieces similar and different, so you can choose which one is right for you.
Let’s hit it.
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G-Shock Rangeman vs Mudman: Overview
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| G-Shock Rangeman | G-Shock Mudman | |
| Case Size | 55.2×53.5×18.2mm | 53.0 x 50.8 x 18.2mm |
| Tough Solar Power | Yes | Yes |
| Shock Resistance | Yes | Yes |
| Mud Resistant Case & Buttons | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resistance | 200m | 200m |
| Digital Compass | Yes | Yes |
| Low Temperature Resistance | Too 10 degrees Fahrenheit | Too 10 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Stopwatch | Yes | Yes |
| Countdown Timer | Yes | Yes |
| Backlight | White LED | Green Electroluminescent |
| World Time | Yes | Yes |
| Moon Phase Calendar | No | Yes |
| Atomic Timer | Yes | No |
| Sunrise & Sunset Timer | Yes | No |
| Thermo & Direction Sensors | Yes | No |
| Altitude Measurer | Yes | No |
| Pressure Barometer | Yes | No |
| Check Best Price on Amazon | Check Best Price on Amazon |
G-shock’s history began in 1983 when engineer Kikuo Ibe set out to build a virtually indestructible watch. The initiative was literally called Project Tough.
G-Shock watches are more than just an objectively high-performing watch, though. As an avid watch collector, what delights me most about these little beasts is they’re an adult version of all the toy gadgets I loved so much as a kid.
G-Shock Rangeman
The G-Shock Rangeman came out in 2018, featuring the world’s first solar-assisted GPS Navigation.
What I Like
Triple Sensor feature includes a compass and thermometer sensor, an atmospheric pressure barometer, and an altimeter.
Highly durable.
It also features Tough Solar Power.
Features Atomic Timekeeping for consistently reliable and accurate time.
It has a tough, symmetric style that also wears substantially on all wrists.
What I Don’t Like
Because there are so many settings, there’s a steep learning curve to get over in order to take full advantage of all the features.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
G-Shock Mudman
The current G-Shock Mudman was released in 2011 as a descendant to the original model, which was especially designed to withstand mud and dirt.
What I Like
Twin Sensor feature includes compass and thermometer sensor.
Highly durable.
Tough Solar Power allows it to power up even from the weakest light source.
It has a fun, robust aesthetic that wears substantially on wrists of all sizes.
The Moon Phase Calendar is handy for fishermen.
What I Don’t Like
The Twin Sensor feature lacks an altitude measurer and a pressure barometer.
A favorite among serious watch collectors, the G-Shock Mudman is as tough as it looks. It features a Twin Sensor, which includes highly effective direction and thermo sensors, making it ideal for sports and outdoor activities. As the older model, it has fewer features than the Rangeman.
Features Face to Face
The Case
Both the G-Shock Rangeman and the G-Shock Mudman have a rugged, tactical aesthetic and a legible face.
The Mudman’s case is made entirely out of resin, including the buttons. This gives the Mudman a matte monochrome aesthetic, though the resin buttons sometimes feel stuck.
The Rangeman’s resin case features stainless steel buttons. Some say the Rangeman looks more rugged because the buttons stick out of the sides. This gives it a more jagged silhouette compared to the Madman’s rounder, softer outline.
However, the Rangeman has a symmetrical face and its stainless steel buttons add luster. Meanwhile, the Mudman’s tactical asymmetrical placement of buttons and its fully matte look is more traditionally masculine and lowkey.
The Rangeman’s buttons are smaller and circular, while the Mudman’s are square and robust.
Basically, both cases are equally tough looking.
The Rangeman is the heavier watch coming in at 93g. It thus has more presence visually. The Mudman weighs a respectable 68.5g.
The faces of the watches are aesthetically similar and both excellently legible.
The Mudman places the date in the same section as the time, and isolates the day in its own segment.
The Rangeman places the date and the day in the same section and isolates the time, which I think makes more sense and looks less crowded.
Both feature a virtually scratch-resistant Hardlex crystal. Both also feature a compass on the face, which adds to the adventurous feel of the watch.
The Winner: The Rangeman boasts our preferred case. Both watches have a rugged and stylish case, but the Rangeman’s buttons are easier to press. Also, its face is less crowded and more legible.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
The Bands and Wearability
The Rangeman and Mudman have similar resin bands with identical wear. They’re both robust and suitably match their respective watch faces.
The Mudman has a single buckle tongue and a row of single diagonal cut-outs for adjustment holes.
The Rangeman has a double buckle tongue, and a row of double cut-outs that are on both the strap adjustment portion and the buckle portion. Again, the Rangeman is more aesthetically symmetrical.
The Rangeman features a piece of thick metal hardware embossed with “G-Shock” on it as its fixed loop keeper just above the buckle, while the Mudman features a simple free loop fixer made of rubber. The metal buckle is more attention-grabbing, but the Mudman’s rubber loop fixer goes well with its fully matte look.
With less moving parts, the Mudman is slightly easier to strap on, but both are equally as secure.
The Winner: The Mudman wins the battle of the band and wearability. It’s smaller and its band features a single buckle tongue. It’s thus easier to strap on and fits under a sleeve better.
A favorite among serious watch collectors, the G-Shock Mudman is as tough as it looks. It features a Twin Sensor, which includes highly effective direction and thermo sensors, making it ideal for sports and outdoor activities. As the older model, it has fewer features than the Rangeman.
Water Resistance and Backlight
Both watches are water resistant at up to 200m which puts them safely in “dive watch” territory. I wouldn’t risk diving with any watch that isn’t at least 300m water resistance, but go ahead to take either watch to your next paddle-boarding trip though!
