Here is a product that you might be interested: Xiaomi wristband 4. It is cheap (about $27), reliable, can do many useful tasks, and can last 3 weeks per charge. It can not call, but provide basically all the functions normal people needs.
https://www.mi.com/tw/mi-smart-band-4/
1
Form follows function. Since you have only the need of date & time you have the form you need. At 75 with health issues the Apple Dick Tracy Watch gives me the form I need.
2
Casio watches are great, but a good mechanical watch is better. A good mechanical watch will still be running when Apple’s plastic doo-dad is in the dump.
7
Sadly, In multiple cases simply owning this watch has a been used as evidence of terrorist intent and has been used to detain individuals with no or little additional information.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_F-91W#Usage_in_terrorism
1
All you Casio fans who are Readers Picks, you miss the one thing an Apple watch can do -- other than make huge profits for the corporation -- that a Casio watch cannot do. Unlike the Apple watch, the Casio is incapable of ruining your day first thing in the morning by dumping Trump's latest tweeted nocturnal emission on you.
16
You can buy the Casio F-91W at BIC Electrical in Akihabara in Tokyo in the watch department in what’s labeled the “cheap Casio” section. I have two for travel, a pink one and a stately brown version with gold trim. I never realized it was a thing.
2
the f91w is the hot new thing (old thing). it is a fashion statement. dare I say hipster?
1
Those things are gross sweat inducing bands of nada- look at your phone or the million other places that display the time. Sheesh!
1
I owned a Casio, more than 20 years ago, that also functioned as a thermometer, barometer and altimeter. These features were useful when I traveled, especially when it kept a 24-hour log of temperature so I could find out how cold the hotel room became overnight. I think I paid less than $80 for it. I remember paying $5 to have the battery replaced in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where the jeweler sent a runner a few blocks down the street to "borrow" the needed battery from another store.
But why does anyone wear a watch anymore? I don't. My phone tells me what time it is. Watches for many men have become a fashion accessory like ties, for which usefulness is no longer a condition. Mark my words, though -- someone is going to make a fortune, by putting barometers into ties.
3
I've worn the same model of Casio watch for decades. It's a nearly perfect timepiece -- a tiny octagon that's virtually weightless, keeps time perfectly, and handles frequent water splashes without a hiccup. Best of all, in addition to a surprisingly useful calendar function, and an alarm that can be set for a specific time and/or every hour, it has a timer I can set for 1-30 minutes that keeps me on track throughout the day. I just wish the watchband was as durable as the watch; instead, it has to be replaced every few years. Still, that's a trivial matter, especially when everything else I use that has a computer chip is functionally obsolete in less time than it takes for my Casio watchband to snap.
4
I would take it a step further, and say who really needs to wear a watch at all these days? I grew up as child in the 1980s, arguably Casio's heyday, and owned quite a few of them at the time. However, I stopped wearing watches several years ago, and I’ve noticed that younger generations also seem to frequently not bother any more either. It's rare when I don't have a device near my that tells the time (most frequently a cell phone). The practical need for a watch just doesn't exist anymore.
4
People with less in-built "smartness" and/or confidence needs such external smart watches (or such expensive watches used as a jewelry) to show-off such purchased "smartness". In fact, most of those smart-watch wearing people probably don't understand why they are actually wearing a watch in the first place.
I love my $30 Casio and still I don't use many of its functions. No, I don't need any gadget to keep track my heat rate or pulse or steps I take each day or every 2 hours!
4
Meh. My old Seiko still tells time and the date. It's all it does. I just replace the battery every few years. Its metal band is still fine. It is over thirty years old. My Citizen never needs a battery. It's solar powered. I've never had to replace the battery and it is twenty-five years old. I've replaced the leather strap a few times. My old self-winding Tissot does not have a battery and it is still fine. I even have a Timex that still tells time. And I can look at all of them while doing something else with my two hands.
11
Like my father before me, I have always worn a Timex for the same reasons as Jeff Sommer chose his Casio.
Cheap, reliable, tells the time.
However, because of a recent devastating fall, I have switched to the Apple Smartwatch Series 4.
Not for status, but for safety.
My new watch tells the time, of course, but more importantly, should I fall again, it will also ask me if I have fallen and if I need help, and if I do not answer, it will call 911 for me giving my location so they can find me.
I wouldn't be without it.
4
You are a valid example of someone who can benefit from the technology. It really can be useful for those who need it.
7
My titanium body MRG-1000T Tactician was a gift 20 years ago. Shockproof, waterproof. I've dived with it to 80-feet. It's rated for 300 metres but, after four battery replacements, not likely now. Unique timing features for a yacht race tactician. And it's digital guts -- just a tuned up version of the basic Casio described here. Still going strong. It will outlast me.
1
I'm surprised that Casio is still a corporation and not merely a brand. Advancements in technology tend to commodify what once was cutting edge, so that a calculator is literally a $1 at the dollar store.
Planned obsolescence of so much is horrifying. Who can fix my $8 Walmart toaster? I'd pay $20 to repair it rather than seeing all that plastic thrown away because the only thing not functioning is something burned out that won't lock down the lever. Another example: Black and Decker toaster ovens don't allow for replacement elements.
It must be terrifying being Apple—smartphones are quickly becoming a commodity like the watch or calculator. No wonder they artificially force replacements on the user. I don't see much to make a new smartphone of today better than one from say four years ago.
My Armitron is from the time when they offered lifetime warranties, but it's held up so so and the cost of sending it back is almost that of a new watch (and they tend not to repair the old but provide a new one anyway.)
I'm looking for a truly retro automatic dial watch (wrist movement powered.) Getting one to last is also hard to find. I bought an Orient that lasted only three years and needed a total rebuild that cost as much as the watch. Now I'm thinking of a Seiko but not confident that those last longer.
i recently replaced my iPhone 6 with another 6. The apple store sold it to me in a plain brown box as a "part". No charger or earbuds, no apple care available. They said only those who are simply replacing a 6 are eligible.
Great article. I have a Casio travel digital alarm clock clock that has been telling the time and waking me up for nigh on 27 years now. I change the AA batteries every few years when the display starts to fade, but apart from the time/alarm adjustment buttons being a little temperamental nowadays, it has never failed to do what it was designed to do. Outstanding product.
I loved my old casio watches, but I haven't been able to find a new one since before the millennium. AFter reading this, I'm going to look.
1
I only take off my Casio la-20wh when scuba diving. The first time I did a wreck dive I completely forgot - but that little guy kept going 100 feet down and lived to tell the tale.
1
Apple is about selling a lifestyle and status. Casio has been around a long time and make good products that work for a really long time, watches and calculators and so forth. I used Casio calculators in high school that my own dad used in university. Great craftsmanship, unfortunately not as sexy as an Apple Watch... so sad to see people constantly chasing the newest fads in tech year after year. I use my phone and camera until I feel limited by them. That said I think my next phone will be an iPhone. They're doing great things too with their tech.
1
My dad sold Casio electronic products back in the 1970's, mostly calculators. The first models just did basic math: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Marvels of the modern age! I don't have any in my memory tote, but if i did have one, I'll bet it would work.
The obselesnce idea reminded me of a recent event at my sister's house when i was helping her move. I was cooking some rice and grabbed a spoon and said, "this looks like the one mom and dad had all those years." And she said, "it is," and that she had the knives too and sent them in recently to be sharpenned.
I remembered when the sales rep (a son of a family friend) came to our home and sold them the set. I wasn't old enough to be attracted to girls and now i'm almost 62!
Cutco - forever guarentee and cheap sharpening service. Those knives and spoons will probably be going strong when people thinking of Apple will be thinking of a fruit.
And the writer's Casio watch will still be keeping time.
My Timex Ironman gives me both analog and digital time/date simultaneously. And Indiglo for finding keyholes at night.
But I have to change batteries (which is easy) since the combination is hard to find and I want to keep this watch.
Casio's are a hassle to change settings on - esp the analog hands. Just too many stop watch and timer settings to deal with.
I traded in my iPhone 6 today and put the money towards a blender. And last month I bought my first Android phone. The two iPads I have will be replaced by a Chromebook. I drank the Apple kool-aid for too long.
10
i like the approach. I too continue to use casio watches. I like the ones with a count down timer and up to 100 alarm clocks and/or phone numbers.. Data bank they are called. Yes, now that I have an Iphone I seldom use the data bank part, but in the past I did and I guess I just like it and replace it as I need to. Maybe I have had 15 and have bought and given away a few times too. Way to go Casio and Amazon that carries a good variety and It's About Time that for a high price will replace battery but could not replace band the last time I needed one.
I am the proud and grateful owner of an Apple watch. My son gave it to me as a substitute for a medical alert contract gizmo.
I don’t use some of the features, but it gives me a lot of confidence walking around in my rocky garden. If I fall, I can call a neighbor, a relative, or 911.
Although I feel like Maxwell Smart when I talk on it, I love that I can answer my phone from anywhere outside. And, I don’t have any secrets so I don’t care who’s transcribing.
Take that, Cassio owners! ;-)
5
I bought a Fitbit Watch at Costco last year. It was fun and innovative for about three months, but hated trying to find the time by shaking it or something else or seeing nothing but black.
By chance, I found my old Timex Expedition Watch during my period of frustration in my bedside stand. I was jubilant! Just a great, reliable digital watch that tells the time and date which is readable all of the time. Simple!
I returned the Fitbit to Costco and received my money back. What I learned from this experience is: 1) I love my Timex Expedition better than any watch in the world, and, 2) I love Costco.
4
I bought an Apple Watch in 2016. Since then, it’s performance steadily declined with each iOS upgrade, and sometimes the battery died before I even got home at night. One morning I discovered that the face had begun to dislodge from the body without any physical contact. Apple informed me that this could be due to a “swollen battery”, and if this was confirmed my watch would be sent in for a replacement battery and face at no charge to me. When I took it into the store I was told that they don’t repair that model anymore, and I would have to pay $80 for a new Series 1 (the model of my watch) since it was no longer under warranty, despite it being a manufacturer defect. Needless to say, I won’t be purchasing another Apple Watch.
2
Steve Jobs famously said, at the introduction of the original iPhone, that "the killer app for phones is making calls!" Well, the killer app for watches is telling time. That is why I will continue to wear my $15 Casio watch. Sorry Apple.
5
I have a Timex with the same list of features as the Casio. Bits of plastic have not survived various collisions and I am on at least the third watch band BUT the feature of a battery that lasts for years and years versus a device that needs to be recharged perpetually tips the balance in favor of a watch watch for me.
1
I'm rather basic with simple tastes and needs. All I ask of my Timex, which was my mother's Timex, is to tell the correct time.
