I have been wearing a Swiss Army Officers watch for the past 12 years and it has served me very well. I'm tough on my watches and they have to stand up to the rigors of everyday use on the job. I'm okay with battery changes every 18 to 24 months. Well, it was time to retire my venerable SA watch even though it works just fine. It just looks very beat up. Years of abuse took their toll on the bracelet, the case and the crystal.
I shopped around for a new watch with day/date, a metal case and bracelet and I have to admit that this Casio watch was not anywhere on my radar. Most of the better quality watches were in the $250 to $475 price range which, for my work purposes, is a bit "rich". By accident, I came across this model Casioon another website and I read the many reviews it had already received, the overwhelming majority of which were glowing.
I was admittedly intrigued by the technology - atomic, so that it sets itself automatically AND solar, so that battery changes are a thing of the past. As long I wear the watch or store it so that it's in the open in normal daylight, the built-in power battery remains fully charged and it just keeps ticking, up to 5 months without any recharging from ambient daylight. There's even a power saving mode if you wish. Any cumulative loss of timekeeping seconds is eliminated as it regularly sets itself to the atomic clock in Colorado without any intervention by the wearer.
The watch has some heft to it and it's not a small faced watch but it's not heavy on the wrist either. Quite comfortable in fact. The bracelet is nicely made and it resembles that of my old Swiss Army watch. Instead of those annoying overly-protruding small round "buttons", the watch has long smooth oval buttons for the various functions, etc. and they're set relatively close to the edge of the case.
The watch comes with a rather stout but small instruction manual and it's not too easy or straightforward to initially set it up or to walk through the many features. But, as long as you maintain some level of patience and read the manual, it all comes together. Once it's set to your city and your preferences, using it is non-eventful.
The bracelet has numerous links and is shipped large to accomodate very big wrists so if you're not too handy or adroit in driving out the small pins to remove the appropriate number of links, you may want to bring it to one of those "while-u-wait" jewelry and watch repair repair kiosks or stores. That way, the technician can take out the correct number links from each side as he/she actually fits it to your wrist. The fold-over clasp is nicely made and utilizes a squeeze mechanism to release it rather than a friction snap.
All in all, this is tremendous feature-packed watch for the price. Casio products enjoy a reputation for quality, dependability and value. This model watch is virtually maintenance free, i.e. no button cell battery to change and always accurate because it regularly sets itself to the atomic clock in Colorado.
It offers 10 bar static pressure water resistance which according to the owner's manual means that it will withstand splashes, rain, swimming, car washing, snorkeling and shallow diving but not scuba diving. Attractive, stylish and from all the reviews I read, reasonably rugged and durable. The owners manual states that it is both shock AND vibration resistant, specifically mentioning that is good for wearing during hard sports, motocross, chain saw operation, rock drill operation, etc.
Now, perhaps it's not as durable a watch as I could have purchased for 3, 4 or 5 times the money BUT when its respectable durability is combined with atomic calibration and solar operation, it's an unbeatable value for the money being spent. And, the inevitable scratches and dings that come with wearing it every day for work won't "hurt" nearly as much.
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Casio Men's Solar Atomic Watch WVA430DJ-1AProduct Description: Model: Casio Watch - Casio Atomic Waveceptor WVA430DJ-1ACase dimension: 43mm in diameter, 14mm in thicknessFeatures: Multi-band atomic timekeeping (US, Japan); Auto receive function (up to 6 times per day); Manual receive function; Signal: US WWVB, Japan JJY40/JJY60; Frequency: US60kHz, Japan 40/60kHz Tough solar power 2 languages: English and Japanese 100M water resistant LED light with afterglow World time: 29 time zones, 30 cities, city code display, daylight saving time on/off 3 daily alarms 1/100 second stopwatch; Measuring capacity: 00'00.00" - 00'59.99" (for the first 60 seconds), 1'00" - 99'59" (after 60 seconds), Measuring modes: elapsed time, split time, 1st - 2nd place times Hourly time signal Auto calendar (pre-programmed until the year 2099) 12/24 hour formats Accuracy: +/- 15 Seconds per month (with no signal calibration) Power saving function Battery power indicator Approximate battery life: 5 months on full charge (without further exposure to light) Stainless steel
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Sad that this is the only replacement band. With shipping it cost $20.00 and a brand new same watch can be bought for $35.00!
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