Both watches also feature backlights that can be activated at the click of a button. In full auto mode, the backlight turns on when you put the watch on an angle. Otherwise, you can select the duration of the light yourself. Both watches also feature an afterglow.
The Rangeman has a bright white LED backlight, while the Mudman features a green electroluminescent backlight.
The Rangeman’s light is brighter, and the white provides a bolder contrast with the watch’s digits.
Relatedly, the Rangeman comes in a negative display variant, which means the digits are white and the background is dark. It’s a cool aesthetic, but it’s also three times more expensive than the standard version.
The Winner: The G-Shock Rangeman. While both watches have the same water resistance, the Rangeman’s white LED backlight is brighter and lasts longer.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
Durability
If G-Shock is famous for anything, it’s durability. In fact, the inventor of G-Shock tested the toughness of over 200 prototypes by throwing them out the window of a four-story building.
Both the Rangeman and the Mudman are shock resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The mineral glass protecting the face is sealed tighter and tenser than a handshake between Djokovic and Federer.
Despite only one of the watches bearing the moniker, both the Mudman and the Rangeman have mud resistant buttons. The only difference is that the Rangeman features stainless steel buttons, which are more durable than the Mudman’s besin buttons.
The Winner: The Rangeman. This is a close call since both watches have the exact same water, temperature, and shock resistance. The Rangeman’s stainless steel buttons give them a slight edge over the Mudman’s less protective resin buttons.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
Technical Features
Tough Solar Power and Battery Life
Tough Solar is Casio’s proprietary charging technology. It powers up watches using sunlight or fluorescent light even from weak light sources.
So even if you live in Alaska in the winter, both the Mudman and Rangeman can remain reliably charged. The Mudman has a battery life of eight months on full charge, while the Rangeman has about seven.
Digital Compass
At the push of a button (seeing a theme here?), you can access an easy-to-use digital compass in both the Rangeman and the Mudman.
In its resting state, the Rangeman’s digital compass perpetually points North. If you hold your watch up to look at the time, the compass dial will show you which cardinal direction you’re currently facing.
The Mudman’s compass points North in relation to the direction you’re facing.
Both compasses are reputed to be precise.
World Time
Both the Rangeman and the Mudman feature dual timezone displays, and can show you time from time zones all over the world. I love when rugged tool watches have this feature because it makes me feel like James Bond or GI Joe.
The only difference is that the Mudman doesn’t automatically update time zones because it doesn’t feature Atomic Time—more on that later.
The Winner: The G-Shock Rangeman takes the marbles for best overall technical features.
The Rangeman has more technical features than the Mudman overall. It also has a more effective World Time due to its Atomic Timekeeping capabilities, and a more instinctual digital compass.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
Standout Features
Mudman
Twin Sensor
The Mudman features Twin Sensors compared to the Rangeman’s Triple Sensor. This means the Mudman has a compass and a thermometer sensor.
Moon Phase Calendar
Made to withstand mud and features a moon phase calendar? The Mudman is a fisherman’s dream.
The main reason outdoorsmen (who aren’t of the tarot card variety) would be concerned about moon phases is the moon’s effect on the tides.The more exposed the moon is, the higher the tides are. The higher the tides are, the more likely it is that Nemo will come out to play.
The best part is that you don’t need access to the internet, so you can really unplug and enjoy nature during that fishing trip with the guys.
Rangeman
Triple Sensor
Watches with the triple sensor feature include an atmospheric pressure barometer and an altimeter, in addition to the compass and thermometer sensor. It’s a comprehensive outdoorsman watch, featuring every measurer you’ll need whether you’re hiking a mountain or boat racing. And again, it’s nice to have all of this at your fingertips sans internet.
Atomic Timekeeping
The Rangeman uses radio signals to constantly calibrate the time, which results in maximum accuracy.
With the Rangeman as your everyday watch, you won’t have to worry about manually changing the time during daylight savings or when you’re traveling.
This means that the Rangeman is a fundamentally better timekeeper than the Mudman. I have the tendency to fall into a rabbit hole of scrolling when I use my phone to tell the time. If you’re like me, and you wear a watch predominantly to have the time on your person, the Rangeman is a fully accurate and reliable option.
Sunrise and Sunset Data
Knowing when the sun rises and sets everyday isn’t exactly a military-level necessity, but it’s a cool bonus feature. It uses the same technology as the Atomic Timekeeper, so it doesn’t take up much bandwidth.
Dating pro tip: Ladies love romantic sunsets.
Which is Best for You?
Unless the G-Shock Mudman’s Moon Phase Calendar is especially important to you, the Casio G-Shock Rangeman is the overall better watch. Its Triple Sensor feature makes it a more comprehensive athletic watch and its Atomic Timekeeping capabilities make it the more accurate and reliable timekeeper. It’s also the easier watch to have if you travel a lot.
The Rangeman is one of Casio's best professional-grade digital G-Shock models. It boasts Triple Sensors, which include an altitude measurer and pressure barometer, on top of the direction and thermo sensors. This makes it a comprehensive activity watch as well as an accurate timekeeper.
Neither has a superior style to the other, since that’s subjective. If you like a softer silhouette or a more low-key matte look, then the Mudman is your guy. If you like a bigger wear, stainless steel accents, and a more symmetrical orderly aesthetic, then the Rangeman fits the bill.
Other than style, the Mudman tends to be more affordable. So if a high-quality beater is all you’re looking for, the Mudman is perfect for you.