I don't need a wrist piece of jewelry that will ooh and ahh me with the weather, phone calls, stock updates, heart monitor or Mickey tapping his foot in time to the second hand.
That stuff is all cute and sweet. My husband loves it. But whenever I ask him what time it is, he has to swipe various screens to find my question.
The Apple Watch is a wonderful tool for many people. I'm just a spud girl at heart, happy and content with the basics.
7
I have a beautiful, dainty watch with lovely green turquoise stones, bought in a Native American shop in Williams, Arizona. It’s of Navajo design, keeps good time, and I regularly get compliments on it. Not for me one of those big, clunky things with tech gizmos.
3
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this article. The world needs products that won't end up in the (third world's) trash due to a business model that relies on planned obsolesence.
Made my day to read about Jeff Sommer's Casio.
4
Yay for choices!
4
Since I can't afford a Rolex when I play tennis I will still be retro-stylish with my new Casio F-91W!
3
So far Apple Watches have saved seven lives including one in a car accident ["Siri, call 911.” - The Apple Watch not only called 911 emergency but also shared her location.]
I googled "my Casio watch saved my life" but came up empty
3
@SteveRR
I wonder how many lives Apple Watches have claimed with distracted driving.
5
Steve Jobs was a toymaker.
Apple is a toy company.
6
I used a Casio like yours, calling it my pickpocket repellent. If I wore my gold Pulsar with its leather strap on the Paris subway, I was immediately surrounded by no-good-niks. But slide my sleeve up, revealing my black-plastic Casio, and the crowd quickly dispersed. All were gone in seconds. Good watch.
5
Been rocking' a Casio F-108 WH ($14.00) for about 4 years now; I guess it's considered "Norm Core" these days.
The plastic band usually breaks before anything else.
I have one that 's 14 years old pinned up on my peg board; the same battery, it still keeps the same time, give or take an hour due to daylight savings.
I look at newer, hipper watches, and it always comes back to: what do I actually use a watch for? Do I care if it gets dinged up? Is it too heavy on the wrist?
The old-school Casios are no-brainer work watches that don't get in the way.
5
Yes, a hairy arm photo. If you shop for watches on your favorite auction site you see lots of those.
2
Consider this (unofficial) endorsement of an old Casio watch. It was done as an exercise by my son, and is not a paid ad:
https://vimeo.com/337041379
1
Your CASIO has met/exceeded your performance expectations for an extended period of time which is the true measure of a robust design and value laden product.
Further...please correct me if I'm mistaken....you have been spared the potential stress of 'cyber attack', creepy embedded software monitoring your each & every move and the scourge of social media.....Dude..you 're 'living the dream!'
2
My question to professor Levinthal is why are you still wearing a watch?
1
Casio has a lovely line of watches with analog dials (plus a small LCD display) called "Wave Ceptors." They set themselves using radio time signals from WWV and their faces double as transparent solar cells so they recharge automatically.
I own two and they both still work. They're basically a "set it up once and never have to touch it again" product (Be sure to get a metal band; the nylon ones tend to fail eventually. The model WVA-M640D-2AER fills the bill, and sells for $92 at Amazon.)
My timex is still going on it’s original battery for close to 9 years. It looses about 60 seconds a year. Replaced the strap once. All for a grand total of about $26.00. Beat that apple.
1
Is it proper NYT style to capitalize iPhone at the beginning of a sentence? It looks strange!
4
Amen bro
Who let my dad write for the New York Times?
5
When I was in grad school in the 80's I bought one of the first laptops made. The Dot Matrix screen sucked and it clicked so loudly in class professors banned laptops in class. This days I'm sticking with my 13 inch MacBook Pro. For a watch I have a Citizen Eco Drive. It runs off light so it never needs a battery and never loses time.
2
Yes! Just this weekend I cozied up to Apple Store to ogle the Watches, then bout a 50.00 Timex similar to my old Ironman. Your essay makes me very happy. Beautiful but on my active wrist it would crack in a month.
There are many high end watches and smart watches and other smart wearables that the author has chosen to ignore. Picking on Apple gear is so easy and boring already.
1
The Apple is probably still the most popular since they created the market demand for it, like the iphone did for smartphones.
I wore Casio watches religiously throughout high school and college. One once saved me from a broken wrist by taking the impact from the accidental closing of a car door. The plastic on the face cracked, but it still ran. I waited another couple of months before I retired it. That watch died a hero.
9
I purchased my first Casio watch in the mid-80's and soon settled on the databank models that store lots of phone numbers, timers and alarms. Casio had one of the first PDAs (personal digital assistant) and it was a great device that included Excel, hand written notes and many other functions. I wish Casio would produce a smartphone. I love the sleek beauty of my IPhone but I'll take industrial utilitarianism over planned obsolescence when it produces a reliable, cost effective device.
1
My 2011 Mac Mini just died. The bozos at the Apple Store wanted me to buy a new one. No thanks. I'll use my wife's computer.
We have a 1999 Corolla with 160000 miles on it, lots of rust, lots of dents, runs like a champ. It will last another 5 years or more.
Toyota is better than Apple.
5
I love my Timex Ironman watch, but realized that even though it's terrific--especially in the number of alarms, timer, and countdown--I needed more functions to keep track of exercise, so although I still wear my beloved Timex, I now wear a Fitbit on my other wrist, balancing legacy with leading edge...
1
Slightly off-topic, but I'm still using a Casio bedside alarm clock that I bought in 1986. The company's products do indeed offer excellent value.
4
You made me look...I've had a DW5600 (the battery went 10 full years!) for decades (maybe 30+ years?), and the external cladding cracked and broke a while back, but I kept it anyway. I just looked up to see if the case is available to purchase and for $13.85 I'm in business. Wait, don't buy it yet, there's also a $5 coupon! $8.45 (free 2-3 day shipping) and I'm going to be so happy later this week. Thanks for writing your article, I enjoyed it and hopefully will glance at my massive iPhone less when I'm wondering what time it is.
5
Planned obsolescence is the basis of capitalism.
4
https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Womens-LA11WB-1-Sport-Black/dp/B000GB1RBY/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2C9D2JXYJBHFQ&keywords=casio+watch+women&qid=1566854672&s=gateway&sprefix=casio+%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-7
I've been wearing a version of this watch since before my daughter was born in 1978. A great watch!
Nothing like an Omega Speedmaster--it went to the moon in 1969, and that says it all.
2
that is my watch in the photo. It is the perfect watch. It just beeped at me.
My G-Shock Casio watch is ridiculously cheap and it just keeps on working. If only everything was this reliable. When I saw Robert Mueller wearing a Casio, I thought, wow, what a hip dude.
4
It's about time Casio is recognized for being the quite, silent, stealthy underdog in the fast pace electronic world of gadgets, do-dads and thingamajigs.
My Timex which has over the many years "taken a licking and keeps on ticking" salutes you Casio!! Well done.
8
Now I miss my 35mm camera... a bit.
2
This makes me think of how the NY Times recently 'updated' their Android app and took away the widget that I've using for years.
We used to this "the tail fin syndrome" when it was Detroit doing it every September...
These inexpensive Casio's are all I wear. I could afford
Rolex. I buy them six at a time and if I lose one or two it's no big deal. Their simplicity is their virtue. Easy to keep time and set and see when running. Really concerned that the company is not doing well apparently. I may buy another dozen soon, just in case.
2
We Luddites are not impressed by technology for the sake of technology. (But we did like Dick Tracy in our youth! And we will admit that the 2-way wrist radio was a perfect communication device for law enforcement. Maybe we should draft all Apple Watch wearers into the police auxiliary.)
I love Casio watches and have worn nothing else for the last 30-40 years. My model also tells the month, date and year! The battery never runs out, so I only get a new one when the strap breaks. Since I almost never take it off that takes several years.
1
This time piece reminded me of a favorite from the late Mike Royko:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-12-13-8503260426-story.html
1
One downside of wearing the F-91W in particular is that the United States government considers possession of this watch as evidence of being a terrorist.
See for example the 2006 administrative review board summary of evidence for the continued detention of Majid Aydha Muhammad Al Qurayshi: "The detainee is on a list of detainees with a Casio model F-91W watch. This model watch has been used in bombings that have been linked to al Qaida and radical Islamic terrorist improvised explosive devices."
There used to be a pretty good Wikipedia article about this ("List of Guantanamo Bay captives accused of possessing Casio watches") but it has been deleted, perhaps because it represented some remarkable original research.
Great advertisement for Casio! Well deserved! Old reliable!
2
I've owned inexpensive Casio watches for years. They are fantastic. They are light, work well, inexpensive (($10 on Amazon and don't make you feel like you've got a barbell on your wrist. If only you could get the watch band to last as long as the watch.
1
Armitron for me. Only $29.95 at Wal-Mart.
1
Yes, corporate America has perfected the planned obsolescence business model. And yes, Apple is one of the best at it.
I own many things --tools, machines-- that I bought decades ago, and still work as designed. Computers, smart phones, and the like have no hope for that. It used to be that there were laws governing how long manufacturers had to provide replacement parts for what they sold. I'm pretty sure that's gone by the wayside.
Heck, Apple, and others, come out with their mostly over-promised but under-delivered, software updates that may completely break your machine. And if you want to restore it to the earlier, working, OS, you can't. They don't let you have the old OS update so you can render your phone usable again. But they will let you buy a new device.
What these tech companies really provide is an overblown, overgrown i-Racket. And it's not the kind you can play tennis with. Nonetheless, it sure is one heck of a racket.
4
My Casio F28W has been going for at least 10 years. it is now on its third battery. When the strap failed I replaced it with a nylon one. You have to admire the accuracy and durability of this device. It just keeps time! My Rolex and Omega mechanical watches sit in a drawer.
This is also a watch that could land you in Gitmo. The Guardian reported that the US considered possesion of one of these as sufficent evidence that the wearer was trianed to make it into the timer for explosives. That's the priciple reason I wear one: to show how idiotic it is to consier wearing a particular watch a war crime.
1
I have been wearing analog watches but time to upgrade to Casio!
Wow. There are a lot of Luddites out there. Keep in mind that no technology succeeds and proliferates unless users prefer it. Casio is cute, and serves its purpose. But its purpose is limited, as is its utility. I love my ipad. I don’t wear a watch.
3
I had one that was waterproof but when I had the battery replaced the jeweler did or didn't do something that caused a leak and it drowned when I was swimming. I really liked that watch and wish I still had it.
As for this from Apple, "so we maintain a good user experience with strong performance.” We hear this all the time but are rarely asked what *we* think would enhance our "user experience." But there are enough people out there who absolutely *must* have the latest version that they unquestioningly buy it, even for the most minuscule change. Thus market cap north of $1 trillion.
