Review of the Casio G-Shock AWG101-1V

One of the good things about a G-Shock fan is that there are so darn many models out there. And they're updated frequently, so if you don't see what you want, it'll be there sooner than you think. We've reviewed quite a few G-Shocks, and think that they represent excellent value and function. Today's review is of the AWG101-1V, an analog-digital watch very similar to the GW-1310. Compared to the 1310, this one uses a red hour hand and reverse LCD displays (black on white) but is otherwise of similar style. As with all G-Shocks, you get a tremendous amount of functionality:

Tough solar, shock resistant with a 7 month power reserve.
Waterproof to 200m (660ft)
Mineral crystal, well-protected by the bezel and protecting plastic bits.
Analog hour and minute hand, seconds are on the 3 o'clock LCD display
Stopwatch, 1/100th second resolution, up to 1 hour.
6-minute countdown timer.
Automatic backlight that illuminates on wrist twist in the dark. Illumination is a yellow LED at 6 o'clock, so the LED displays are not readable.
Single simple alarm, optional hourly chime
Metal case, resin band.
5-band 'atomic' timekeeping, meaning that it receives radio signals up to six times per day to set the time. This one works with both Japanese stations, WWVB in the US, Mainflingen in Germany and Rugby in England. There are newer G-Shocks that also receive in China, but 5-band is pretty normal. The display at 6 o'clock shows which signal was last received.
If there's no radio reception, it's accurate within 15 seconds per month.

Street price is about $120USD, in line with the majority of G-Shocks, representing an excellent value for a nearly indestructible watch. I had previously owned a GW-1310, and this is a nice improvement in small ways: The hour hand makes the time more readable at a glance, and the bronze bezel is understated and attractive. The watch is quite subdued as G-Shocks go, with the reverse LCD displays giving a nice touch of the unusual.

The AWG101-1V also has some other improvements that I greatly appreciate. For one, you can see in this picture that the band has notches on the inside. You don't notice them while wearing it, but the strap keeper is held in place by them, and thus the end of the strap doesn't work loose while you're active. A nice touch, that.


Casio also added luminescent material to the face of the watch on the hands and indices, which unfortunately fades quite quickly. I hope they decide to add Superluminova or Lumibrite, as that'd greatly add to the visibility of the watch at night.

As you'd expect with a G-Shock, the watch is comfortable to wear and legendarily durable. This one bears no marks from several sessions with my toddler, who inflicts a lot of damage.

As you can see from the wrist shots, it's reasonably low-profile at 46mm by 14mm. The curved strap hugs the wrist nicely, and the buckle is similarly slim and comfortable.


I may just be getting on, but I found the LCDs a bit difficult to read from normal viewing distances. They digits are quite small, although crisp and clear, and the even smaller mode indicators such as 'alarm on' are only a few millimeters across. Not a watch for the aged, at least if you need the digital portions - the analog hands are of course very legible at a glance. On a similar note, I hope that they add backlighting to the LCDs, as the current system isn't usable at night.

Overall, a solid G-Shock, solid as a rock and excellent value for your money.

Review of the Casio Pathfinder PAW1500T-7V

The face of a watch, like a person, often tells you quite a bit about what they are. Sometimes they're subtle and restrained, and sometimes their place in the world is writ large for all to see. The Casio Pathfinder, model number PAW1500T-7V is one of those "this is who I am, got a problem with that?" sorts of watches. After wearing it for a few weeks, I think of it as the go-to watch for the outdoors, especially if things are going to be tough: river rafting, long hiking trips, extreme sports and the like. It's probably the most capable and versatile watch I've yet seen. About the only thing it doesn't have is GPS:

Features of the Casio Pathfinder PAW1500T-7V include:

Tough Solar power (shock-resistant), 5 month power reserve.
Radio set, five bands: Japan (1 & 2), US, UK and Germany, tries up to six times per day.
200M (660ft) water resistant.
Low-temperature resistant, down to -10C / 14F.
Digital flux gate compass with bearing memory for navigation.
Altimeter/barometer with up to 20 points in memory and trend graphs.
Thermometer.
Automatic electroluminescent backlight.
World time, with 29 timezones and 33 cities around the globe.
Five daily alarms.
60-minute countdown timer.
Stopwatch, up to 24 hours.
Graph of tide and trend, based on location and user-entered correction.
Moon graph, northern or southern view.
Rated to within 20 seconds per month accuracy if no radio signal is received.
L/M/H battery charge indicator.
Display flag on main screen if it received a radio sync in the last 24 hours.
Titanium case and band, with safety lock and pushbutton release.
Mineral glass crystal.
Compass bezel for a quick bearing.
Adjust and light buttons at 6 o'clock for fast access.
Shrouded buttons that are crosshatched and oversized for use with gloves.
51mm wide, 14mm thick and 113g on the bracelet.
Casio calls this 'The ultimate Pathfinder' and I'm inclined to agree; it does it all. Despite that, the use of titanium makes it very comfortable to wear, even on very hot days. I wore it in 90F heat it was just fine to wear and use.

I've included a comparison shot with a G-shock so that you can judge the size. My wrist is around 7.25" (18.4cm), and I was very comfortable wearing the Pathfinder. Obviously, its an overtly technical and outdoor-style watch, so worrying about whether it fits under the cuff of a dress shirt is kind of pointless!

Christian has covered this model before, so let me add some from my experiences. I really like the combination of solar plus ABC (altimeter/barometer/compass). The ABC features all draw a lot of power, so normally you have to worry about running your battery flat in the middle of nowhere and losing you navigation. Ditto with the backlight, and doubly so for using the compass in the dark. By adding solar power, Casio frees you from worrying about that, even if you're hiking the Appalachian trail, visiting Patagonia or canoeing the Amazon. It's a superb idea, and I think every outdoor watch should have solar power like the Pathfinder.