1
After trying alternatives for the last 20 years, I went back to the $19.95 Casio. Used them for about 25 years from mid 70s thru late 90s. Happy to be home.
The purpose of an expensive watch is to display social dominance over one's peers and to signal other alphas that the wearer is also an alpha. Functions like telling time are secondary.
158
@Voter Frog
Perhaps, but it's not social dominance that all seek
3
@Voter Frog This is alarmingly reductionist.
Some people buy these things because they like how they look and feel and sound (the same as other pieces of jewelry.)
Some (men) buy them because watches are among the only fashion statements permitted to men.
Some do because of their mechanical intricacy, or to celebrate accomplishments, or as exquisite gifts, or in support of a charitable cause (e.g., the Medecins sans Frontieres NOMOS watches, etc.)
And, yes, some do in garish displays of social status. But who are you to judge, and why?
13
@Publius What seems alarming to me is the idea of people spending thousands of dollars on a watch when other human beings around the world are starving or dying in wars (that are being fought over social dominance, or to signal others that the initiators are alphas). Be a REAL man. Buy the Casio, donate the rest to Doctors Without Borders.
Who am I to judge? Just a guy who donates to DWB, doesn't wear any watch, uses a prepaid $29 cellphone.
22
I never cease to be amazed that watch manufacturers have convinced some many people to buy expensive jewelry that tells time no better than my Timex (Casio equivalent).
I guess Thorstein Veblen was onto something 100+ years ago.
Also, I don't think my watch is listening in on my conversations. Haha.
108
@Pete
I adore my Timex analog watch. Inexpensive, tells me what I want to know (the time) and seems to be virtually indestructible.
15
@Pete
I bought my Rolex GMT 40 years ago with money from my first paying job.
I still wear it every day.
It still makes me smile when I put it on in the morning.
It is worth more today used than when I bought it new.
It will be in my will to a deserving 2nd generation recipient.
"I never cease to be amazed" at the folks who know the cost of everything but the value of so little.
11
Smarter person who wears a simple watch. A simple watch doesn't track your movements, listen to what you say, collect data about you and allow it's REAL owner (Apple) sell your life story. Oh, and, who needs all the apps. Life is better without them. Just exercise if you want and stop when you're tired. Use a phone. One that doesn't listen and transcribe your conversations.
132
@Zeke "Just exercise if you want and stop when you're tired."
Hmph!
You probably read books, too!
91
@Zeke
Apple doesn’t sell your data because they don’t depend on advertising revenue. Also you can clearly see and disallow access to GPS, microphone, camera etc for each third party app you install. They made it illegal to read and share your contact list with third parties , like Facebook apps did. You can select not to share different usage data with Apple. What more can they do? Give credit where credit is due.
8
@OM ... Uh, read the news. It's been in quite a few articles of late of how so-called smart phones are being audited. How does a device know to make a call, answer a question, etc. if it's not 'on' or 'listening'? Whether Google, Amazon or Apple - the devices pick up sounds as well as words. How else does it determine the noise level in the wearer's vicinity?
6
My Casio PRG-60T has functioned flawlessly for the last 16 years without any more effort than re-setting the time against it's minute or so - per year - drift.
It's solar and was supposed to last 10 years without a replacement rechargeable battery but there's no indication of it running down. It predates the original IPhone by 4 years.
It has survived alpine weather, tropical salt and a midlife crisis. I doubt any throwaway bit of electronics can say that.
157
In the 1980s my father found a Casio watch in the bilge of his sailboat that had been there for two years-- underwater all summer and frozen solid in winter-- and it was still working. Wore it for many years after that.
195
I lost one of these watches under the seat of my car once, and found it several years later. Still fine, and I used it until I lost it somewhere around 14,000' in Colorado about 15 years ago. It's probably still up there, and if you replaced the battery it'd probably still work. Great piece of technology.
21
A great urban legend
2
@JW - so it took a licking and kept on ticking?
2
when the Apple watch was announces I broke down and bought a fairly expensive self winding swiss watch that "gets the job done". $500 for something that will be useless in 4 to 5 years? and my friends apple watch imploded within 14 months. it is now in 2 pieces, the top and the base. my swiss watch is still working.
2
My sun dial is a marvel also. I just let the sun move around, no batteries, etc. Astonishingly cheap. It is limited in what it can do of course; it's just a sun dial. The market does not favor the sun's approach, but it's a long-term play.
9
@SH
Sounds like you have the luxury of a sedentary lifestyle. Enjoy.
With an old fashioned analog watch you point the little hand at the sun. Then south is midway between the little hand an 12. Time should be real time without daylight saving.
Going the other way, you can tell time with a simple magnetic compass. Good to know when the zombie apocalypse comes.
2
If it's a device for keeping the time you want, look not farther than the Casio.
1
Want an even better Casio option? Their G-shock line are more rugged, immersion okay to a limited degree of about 50 meters, often solar powered assisted to prolong battery life. Need more accuracy? Some even synchronize their internal quartz-crystal driven timekeeping mechanism to the time broadcast signal on shortwave bands so that they time correct themselves often nightly. at way less of a price than other competitors. A bit more expensive than some mentioned in the article, but still quite a bargain.
1
I thought the same as this author before I was gifted an Apple Watch. And the truth of the matter is that the added functionality of an Apple Watch has made it one of my favorite pieces of gear. Sure, my old Casio ($14) and my fancier Swiss watch can both tell time just fine. But that's not the point. My flip phone could make calls just fine too, before I switched to a smartphone.
And it is disingenuous of the author to rag on Apple for not giving iPhone 6 the option of upgrading to iOS13. That phone was released in 2014. What other manufacturer is still updating their 2014 phone models? My old Samsung Galaxy of the same vintage stopped getting Android updates years ago and even when it was, the updates were infrequent. In fact Apple is one of the best electronics companies out there in terms of maintaining support for their products.
These feel good articles are in the end completely pointless. Yes, there will be people chiming in about not having it and doing fine with a flip phone and dial up internet. Great. There are also people out there that find these things useful. No amount of gloating is going to change their minds. Rather than presenting it as a new vs. old argument, how about we come together and get to the meat of the issue, which is environmental impact and way to mitigate that rather than just blindly pointing a finger at innovation. Can't we do both?
8
@SBR -- Why *not* upgrade phones from 2014? Don't they have the technical expertise to write software for them anymore? The answer is as the author says.
4
@Stevenz Haha right on.
3
@Stevenz I'm not an Apple engineer so I can't pretend I know the specifics but perhaps devices with only 1GB of RAM just can't run iOS13 as well. The thing is that newer software is just generally more demanding of hardware. Apple is a company that is known to care a great deal about user experience (even their ill advised decision to throttle older iPhones is down to concerns about user experience on older devices with worn out batteries). If they believe that the newest software cannot optimally run on devices with less memory, they will likely exclude it from the upgrade.
Is it possible that they could still write software that incorporate some of the features of iOS13? Absolutely, but Apple would have to dedicate resources for that for a small group of owners who still use 2014 devices. That's an investment with almost no return and Apple is still a business with the goal of making a profit.
As I said before, the point is that Apple as a company has been better than the industry as a whole at supporting older devices for longer. That's something to be lauded. Buying something and expecting it to be supported beyond what is reasonable (not just technically possible) is just absurd.
2
I bought my AppleWatch last December, I'm 75 and have had a few falls, which was my driving force of the purchase. It's actually cheaper than "Help I've Fallen And Can't Get Up" over time as there are no monthly fees with the Apple Watch.
People who are risk of falling can benefit from the Apple Watch, but need to set aside some time each day to recharge. Overnight is a high risk for falls so wearing the watch overnight is a priority.
The AFib EEC is also pretty important feature for many. If Apple can deliver on a blood sugar feature every diabetic will be wanting one - or at least the serious ones will.
These days I believe Apple will maintain a focus on health issues - they are already at an impressive point and things will only get better.
8
I had a Casio F-91W for 15 years until the battery died. The wrist band oxidized and broke off years ago, so I was using it as a pocket watch. I bought a new Casio on eBay for $5.
4
I can see that the vast majority are thrilled by their Casios but the question I would like to ask is"do you also own an iPhone or equivalent as well as your Casio watch?"
I do not have a watch Apple, Casio or any other watch brand but I find the time from my cell phone along with a host of other services that a Casio watch cannot provide.
Non ownership of a cell phone makes a Casio Watch sensible. Ownership of a cell phone almost makes a watch Casio or otherwise redundant. And it leaves a white band on your wrist in summertime!
Umiliviniq
2
@umiliviniq I know I can get the time from the iPhone I keep in my pocket, but I have to reach in and get it. And I can get the time from that bratty Alexa across the room, though she tends to tell me the time with 'tude—very judgmental! There's nothing like flicking the wristal portion of my arm to get a quick glimpse of the time no matter where I am. I love cheap Casios. One time, a business acquaintance proudly showed me his Rolex, and I said, "Yeah, but can it do this?" and I took off my $16 watch, threw it to the floor, and stomped on it. It cost me another $16 to replace it, but it was worth it!
3
My husband is a rocket scientist/optical engineer. A mountain climber and marathoner. Not a flashy guy. Values function over style. Cannot figure out women's clothes and what we do for "style." He was wearing a Casio when we met 25 years ago. I married him - he is like the watch: super dependable, precise, rugged, masculine in the best way.
32
How accurate is the Apple watch when it loses its charge? What time is it then?
It's time to get a mechanical watch! No batteries and it will last long after you tossed that outdated Apple watch into the Goodwill bin.
Not everything that is new is better.
4
My Father's watch was the Casio in the picture. I am not sure, but I think he replaced the battery several months before his death in 2002, I did not have to put in a new battery until two years ago. The watch is still going strong and is my goto time piece for setting/resetting any other clocks.
4
Last Christmas my office held a "Secret Santa" with a gift limit of $25. Luckily for me, a prominent online watch blog (I'm a big fan of watches in general) had just done a write-up on the Casio World Timer which just so happened to retail for $25!
Apparently, I wasn't ALL bad last year, as Santa brought me the Casio. Since then, I've worn (and enjoyed) the watch quite a few times. Recently my wife spotted on the dresser and gleefully announced that she plans to commandeer the timepiece in the near future.
Oddly enough, I get more comments on my $25 Casio than I do on watches that I spent 100x more for. Not bad at all.
5
I'm wearing my original Apple watch series 1. I've had it for over 5years. I've never had a problem Couldn't live without it. Always keeps PERFECT time - not off by 3 minutes etc! I use the timer when I cook, the activity app when I walk my dog, I keep certain apps on my watch face - ie - stocks I want to watch - the local temperature - my appointments for the day - of course the date and time! A quick look at my wrist and I have all of that helpful information. When my phone rings and I don't want the call - I use decline on my watch - so much faster than fumbling with the phone - I've also answered calls on my watch. So handy!
I will probably buy a replacement soon since I'm at the age where the app for falling is probably a necessity. Its worth every cent it costs!
6
@Susan Myers
I agree. I bought mine three weeks ago and I like it much more than expected. Mine is version 4 which works even without a phone; very nice for running or just in general when you don’t want to move lightweight. It’s all there right on your wrist.
1
@Susan Myers -- This is the scary part: "Couldn't live without it." Sure you can. You did, probably for a long time. And if three minutes a year is a significant error for you, you're way too programmed yourself.
3
Unfortunately, Casio eliminated my favorite watch--the one with boatloads of time zones and a thermometer that worked both in the air and under water. I remember it being about 25 bucks, cheap even 30 years ago.
2
I'm puzzled. Every human around me does nothing but stare at their phone all day. So why buy a watch?
8
@tom harrison
I still like my Timex watches.
Watches are great to surreptitiously check the time when at a boring meeting, chatting with a boring colleague or stuck with a bore at a party. Those are usually situations when you can't take out your phone and still have the semblance of politeness.
Plus my Timex is cute.
4
@Butterfly - I kind of sort of buy that except that I have never been in a meeting that didn't have a big clock on the wall, usually above the head of the table. And its been quite a long time since I have attended a party that wasn't a room full of people staring at their phones while partying away. The bus stop on my corner has a clock, the bus has a clock, every store receipt prints the date and time, plus my own internal clock has been pretty close to accurate within 15 minutes no matter where you drop me off on the planet.
So, I just don't get watches. But I also don't get why guys here in Seattle wear shorts and sandals all winter long with a winter coat???
1
An Apple Watch would never survive the abuse I put my watches through. It would end up crushed and worthless in the first week. I will take a Casio G-Shock over an Apple watch any day. Buy once, cry once is my usual motto. But I can't even say I cried much from the modest price of a G-shock.
4
I love this column. I've been buying a certain style of Casio's women's watch for probably more than a decade now. I replaced one when the watch band broke, another just because it was hard to find anyone in my small town who could replace the battery. At between $11 & $13 dollars it's worth it to just buy a new one. Next time I might upgrade to a little bigger one with more options like the one Jeff has. That might cost about $25, and worth every penny. What I like best about this watch is that it is so light, with a watch band you hardly feel, I often forget it's on my wrist. I could sleep with it, making the alarm, which is a quiet bell like sound, easily waking me without startling me out of a dream. Why anyone would spend all that money on an Apple watch is beyond me but I assume it's because they feel compelled to impress others or just like having the latest thing. I'm just too practical for that. If you're smart, you'll go out and buy a Casio watch, if only to keep them making them, because if they stopped, that would be a shame.
11
My watch is a Casio too and I paid $10 at the watch store in New Jersey at the mall off the Garden State Parkway at Exit 100B.
Big numbers, lightweight, inexpensive, no need to adjust.
My Movado and Tag Heuer sit in the drawer
4
Best watch ever. I've worn a simple Casio for decades. I only replace it when the rubberized plastic band breaks from bending it in the same spot (invariably sooner than the watch itself goes dim, and a new watch costs hardly more than a new band).
I've owned several of this exact Casio watch model over the past ten years and more. Indeed it does all a watch needs to do lightly in weight and price. What limits the watch life for me isn't the battery but the rubber strap which will break fairly reliably after about two years. So not a perfect product but at $10 it's still the best deal on Amazon.
1
My Casio G-Shock
I wear a Casio G-Shock. It is my second G-Shock. I shower and swim with it. Living in Europe, I need to occasionally wash it down with a little vinegar to sanitize and remove calcium deposits from the water. There is always someone in the street who spots my watch and asks for the time. It chimes on the hour and I can check the time in the middle of the night in the dark by pressing a button which lights up the display. I’ve changed the battery and the watch band without a problem. A German friend of mine once called it a really ugly watch. Compared to an Apple Watch, maybe it is. But it is reliable and helpful and how many things can we describe that way?
5
If a person needs 'exciting new features every year,' as Apple works hard to provide, from what is ostensibly a tool, then we might infer that the rest of life is fairly dull. This is very much a 'first-world' problem.
I haven't worn a watch for over ten years, and rarely even carry my iPhone 4 - though it still can make phone calls. It's amazing that I still have a life.
8
I've been using the Casio F91-W for years much to the chagrin of my souse and grown children. A simple elegant Wittnauer for work and formal occasions, the Casio for all other uses. I've bought one for everyone and ceremoniously gifted one to each grandchild for his/her 6th birthday, earlier if they demonstrate the ability to read an analog clock.
It has become such a member of our family that the watch was the star of a photo book that highlighted all of the watch's exploits during a Caribbean vacation. I may have to take one with me when I join the choir eternal.
4
Progress, especially in technology products, is not the same as planned obsolescence and Mr. Sommer fails to understand the difference between the two. He is satisfied with his Casio, even though its functionality remained unchanged from the day he took it out of the box. But because his iPhone will not be able to run the newest iOS when released--despite the five years of continual feature and operational improvement that he has enjoyed--this is "planned obsolescence." No, it's just that the capabilities of iPhone components have changed exponentially since the iPhone 6 was released, and if you want to design software that takes advantage of what's possible, you can't continue supporting much older and slower equipment.
3
@Charles Nordlander: My Casio is at least 20+ years old, still doing what is supposed to do. The only replacement ("upgrade") has been the strap several times. On the other hand, one characteristic of "planned obsolescence" is continually introducing updates that are not backward
compatible.
6
@Frank: Mr. Sommer's iPhone 6 is a perfect example of why what you suggest about planned obsolescence is not true. His iPhone 6--at no cost to Mr. Sommer--has had five years of new features to enjoy, introduced annually, plus constant improvements in all around performance. Again--all provided free. And it will continue to operate perfectly well for years to come--"still doing what it is supposed to do"--just like your Casio. And if Mr. Sommer's and you can be satisfied with no improvements ever to your Casio, what's the issue with an iPhone (or any piece of tech equipment) reaching the best it can be after five years of continuing new features and improvements?
3
This great article caused me to pull out my old Casio G-SHOCK that I'm pretty sure is at least 30 years old. I noticed the time was off by more than 4 hours; when I pushed the first button the battery completely died. I probably hadn't picked it up in a year or so, but I'm off to get the battery replaced. This watch is heavy - the back is entirely stainless steel, and I think it was pretty expensive back in the late 1980s, but it's a truly well-made and honest product.
7
Be sure the watch place or jeweler knows how to replace G- Shock batteries and still keep your G -shock operational. You may need a new gasket in the back of the watch. Probably wouldn't want to take a watch that old swimming or get it too wet.
I have had that very same watch probably since late-80's, if I can trust my memory from that far back. I still have it, and it still works. I recently gave it to my teenage daughter. The plastic wrist band broke, so I am looking for a new band.
I don't want my watch tracking my movements or listening to my conversations, so I will be holding on to my Casio for a long time to come.
5
Love the F91-W. Just wish it was cheaper to buy a replacement band than a whole new watch.
4
@SGreenberg
Yes, the watch costs $10 and the replacement band costs $12.
Annoying for people who were brought up to maintain things.
I was trying to find a wholesale source of compatible watch bands that I could buy for $10 a dozen or something, but couldn't find them.
If you know of one, let me know.
I won't be a laptop on which I cannot upgrade the memory or change out the battery. I still use a macbook - a mid2012 machine in which I've upgraded the memory to twice what apple said I could, replaced the battery and upgraded the internal drive. It sometimes amazes me it runs better than some of the newer machines I've played with that I can't do any of these things to. I'll keep this machine as long as I can and I'll probably not upgrade to the next version of the osx because it breaks some of my favorite older software products. I've gotten off the Apple bandwagon without sacrificing my mac.
3
I was in the market for a new watch, my partner asked if I wanted an Apple Watch as a gift. I said no without hesitating. I have my phone in my pocket, why would I need to have anything go through my phone as well? To save me nanoseconds?
Just ordered a Casio calculator watch for under $20. I suspect it will bring me much greater joy.
5
Love my Casios....simple, waterproof, wear it all day no matter what and my job in aviation requires the tracking of three time zones plus the need for a stop watch, all for $39.95 plus tax. Have an Apple watch, like it and some of it's features such as iPhone connectivity and Apple music and activity tracking such as biking and hiking but the Casio is better in the pool. My Casios are my work truck if you will and Apple watch is just a toy.
4
My $20+ Timex tells me the same time as a Rolex. Or an Apple. And my $35 LG flip phone sends and receives the same 'phone calls as an Apple iPhone. Just call me a Luddite.
24
@Dan Keefe -- You're a Luddite. Wear it with pride.
2
@Dan Keefe
I finally broke and got a “ smart phone” to keep up with my texting daughter. It has numerous things on it that I don’t even want to learn how to use.
3
Casio stopwatch owner and user for a long time. I just got a new one last year for $22.
It shows me the time, what a concept!
10
I have both an Apple Watch (1st gen) and a solar Casio. The solar Casio is my go to watch when traveling because it is indestructible, waterproof and never needs a charge. No worry about batteries dying either. I find the fitness features of an Apple Watch helpful, but my $32 Casio is really my favorite of the two.
2
This article reminded me that I have a couple of analog watches in my nightstand. They've been there for over 12 years, untouched. Opened the drawer, found one of them, a Timex Expedition. Still ticking, and only 3 minutes off today's time. It's going back on my wrist.
7
I personally hope that Apple keeps finding customers for its watches, even though they're not for me. I prefer analog, even on my Iphone
3
Why does anyone need "a better mousetrap"? My Casio data bank (I can't read the model name anymore) keeps all the phone numbers I need - and It can't be hacked as it's never online.
I get that people want, or even need, the newest technological breakthrough. But if all I need is to see what time it is, or set a stopwatch to time my bike ride home, or remind me of an appointment or bill that's due, or keep track of my close friends' phone numbers, why do I need to put that online? And who cares about my life outside of those I know and care about? The answer to that question is "those people who care about accessing my personal information are not my friends."
3
I’ve worn a $22 Casio for 5 years. It gives me the time, date, year and day of the week (you’d be surprised how many times you need to obtain one of these markers). The only problem is the resin band cracking from taking it off and putting it on, but I’ve solved that by almost never removing it from my wrist, especially when showering.
2
I have a Casio WV58A-1AV which I call my Mueller watch because it tells me the truth.