Similarly, small thoughtful touches abound elsewhere too. Just above the time, you can press 'Adjust' and flip between display of the day or a small graph of the recent barometric pressure - great for hiking, where a drop portends precipitation or a storm. The auto backlight lights up when you turn your wrist in the dark, and since its electroluminescent, the entire dial is evenly lit, letting you see time/compass, etc. I also like that you can configure the main time display to show time, day, date and month all at once.

The dial is initially a bit overwhelming, as there's a lot of information on display. However, it's logically laid out and quite comprehensible after a bit of time with the manual. Around the face of the watch, there's a ring of segments that's used to show seconds in time mode, and as the compass in navigation mode, and also to show pressure trends in barometer mode. Below the time, there's a special graph to show tide and trend (in or out, high/low), icons for 'radio signal received', battery charge, AM/PM, moon phase, and more.

The buttons for altimeter, barometer and compass are on the right side, with plastic shrouds to prevent accidental presses. They're also crosshatched for a sure grip, and a bit oversized for use with gloves - very thoughtful. There's an unshrouded 'Mode' button on the left side as well, and two more below the dial.



The altimeter and barometer are fast and accurate, and display graphs of measurement versus time. This is nice for logging hikes and keeping an eye on the weather. I found it to be quite accurate once set to local barometric pressure. If you're going to use this, I recommend finding the altitude of your house so that you can calibrate before leaving.

The bracelet and clasp of the watch are worth mentioning as well. The clasp is a nice evolution of previous designs, as you can see in the picture the interior pieces are beveled and cut so that the portions pressed against your wrist are rounded and comfortable - bravo! Very nice to wear.

Another new idea is that the buttons are under the fliplock, adding a bit more security against accidentally opening the bracelet. These are small details, but they really add to the comfort and are nice to have.



Overall, I'd like to congratulate Casio: This Pathfinder is obviously evolved from its predecessors, with many improvements small and large. The attention to detail, comfort and utility are remarkable and appreciated, making this the outdoor watch of choice when the going gets rough.

Review of the Casio Edifice EFX700D-1A1V

A few months ago, I received an interesting and rather surprising watch in the mail: a Casio Edifice EFX700D-1A1V. I like some Casio models, but as a whole, they usually don't register as one of my favorite brands, primarily due to the styling of their most popular lines. I could never get behind the G-Shocks (unlike Christian), and despite the amazing functionality of the Pathfinder family, I always found them too big for my wrist. In retrospect, it was probably because of this bias of mine that Christian passed the Edifice on to me. I think he wanted to challenge my preconceptions.

I must admit, the watch I received changed my view of Casio in a profound way. The Casio Edifice EFX700D-1A1V (hereby referred to as the “Edifice 700”) is a great looking watch — probably the first analogue/digital combination watch I've seen that actually looks better then the analogue-only version. It's just a flat-out good looking watch by almost any standard, mixing styles and influences, sporting a high-contrast dual display and a very respectable feature list:

Sapphire crystal.
100 meter water resistant (about 330 feet).
Electroluminescent backlight.
Dual time.
Stopwatch with a 60 lap memory.
3 alarms.
Countdown timer.
Solid stainless steel bracelet.
$210 retail (which we consider to be very aggressive).
The Case

As previously mentioned, this watch really sings to me. I love the mix of different visual elements from the screwed black bezel to the subtle inlay between the digital readouts. The dial has a pleasant depth and is accented by a tiny gold "Edifice" label (the Edifice 700 is part of Casio’s premium “Gold Label” line). The digital readouts are high contrast, very easy to read, and are complemented by a two-hand analogue movement that is synchronized with the digital time panel (the bottom readout). The addition of a sapphire crystal and 100 meter water resistance is a welcomed bonus given the price.

The Edifice 700 is controlled like just about every other Casio: a button on each corner of the case has a contextual use given which mode you are in. Modes include:

Timekeeping.
Stopwatch.
Countdown timer.
Alarm.
Dual time (to track the time in another time-zone).
Hand sync mode.
That's a pretty stacked feature list. I loved having a different time zone displayed on the screen for when I travel, and a countdown timer is surprisingly useful. One of my favorite features is probably the EL backlight. It's a "reverse" backlight which illuminates the numbers rather than the area around them. Not only does it look extremely cool, but it's very practical, as well, since it makes the watch unusually legible in the dark.

The Bracelet

The 700 has a solid stainless steel bracelet with solid end links (on a $210 watch!), and a push button flip-lock clasp. Everything about the bracelet is great: it's quiet, heavy, and shiny. Of course, it's not the best bracelet I've ever come across, but it's probably on par with the bracelet on the TX 730 Flyback Chronograph (which is a $600 watch).

The Packaging

When you open this watch, you almost forget it's a watch and begin to believe that you are handling the packaging for a tiny bottle of liquor. It comes double boxed and says “Edifice Gold Label” on the outer and inner boxes. Once inside, the packaging is plain and similar to the box for any other Casio, Seiko, or Citizen. In general, it's a big step up from what you usually see from Casio.

Conclusion

The Casio Edifice EFX700D-1A1V is indeed worthy of its “Gold Label” moniker as it's easily the best Casio I've ever worn. During my evaluation, it got a lot of compliments with its unusual but unified style, and I love its long feature list which looks even better next to its entry-level pricing. If you're looking for a great “daily wear”, make sure you check out the over-performing Casio Edifice.