Once a day it picks up a radio frequency that sync's it with the National Bureau of Standards Atomic clock. No bells, no whistles, just the most accurate wrist watch on the planet for under $30USD.
3
@JSH
I think I’ll pick up that model for a backup.
+1 on the cheap and simple Casio watch. I still have two calculator watches ($ 30 way back when), and they work just fine. I bought the first a long, long time ago, mainly because people kept "borrowing" the pocket calculator next to a weighing station I had to use for work. There is something elegant about a piece of technology that is simply good at what it does without pretense and high price tag.
10
A fun read. I was recently looked into buying a Casio because I want a step tracker without spending a lot on a smart watch, but for now I'm wearing my Swatch I've owned since 1984. It's apparently indestructible.
4
I've had the same Casio for years. Every 3 years or so the band starts ripping. I've shopped for replacement bands ($5 or more), but why bother when another $6 gets you an entire new watch.
1
My casio looks just like the one pictured here, minus the night light button. I have had the same battery since I bought it in 1998. It looses maybe 30 sec/year. I worry which will stop ticking first, me or the watch.
6
Having a watch that merely "reports the time, date and day of the week, and functions as a little alarm clock and as a stopwatch [in addition to pressing] a button and it lights up in the dark" is all I ever craved, desired, or needed on my wrist.
I never had illusions of Dick Tracy with a fancy, dancy computer/talking/buzzing/vibrating/heart monitor/gadget on my wrist.
What I wouldn't give to still have my old rotary dial phone as my means of telecommunication. I simply love that unique and familiar sound of the click, click, click as the dial goes around the numbers.
There's something soothing and comforting in simple pleasures and devices in life.
25
@Marge Keller
Amen to that. Only when I discovered that I could no longer have home delivery of the NYT where I moved did I make peace with having to finally get a smartphone a year ago. With it I can read the digital version anywhere and not just at home on my laptop—but I would vastly prefer to have the actual newspaper in my hands. As to fancy watches (and other gadgets) that cost $$$$$, I think Miss Manners said it all some years ago when she wrote something along the lines of “what you own is just not that indicative of who you are.”
5
I own several Casio watches AND a Garmin sports watch (GPS, activities, Bluetooth etc). On the latter I have to charge it about once every 1.5 weeks compared to my wife's apple watch which needs to be "fed" a charge every night. That just seems like too much hassle.
3
Also: I miss my Palm Pilot.
4
The Casio is also the first digital watch I had as a child, so it has great sentimental value. It felt like a Star Trek gadget to me at the time! I recently bought a Casio watch for $11 and use it to run mostly, because I don't like to carry my phone during workouts. Same watch I used for my high school exams!
4
My French jeweler made watch with the automatic Swiss movement tells time beautifully, while looking oh so nice on my wrist. If it was good enough for Alberto Santos-Dumont flying around in his bi-plane all those years ago, it's good enough for me.
3
I love Swatch and 40nine watches- cheap, colorful, fun, water resistant and all they do is tell the time.
6
All true, but can you exchange your Casio watch for one night in a slightly dodgy motel room a few days before Thanksgiving, saving you from having to sleep in a heavily burned, but miraculously running, rental car from St Louis?
No, no you cannot.
5
@I. M. Well, when it comes to that, a golden Rolex was long considered a unit of alternate currency among certain "professions"; not sure how either the Apple watch or a Casio would rank there.
2
My husband died in 1997 his Casio watch is still
ticking . No battery change.
43
My Casio watch is the best watch I've owned. Highly recommended. An round analog watch, with large numerals and a large, readable window for date and day and, of course, a second hand. This watch keeps excellent time, needing adjustment once or twice a year. Other analog watches have date windows that are too small to read accurately. There is an aesthetic appeal to a watch like this that ordinary digital watches don't have.
8
Casio makes a very similar GShock 5000 watch that is a modern geek classic, can definitely survive anything that a human body attached to it can withstand, can run forever with solar charging, and is accurate to within seconds a year with an atomic clock synchronization. The author of the article should look at an upgrade.
13
I, too, have had several versions of this beloved Casio watch. I am OCD about time to the second, and it delivers. I measure progress on my long runs over lunch, and it delivers. Sometimes on the road, I need a less threatening wake up device than the unfamiliar motel clock radio, and it delivers.
This past weekend, it went a little haywire for no good reason, with its display suddenly an approximation of some ancient alphabet. I pushed a couple of buttons and it came back to life. Then I reset it using my 1830s-era Salem Bridge mantel clock, also accurate to the second thanks to more OCD pendulum adjustments I make to get it back in synch with my Casio every week. It was glad to finally return the favor.
Simple. Solid. Reliable. Unpretentious. Values to live by in an unhinged world.
24
I have a half a dozen Swatches, all $70-110. I regularly receive compliments on them. I love not dragging my cell phone out of my jeans to check the time.
4
I wear my King Seiko daily. It was good enough for the salaryman fortunate enough to purchase it in 1965 and is good enough for me still today.
5
Lots to be said for a good, inexpensive watch! While Casio makes great watches in this category, most are very hard for my poor eyes to read--especially at night.
My preference in this low cost category is a Timex Expedition. Bigger display, every bit as accurate as Casio, and Timex's "indiglo" lighting feature works a bunch better. Cost is not that much more than the Casio you suggest.
15
@T. D. Yarnes I had a Timex Iroman for 30 years before it finally died - as an RN, it was a good tough workhorse that was waterproof. I went thru a few wristbands and batteries, of course. But was sad when it no longer worked. I now have a Timex Expedition. Oh, and an iPhone 6.
2
I've been wearing the Casio Men's CA53W Calculator Watch since the 80's.
Max geek factor - was worn by the guy on Breaking Bad. I call it "The Peeper" for it's annoying but useful alarm. The original had an addictive space invaders type game built in but the current incarnation doesn't.
10
My wrist is thinner, but my watch is IDENTICAL. I'm pretty sure it's my third.
But, harder to find now.
So much lighter and quieter than Apple Watch!!
2
I love my casio w-800h
1
@Fred Vaslow I have one too - great watch.
People who buy a watch to keep track of their movement, steps per day, calories burned, heart rate, etc., are the same people who have an exercise bike in their bedroom that has been used as nothing more than an expensive towel rack since about four days after they purchased it.
33
@James My Fitbit was like that... until this spring, when I finally resolved to get off my bum and lose weight. Then it was instrumental in showing me my incremental, but steady, progress in my daily jogs. Dropped 30 pounds of fat in 4 or so months, and dropped my resting heart rate by over 10 bpm, between that and cutting calories.
The cliche of an exercise bike used as a towel rack is unfair because 95% of people at any given time are unmotivated sloths, whether or not they have some workout equipment collecting dust. When you're ready to try to make a move to being active, though, having the right tools on hand really does help.
4
I like to ask someone with a smart watch what time it is and watch them fumble around.
20
When asked what time it is I just flick my wrist. The time comes up and I could read it to that person with no struggle.
2
The premise of the article is based on nomenclature, which does not take scrutiny. The Apple Watch has the word "watch" in its name, but it is hardly a watch. I am not a fan of the Apple Watch, and I have one. But a Casio watch is not comparable. I have fondness in my heart for the Casio, but I cannot in good conscience compare it with the Apple Watch. The latter is an Activity Tracker, payment device, delivers reminders and current weather and does a myriad other things. My phone is always with most people these days, and the time can be checked on that. We're much more aware of information, as in time right now, as we go through our days these days, than we were, say 20 years ago.
1
@Uday And one is $20 and the other is not...
4
@Uday Why do people need smartphones and smartwatches? Too much of anything is a bad thing, including information.
2
@atb
My reasons for owning both:
o It tells me where I left my phone. With age comes forgetfulness. I misplace my phone a countless number of times during the week. With a press of an icon, my watch will cause my phone to produce an audible ping and tada! there's my phone in my coat pocket. This feature alone has been a marriage saver. Of course this may not work when I start leaving my phone in the freezer.
o It tells me to get off my bum! The evidence is clear that sitting for long periods of time is not good. I don't do this intentionally, but I may get engrossed in a good book or series of articles and time flies by. My watch vibrates to let me know I've sat for too long and need to get up and walk around for a bit.
1
While there are indeed inexpensive Casio watches neither the writer nor perhaps Wall St has their eyes on the dial. Casio and it’s more elegant division Edifice makes highly sophisticated pieces that can be linked to your phone via Bluetooth, receive time corrections from the atomic clock, have GPS, adjust to the location you travel, are indestructible and regularly used by clandestine military operators around the world, require no battery taking in 6 months of power after a 5 min exposure to full sunlight, available in digital or analogue dials - or a combination—-and if watches were not a luxury item and thus attractive as symbols of wealth and an appreciation of hand craftsmanship - not only never reach the accuracy of virtually any Casio, consider the primary function of a watch is to tell time. Think function not jewelry. Few people need to dive to 600 meters but you could — and lead you out of a avalanche without the assistance of an emergency signal like the Breitling Emergency at nowhere near the cost of Casio’s newest Rangeman which at $800 list is the only piece I’d trust in the wild - oh and you can smash it against rocks, drop it into the depths, wipe it off and go to the office.
If it’s true Casio is not showing profits consistent with Apple perhaps it’s because their business model is moving into a boutique status - and a status symbol for a particular market. Fewer customers and higher prices for technology. Sound familiar?
2
Yes but... I've had those Casios for years but it's the broken strap that forces me to get a new one every 18 months. Partly as they are so cheap but also the strap is integrated into the watch and a new strap costs. I also wear a 25 dollar fitbit type watch that measures steps, pulse rate, blood pressure, you name it.
1
@Jim Becket Had the same problem, so I graduated from the $12 Casio to the $15 one with a stronger, slightly wider band.
1
Aw great. Now I better buy my fourth F-91W as a back-up before the prices climb.
3
Well, fine, but I go more for a luxury look.
My Timex ($27 or so) has a leather band, lights up in the dark, gives me the date, and keeps good time.
I lost my last one, damnit, which worked fine after 15 years.
I don't want a watch that keeps tab on my heartbeat and other stuff. A little creepy -- all that data going to blank-eyed clerks in the Apple tower....
26
@John Briggs Yes, I have had my Timex for about thirty years. It doesn't tell me the date, however. Now that I'm about to turn 85 and sometimes lose track of what day it is, maybe I should upgrade to one that tells me that.
7
Sounds good, but I like to 'see' the time on a dial, Casio must have one with a dial.
1
@Jean louis LONNE
I have heard millennials and younger people say they cannot tell time on an analog watch/clock. I fear that digital may be the only way to go at some point.
@Jean louis LONNE There are plenty of Casios with a dial. Take a look at Amazon.
@Lynn in DC
They also cannot read cursive script. Hope they aren't making your lunch order
I've been wearing a series of Casio AQ-51 watches for about twenty years. They're great -- very easy to read analog display, digital display at the touch of a button, timer, and alarm, very lightweight, in an attractive case and with a perfectly good resin band. Eventually the crystal does get scratched, and once in a while, it will break. Unfortunately, the watch is not made any more, though it has close cousins like the AQ-48 without the illuminated dial that are still on the market for about $20. Before they discontinued it, I bought a couple of extras. At the rate they're going, they'll outlive me. But if anyone from Casio is reading this, I say bring it back! I'd buy another one.
1
I found Hawaii 3 times with a Casio on my left arm, a sextant in my right hand and a calculator belowdecks. I never worried about the watch!
24
The band on my Ironman watch broke in half this summer. The only way to repair it is to send it in. $20 to repair, shipping costs and potentially 2-4 weeks without a sport watch. I realized I really just needed something that told time, stayed on my wrist and could get sweaty, so I went to Target and got a basic Armitron watch. Problem solved. I don't need an iphone and certainly don't need an Apple watch.
9
I had a Casio much like the one the author is wearing for 6 years. Grand Canyon kayaking, runs, mountain biking, BC skiing, dogs, hikes, it took it all and even measured the elevation all while water proof. Finally it just gave it up. I've had a couple of Casios since and they can really take it and even run on solar power and have added a compass. Maybe the Best Buy in time keeping ever. They can't connect to the internet, but then, being some place where you can't get the internet is half the fun. If you need a watch to tell you if are getting exercise or having fun or so you can update your social media, well, your missing the point.
15
I've owned precisely 3 watches since 1980: two of the exact same Casio as in the photo, and one Timex that's a very similar watch. Besides needing a new battery and/or band every few years, they've lasted for decades.
I don't see any reason to spend 10x-50x more on a watch just for just a few more useful functions and lots of useless bells and whistles.
Plus, a few scratches on the face don't seems so traumatic on a $30 watch versus a $500 one!
3
I'd still be wearing my F-91W, but I one of the four corners that the band attaches to broke off, and despite my best epoxy repair, it broke again, so I had to "upgrade" -- to the thicker, not as nice (IMHO) Casio W-201.
My friend John Tison was wearing an F-91W identical to mine when I first met him in Wichita Falls in 2008, and as far as I know, he was still wearing when he passed away in August 2010. I hope one of his kids still has it.
1
Huzzah. I use the Casio MQ-24. I buy two every five years or so for $15-20 on eBay. When the batteries die you throw 'em away.
I have an iPhone, but I resent it.
4
@Cletus Butzin
Nice looking watch; at least the one I just looked up on Amazon for $11 with analog display.
Thanks for the article - the shiny ball theory of always wanting the newest thing drives me crazy.
I have a nice old Victorinox Swiss Army analog watch. I keep it five minutes fast so I'm not late for meetings. Can't do that with an Apple Watch or the iPhone, right?
-Richard.
13
I only use a Casio analog watch.
They are amazing and cost $11.
They are light and you hardly know you have it on.
4
If Americans bought only the most durable, lowest cost products, our economy would collapse overnight. Personally, I'm counting on those with too many dollars and not enough sense to keep inflating the markets.
24
Please make this the first of a series; almost every product category has some equivalent.
Then there's the the business of the entire "smart" notion about, it seems, everything.
I'm very glad to have purchased one of the last televisions that did not claim to be "smart". At least I know its not spying on me. Still, it has enough software inside that it takes the TV about 15 seconds to "boot" and show me a picture, when I had "instant on" from the first transistor TV to the previous one; the "boot" process takes almost exactly as long as TV tubes took to heat up in the 1960s!
Our oven has "smart" features, except it doesn't work at all because the circuit board imagines its not being kept cool enough to run: "Fan running slow", except the fan needed to cool the circuit board is fine; it's the temperature sensor that failed...for the second time. We're getting a new oven in disgust, though the actual heating elements are in perfect shape. We've been told there are no more ovens with no circuit board in them; apparently the "heating coils and a thermostat" design that worked for 70 years is passe'.
47
@roy brander
There's always craigslist.
3
@roy brander We are using my husband's TV from the 90s and it works fine.
3
Apple watch, is really more than a watch, way more than a watch.
iPhone is more than a phone, way more than a phone, way, way more than a phone.
At last count, my iPhone replaced at least 25 devices that i would have needed to do the things that matter to me. Similarly, my Apple watch has replaced at least 10 devices that I would have otherwise needed to cart around, if it so interested me.
So, it is unfair to compare a simple watch to these high tech devices. Not that it will stop people from doing so. But, really no point in NYT publishing such articles.
PS: my dad said that his car ran on Kerosene !! None of this 87 or 89 or 91 octane stuff :)
2
@apple9501
That would be a diesel engined car.
2
@apple95014 You had 25 individual devices before you owned an iPhone?
Please list them for us...I, as I am sure many of us, are curious.
15
@James Yeah, I wondered about that to0. Plus 10 more prior to the Apple Watch.
I lead expeditions to some of the harshest places on planet earth- Antarctica, Alaska, coastal BC. Climates from sub zero to the equator, saltwater, altitude, you name it. On my wrist is a $40 Timex Ironman watch- the exact same model I have been wearing for three decades. Best watch ever made. I’ll wear it to my grave, and arrive promptly!
79
I had this Casio calculator once. It was one of the small rectangular calculators that did relatively simple math. What I loved about it was that when you entered 1/0 it actually tried to figure it out. The numbers would start going up up up. I guess it would have tried to get to infinity.
Loved that thing.
15
Thank you for this! I have worn Casio F91-W watches and its predecessor (F18-W I think) for as long as they have been available. I have three F-91W watches now (one I use and two in reserve). I buy another one every year or two - just in case they stop making them. They're cheap and I don't have to "baby" them. Makes real life possible.
4
Well, compared to an Omega or a Rolex, an Apple watch is cheap--but with proper care the Omega and Rolex will function indefinitely.
14
i wear Casio watch for more than 35 years ,I love them practically unbreakable ,last for ever and cheap about $20--
1
I have always used an ordinary watch, but recently got fed up with batteries leaking and destroying the insides. So I've taken things a step further, and use an automatic-winding Seiko 5. The design has been around since the '60s and it doesn't even use batteries! If only everything were so maintenance-free and affordable.
18
I've been wearing the same Casio shown in the photo for 25 yrs or so. Occasionally I replace the plastic wristband with a leather one from Kmart for $7. I like the simplicity, size & the little timer that goes off at 1, 2, 5, 15, 20 & 30 minutes. I bought 2 at Kmart 2 years ago for $13 each. They don't seem to last long, maybe its moisture getting in. Its hard to change battery, which course almost as much as watch. There's a thin little grommet that's very hard to replace. Bought one for $18 bucks recently at local jewelry shop in the Virgin Islands. My sister became a convert. More upscale in her dress, hair and jewelry than me, but is equally fond of this watch. I'm not into "image management", so the simple functionality suits me. well
4
Most electronics these days start blinking out in less than 5 years. In contrast, my nearly 30 yr. old Sony Boombox still works like a charm and so does the 30 yrs. old hand-held mixer from Sears. My first laptop -- a Gateway -- lasted for a decade without problems. It's lousy how easily things break these days.
25
@ms
Those long lasting items were all made in Japan. The new junk is made in China.
5
An Apple watch will be obsolete and useless, ready for the trash bin, in a few years. I wear a watch to reference time, my Omega Seamaster is 72 years old, still keeps almost perfect time. 100 years from now it will still be running in all likelihood, and all it requires to keep running is wrist movement. I see no need for your newfangled electronic equipment unless it will keep you kids off my lawn...
36
Yes, I abandoned the model with the little calculator keyboard just last year, trading up for a sleeker version. But for me, Casios forever.
2
I took a celestial navigation course back in 1990 before sailing away. An essential component for the practice is an accurate chronograph. I took the instructor's advice, bought three Casios for less than $60, set them to the US "time tick" and waited three months. One of the three was spot on! I gave one away, kept the two most accurate so that I'd have a back up.
These are amazing devices!
17
$40 list: a Casio battery watch with solar charging, read-outs in two time zones for world travelers, 5 alarm settings, plus tide and moon phases for people who live on or near the oceans and seas of the world.
It's a pretty smart watch, at least smart enough for me. It's not elegant, but it works. I don't mean to promote the Casio company out of self-interest, but I do know that this watch makes my life easier at a reasonable price.
6
I have two Casios with analog faces that cost about $9 each on line and keep fine time. I keep one at the office if I forget to bring my regular watch and keep the other at home, just in case. I replaced the battery in one, and it was easy.
2
Yes!! But I've gone one step up - to a W-93H. The main point for me is that it's pure function: time, of course; stopwatch for running; alarm for waking up; timer for sailboat racing starts (and power naps); dual time for frequent global travelling. I have yet to find a watch over $22 that gives me all four; plus it attaches to your wrist so you don't have to worry about losing it, like your cell phone.
8
The Casio quartz watch is one of the more amazing inventions of the 20th century.
Here's the dirty little secret of the quartz watch: any of them are more accurate than virtually ALL mechanical watchs or chronometers, at any price. When you are looking at paying $5,000 for a Rolex or $79 for the Casio analog quartz that I'm wearing right now, you are paying for the difference between jewelry and the correct time. That's it.
I set my Casio to time.gov when the time changed back in March. It is now three seconds slow.
11
Being trained to read time on old style moving hand clocks, I wanted the accuracy of digital, or at least quartz, but being unable to afford an Accutron, saw Casio had a model with LCD 'hands' that moved around the face. A quick glance told me instinctively how much time I had before the hour, without having to decode 9:42 and figuring it out.
Alas, after numerous battery changes, the old Casio gave up the ghost.
I still would like a watch (something I can glance at without hauling a cellular phone out and looking at the display, even slyly) but want the hands on the face, not numbers. Come on, Casio, revive those models for us.
3
@reid Casio has a series of inexpensive, and in my estimation, an elegant analog watch that can be had for about $15, MQ24-7B. https://www.casio.com/products/watches/classic/mq24-7b
3
G-SHOCKs are the best ever.
As a watch enthusiast, I’d love to see something in between. The casios could update things a little maybe to keep up with the times, haha. Pun intended.
1
Just don't wear it on a first date...
5
@Paul why not
1
@Paul
Or maybe you should... I wore a casio on my first date. I also took her out for 50 cent shrimp cocktails and 50 cent beers in Las Vegas where we were living. I'm happy to say that today we've been married for over 30 years :-)
2
@canuck Because you might be 3 seconds late...
1
You should have bought a Timex!
6
I've got one too, just like the one in the photo. $17 at Target. Keeps perfect time.
My previous watch (a no-name, $5 at Walmart) also kept perfect time. After about 10 years the battery died, and I couldn't get the screws out to replace it. So I splurged at Target on a Casio. Very satisfied with both.
3
I once took a sack of digital Casios overseas on a snowy clandestine trip to provide trainee soldiers time. After arriving it was clear that boots should have been the first option. But these lads were resourceful, if not particularly soldierly, and traded half their new watches for twice as many old shoes. When trying to teach them about time, all they wanted to know was when was breakfast and dinner. The mission, run by a quasi-government agency, was an unmitigated disaster; we all got arrested for a few days after a coup the government geniuses didn't foresee despite their million-dollar intelligence setup. Our left-over Casios, stuffed into our jacket linings, at least bolstered a friendship with our jailers. They were considered 'The Item' to own at that time, despite local forgers turning out dozens of fake Rolexes a week. My girlfriend at the time was not chuffed when hers broke a year later when she was an ex-girlfriend and took it to the jewelers. The Casios never broke, however, they just kept ticking over silently.
14
Hey my cheapo Timex keeps on tickin' and tells time! That's all I want from my watch.
2
When I see those ads for expensive beautiful watches saying that you have a watch you can pass down to your next generation, I just replace the watch in the ad with my Dad's old metal Casio.
2
If you can't take all-digital, go analog with the Casio Forester. About 20 bucks, even lights up at night. I love to wear it when I'm hanging out with my son, who sports a $4000 Breitling. À chacun son goût.
1
Spot-on. Ditto my Timex Ironman. The mortgage on it was burned decades ago, and it's still going strong.
2
A better solution for reducing waste is a mechanical watch. No batteries to replace, runs forever (with servicing).
9
@Ben G-Shock Tough Solar (AWGM100B-1ACR). Runs forever without servicing. And isn't hockey puck-sized.
3
@Ben
Citizen Eco-Drive. Charged by light and vastly more accurate than mechanical (without servicing).
3
The writer's Casio reminds me of the original Volkswagen Beetle. The car was produced without meaningful changes for over sixty years (with production finally ending in Mexico in the early 2000's) - and because of it, produced a car company of enormous size. Stock markets back then recognized quality over flashy and new. We now live in an era where technological change is often billed as 'improvements' or 'upgrades' - but more often than not producing inferior performance to the technology it replaces. So kudos to Casio, which makes something in which no improvements are needed. Time to buy their stock.
2
Someone else mentioned a Casio with a solar cell that recharges the battery? Might be something the company should emphasize.
More than 7 years ago I got a Citizen Eco-Drive watch -- metal watch, metal band -- and it is still going just fine and doesn't lose or gain more than a few seconds a month, if that. More initial outlay, but longer life and no expensive battery changes.
6
I bought a solar citizen about
Absolutely agree with the basic point of the article: I have been using a Casio for forty years since I started running. They keep the time well, are simple and, they keep on ticking.
10
"It is just a watch."
Which is exactly what I want on my wrist.
31
Doesn't my old iPhone do everything the Apple watch would do? And all I have to do is . . . take it out of my pocket! I wear my Casio Illuminator almost every day, and for $12 with a 10-year battery, I think I'm good. I do love my tech, of course. It's convenient and helps me get things done. But a lot of technology poorly reproduces what works very fine in the analog world. And then charges you 1000 times the price.
2
W-201. Wouldn't trade it for a Rolex. Well, maybe I would and then sell it and get another W-201.
9
I think an article on products which last 'forever' is warranted.
I own a Texas Instruments plastic calculator which cost about $10 in the 1980s and still functions well, despite taking a lot of abuse. It never needs batteries and works on power derived from solar or room lighting .
I also own a GE 'Thinline' air conditioner which I installed in 1974. It receives direct sunlight but has functioned well with almost daily usage every summer for 45 years!
15
@Stanley Gomez
I have a "ancient" TI solar powered calculator too. Every once in a while i check to see if the solar cell is still working.
On a tangent, there is, in the old farmhouse I grew up in, a Sears refrigerator that was purchased in1959 0r so. It works. 60 years.
And I love Casios- especially the classic round face MQ24-7E ( had to look it up)
1
@Stanley Gomez
Yep.
I have a 10-year-old Mr. Coffee that drips hot water through a coffee basket to make coffee. $18.
And, next to it, a GE toaster from the late 1940s, which works as well as on day one and still looks good.
5
I bought my Casio G-Shock fresh out of boot camp in 1996. That one died in 2009. After trying a few different watches, I went back to it and got a new G-Shock that is still going strong 10 years later. The price for both watches and all (four) battery replacements? Under $150.
7
The photo says it all.
2
I buy Casios online for about 8 bucks. A card of batteries costs a few bucks. If the rubber strap breaks, I've got a drawerful of broken watches with straps I can scavenge. And, you know, if it gets wet or is run over by a steamroller, why cry?
5
I purchased my Casio Pro Trek so long ago I forgot what paid for it.
I has a solar battery that only requires some sunshine and has never been replaced.
It has digital and analog time, the day, the date and the month and 12 hour time or military time.
It is a stop watch, compass, barometer, altimeter and other things that I have forgotten.
It has a sleep mode and has a light if you need to tell the time in the dark.
Now that big watches are in style my wife does not tell me as often that it looks as though I have a steam pressure gage on my wrist.
I can check my pulse on my own, rarely text etc so Apple will never sell me a watch.
5
My Casio W-201 has been my lifeline for 5 years. I shower and sleep with it on. I get excited to show folks my watch tan year round. At a sub $20 price point, I'd recommend it to anyone that just needs to know what the date and time is.
6
My Casio GShock solar atomic was $90 two years ago. Has just the features I need and none that I don't. Looks indestructible, and cool as well. If there's any justice in this world, Casio will still be around if I ever need a new one.
6
I have a timex - works well for me - IThe "most interesting" thing about my inexpensive 3 time zone Timex is at Noon on one zone - an alarm sounds and at 12:05 pm on another time zone an alarm sounds. I have found no way to turn off the alarms despite spending some time looking at all 3 time zones. These alarms must have been factory set. Maybe that is why my timex is more expensive than a Casio.
5
Been wearing these F91s since they came out. My children have them too.
They are the best value watch ever.
Sad, macabre fact: according to Wikipedia apparently they are the preferred watch for terrorist bombmakers since they are easy to utilize as timers/detonators.
10
A photo of my wrist in NYTimes - Excellent!
2
And if you buy the Casio calculator watch, you might get free birth control too!
39
@Chris Mackin
I'd much prefer dating someone who has the common sense to buy a $30 watch than one who wears an ugly $30,000 gold monstrosity to impress others.
9
Great article.
Bought my first Casio GShock back in 1988, and I have never looked back. I currently have the very expensive Casio GShock Gulfmaster, which is solar powered, and gives the Barometric Pressure. It also has an altimeter, compass, tide function, stop watch, count-down timer, and is waterproof to 200 meters. And don’t forget the great anti-shock durability that GShocks have.
Certainly not the simple and inexpensive Casio that the author has, but Casios are indeed fabulous. I expect my Gulfmaster to outlive me. Easily.
2
A watch that just tells the time and date. How priceless! I've enjoyed Casio's since Planes, Trains & Automobiles. John Candy - "I've got two dollars and a Casio."
11
I totally agree. I have owned Casios for decades now. They are splendidly reliable and sturdy. Cell phones cannot tolerate water and falls like my Casios do.
5
I have worn a F-91w since I was in med school. It’s reliable, and has the date AND the day of the week. I don’t have to worry about it being out of a charge, or the rudeness of pulling a phone out of my pocket during a conversation to make sure I’m on time. And I love that it’s built to last. I worry about planned obsolescence becoming so ingrained into our expectations of products that we will begin to treat people as though they need to be upgraded and replaced every few years, too.
17
We need to start demanding the same level of quality from the virtual world that we demand from the physical world. When I got into my car in the 90s and turned on am/fm radio, it worked 100 percent. The chances of my bluetooth connecting is probably about 60 percent. The probability of me watching a movie without interruption due to a tv upgrade message or a network connection drop is probably 50 percent. I’m thinking of buying an old alarm clock that i can wind up with the hammers and bells.
69
@Eric
If you are old enough to have flown in the 60s or 70s, do you remember that airplane flights were never cancelled because of "computer network outages"?
8
@Eric
Those old wind up alarm clocks are loud! It’s impossible to sleep through it, and there’s no snooze alarm.
4
Casio watch batteries may last seven years, but I had several die after only two. I am a runner who uses the stopwatch function. I have given up on the brand.
I went back to Timex for my running watch needs. They live up to the "keep on ticking" mantra.
Do not get Casio if you are on the go.
@Doctor No Just buy a new battery - they're cheap. Buy a watch for the watch, not the battery.
2
Casio G Shock Waveceptor tough solar, module 2688. Solar powered, atomic clock calibrated. Can't remember how old. Several band changes. Wear it everywhere. Perfect time keeping, alarm, time zones, stop watch, day/date - priceless.
8
Any recommendations for new bands
@Michael reed I am on my third replacement Bands. Amazon to the rescue with identical bands cheap.
@Michael reed, G-SHOCKS are the best ever
ah so refreshing to see a celebration of CASIO. It is the only brand I used all my life. Every watch lasted more than 10 years ... partly due to CASIO's innovations, especially its amazing solar batteries.
10
I couldn’t agree more. The Casio watch does everything I need. It has an alarm, stop watch, and the time. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
My watch band recently broke after 10 years of hard use. I will be replacing it and look forward to the next 10 years with my wonder watch.
I am a college student going into finance and I see so many peers wearing shiny, bulky watches. The 10$ underdog Casio dazzles much more. It shows modesty and precision and I am proud to wear it on my wrist.
59
I've had Casio watches forever. The only reason I replace them is if I do something dumb, like forget to take them off when playing racquetball and crack the crystal with a wayward racquet swing (lost two that way). The price is right, maybe $20 today (and less on eBay), and the battery seem to last close to a decade if you don't need to use the nightlight feature. Accuracy is fine, less than a minute off in a year. My only (mild) complaint is that the black plastic watch straps break at the hasp latch point every 5 years or so, and means that I spend more to replace them at $8 a pop over the lifetime of the watch than the original price of the watch. Readers are right, you don't need a watch today, but I feel as though I have not finished dressing and my wardrobe somehow unbalanced and incomplete if I don't put it on (but not quite as bad as forgetting to put your pants on). It's nice to have something reliable that just keeps on doing what it's supposed to, in contrast to the sea of other short-lived expendables and non-repairables we live in.
11
I have an Apple Watch 2, several Fossil analogs (they used to do such cool designs), and my granddad’s Casio. He died in 1991, but the Casio still works. My Apple Watch was replaced on Apple Care after I dropped it and the face popped off, and again just out of warranty when it went dead for no reason. I wear the Apple regularly otherwise I’d lose regular fitness tracking but I don’t expect this service from Apple next time, and don’t expect my investment will make 4 years despite the replacements. I still smart from my purchase of the original iPad, the one without any camera, introduced Spring 2010 and running iOS 3.2. With the introduction of iOS 6 in Sept. 2012, 2.5 years later, it could not update. Today it still works in theory, but most apps crash so it’s basically an expensive conversation piece. I’m on my 3rd iPad, but did very well with Apple on the stock market!
I am a hiker and the iwatch is useless in some remote hiking spots here in AZ where I only need time. I still prefer my Casio. Simple, keeps time and date and doesn't need me to read a manual to operate.
2
I have a Casio sitting in a drawer still keeping time after 20 years on the same battery.
3
My Apple Watch gives me the time, date, moon phase, current weather and forecast, heart rate, wind speed and direction, and UTC all on one display. The "complications" on the watch face can be changed by me. Clicking on the complications brings up an expanded display.
I have three Omegas, three Tissots, four Citizen Solars, a couple of Bulovas, a couple of Seiko Kinetics...I love them all, especially the pure mechanical watches, but none of them can provide the information I get at glance with my Apple Watch.
2
People would be happier if they were not checking the time - all the time. Unless you have an appointment, better to just be in the moment.
Time is an illusion anyway. I'd like a watch that reads only one thing - "NOW".
8
@Sam Kanter: For many, many people, keeping a lot of medical problems addressed, and the needs of their family all met, and their employer happy, involves a heavily scheduled existence. They don't choose it.
Your freedom from the tyranny of time is a privilege that many others envy; I hope you appreciate it.
1
@Sam Kanter
Well. I'm no engineer, but I can handle the design on that one. And I'll sell it to you for less than the Apple Eye on Everything!
@Sam Kanter
Being on time is respectful.
4
I am 28 years old and have had the same old Casio watch since I was 12. I picked it out so I could match my father's watch, and I was never happier. A few weeks ago, I was at work adjusting my watch when the band snapped. I was heartbroken, but relieved to find I could get a replacement band. As enticing as an Apple watch can be, I would never trade my Casio for anything in the world.
37
You might also have noted that throwing out your electronic gadgets and replacing them every time the manufacturer comes out with a newer and sexier style is environmentally unsound. Apple may not be in quite the same category as Koch Industries as an Enemy of the Planet, but its record is less than stellar.
38
@Elizabeth. Apple will recycle your old devices.
4
@AT
Yes, but they can also keep them in service longer so people don't have to replace them every few years.
3
Not sure what to do without my G-Shock - late 90s model.
I love to wear out products and have to replace them, not have to replace them due to changes in operating systems, or styles, or any other extraneous reason. I was heart broke when the Seiko watch my dad gave me when he returned from Viet Nam quit working, and was told there are no parts available to repair it. Self winding, time and date, real simple sturdy watch. It ran for 40 plus years, of course with a visit to our local watch maker every decade. I've got another mechanical analog watch, but it lacks the back story that made my old watch special.
2
I have a number of classic mechanical watches but I have been a Casio fan for decades and wear my G-shock whenever I travel. No need to attract attention wearing a lot of dollar bills on your wrist. The G-shock doubles as my regular bedside alarm-clock.
1
I also have an iPhone 6 with the same problems, even though I do not want to upgrade, I know I will have to eventually. I also own a Mac circa 2009 which is no longer upgradable. I have been unable to use all the features of iTunes now that they have upgraded it as well.
I read this article with pleasure, as I am still wearing a Casio watch that I purchased more than 35 years ago. And it DOES give my pulse...the old-fashioned way!
43
The article makes a poor argument and comparison. I own several watches, one was my father's Omega. Others I purchased for their design, beauty or utility. All keep reasonably accurate time and as with any analog timepiece I can view time in the past, future and present. Not just that digital "now". Oh that's gone a new "now" appears.
Apple watches serve as a link or bridge to monitor our digital world. It is less a watch than like a skeuomorph which uses the familiar watch form.
My wife loves her Apple Watch, it is not to my taste or needs. I owned a Casio never liked the look or feel of a "rubber" watch. I never feel fully dressed or adult without a watch. Neither Apple or Casio cut it for me. I still have use almost every watch given to me or purchased. The one exception is my child size mechanical Timex. It no longer works but I just can't find the right time to part with it.
8
@Alan
I bought an Omega Speedmaster with my first Army paycheck in 1977 - on sale at the PX for all of $180.00. I still wear it, it still keeps excellent time. I also own a Casio I bought when I deployed to Iraq, and it's still working after nearly 14 years. Apple can keep their watches; I'll stay with mine.
7
@Steve K Wow! $180 for a Speedmaster...how'd you swing that?
@Steve K $180 in 1977 is $780 in 2019 dollars...man oh man you got a great deal...
1
My solar-powered Casio is the best watch I have ever owned. It never needs winding, it adjust automatically to time zones, has MANY settings, a compass, a barometer, an altimeter, a thermometer, lots of other stuff and it's very light (titanium) and waterproof. At Sam's it only cost me about $150. BUT there are things it can't do, which is why I have an Apple watch 3.
My Apple Watch is also great and makes my daily life more organized because it links to my iPhone, has so many notifications, apps, health features and almost anything I could want - as long as there is electricity and web access. When I travel I take both. VERY helpful and comforting.
When Apple is able to include a non-invasive continuous glucose monitoring function and perhaps not require manual cardiac monitoring, it will become a necessity for BILLIONS of people and make the iPhone revolution look like a block party. I am waiting with great anticipation - and that's why I hold a lot off Apple stock.
4
As I sit here, I am surrounded by 7 devices with the time displayed. People don't buy watches to tell time. They buy watches for status or for some other function. Those who have purchased a smart watch such as Apple watch are getting tremendous value from it. It seems to be waning battery performance that always forces us to upgrade. Imagine if Apple let you change the battery. That will never happen.
4
Batteries? Those expensive, little toxic metal disks? Over a decade ago I spent around $60 on a Casio Wave Ceptor Tough Solar. Perfect time thanks to radio signals and if you leave it in the sun for a few hours twice a year it recharges. Alarm, analog and digital readout, sweep second hand. I can check the time in a movie theater without bothering anyone, though I never do. It's no heirloom, but it will likely last longer than I will.
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@Bridgman
Yes, I have a Wave Ceptor. I'm surprised it was not mentioned in this article. It never needs a battery, and it's rarely off as much as a second because of the radio syncing. It order to get a sure sync, I have to leave it on my kitchen window sill overnight which faces north. Also, I have often not been successful getting a sync when traveling elsewhere in the US or in Europe attempting to use the German signal. However, it's ok to miss a couple of weeks of syncing with maybe a second of drift. Once home, I always know I can resync on my kitchen window. I have had this watch for several years.
8
I've worn Casio watches since the 80s and now collect Casio G-Shocks - I wear a different watch every day and use their timer and alarm features daily.
Even my most gadget-obsessed friend admits that the Apple watch isn't actually very useful. Not that I'd planned to get one, but good to know.
8
I have not worn a wristwatch since the early 70s. It's amazing how accurately you can learn to judge time without one. (Although of course, there are always alternative sources to go to when the need arises).
I *love* my Casio watch.
For Casio's financial health (and continued production of the watch I'll want to buy in the future), I hope they're discovered by Brooklyn hipsters who think it's cool and ironically retro to wear a vanilla watch while they play their LPs on the turntable.
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@Marc, They are already retro hip. My most fashionable art students wear them.
12
Let's also give it up for the HP-12c financial calculator. Introduced by HP in 1981, it's still the desktop go-to tool in banking.
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@Frances
I bought a replacement for my old faithful when it died and the new versions are pieces of junk - the keys started to fail within the first 12 months.
3
I have the same experience with my Casio Data Bank watch which I have used for the last 25 years. All it needs is a battery and its careful replacement.
I refuse to buy a smartphone that does not allow for battery replacement. The Apples and Samsungs, Verizons, etc. are always trying to create the need to "upgrade" when something simpler would have been the norm a decade ago.
1
I agree with nearly everything the author says about the Casio F-91W watch. It's ideal as an "expendable" watch for sports and outdoor work where other watches might be damaged. I own two of them, one of which is on a Velcro watch band. As far as I know, Casio has been producing digital watches with black resin straps since 1980, if not earlier.
Three technical notes: First, as the article says, it is nearly impossible for a layperson to replace the battery without destroying the watch. Second, the stock strap on this watch might not be large enough for people with very thick wrists. Finally, the watch strap is held in place by rigid (not spring-loaded) pins - search YouTube for replacement advice.
2
Have a >20 years old analog watch still keeps on going, only one battery replacement needed. The beauty of the analog display is that it "transmits" the necessary information with only a glance look.
19
I'm on my fifth or sixth Casio since the 80's. It's a model with a steel case, not plastic, but they get beat up and just keep going until I finally lose them (I found one at a friend's house at least 3 years after I lost it). I always replace the band with a clip band because I like loose bands. Even if the band cost more than the watch, I'm out only $40. It does what I want and what I need. So I'll keep buying them until I don't need watches anymore.
8
There are many watches that can get the job done. The quartz revolution of the 70-80's has led to cheap, accurate, reliable instruments. Alarms, water resistant (you can swim without worrying), night view, legible in all lights, and more importantly 5-7-8 years of battery (or no battery at all with some), affordability; my watch has many attributes that Apple's toy doesn't have answers to.
9
Who still uses watches. I gave mine up when I got a smart phone.
2
@1st Armored Division 1971-1973. Those who had their smart phone run out of battery and still needed to be able to tell time. On a battle field, for example.
4
@1st Armored Division 1971-1973
It's easier to just look at my wrist, than to fish around for a cell phone.....and often have to turn it on.
31
@1st Armored Division 1971-1973
Disappointingly on my second G-Shock since buying my first at the PX at Bragg. I often don't carry my cell phone into the ocean, golf course, woods, mountains, etc....
In a similar vein I have owned my $90.- SEIKO old fashioned dial watch for "umpteen" years and it keeps going and going ....oh yes I do have to adjust it once in a while, in the fall and spring when we adjust the clock fro Standard or Daylight savings time
7