Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #638 in Watches
• Brand: Casio
• Model: WVQ400J-1
• Band material: Resin
• Bezel material: stainless-steel
• Case material: stainless-steel
• Clasp type: Buckle
• Dial color: black
• Dial window material: Acrylic
• Movement type: japanese-quartz
• Water-resistant to 330 feet

Features

• Multi-band 2 (US-Japan) - Receives the signal from the Atomic clocks in Ft. Collins, Colorado and from both Atomic clocks in Japan
• Tough Solar Power; Shock Resistant; Auto EL Backlight with Afterglow
• World Time - 29 times zones (30 cities), city code display, daylight saving on/off
• Water resistant up to 330 feet (100 M)
• Water-resistant to 330 feet (100 M)

Amazon.com Product Description
The Casio Men's Waveceptor Atomic Dual-Time Watch #WVQ400J-1 combines convenient, athletic attributes and sophisticated styling. With a stainless steel case and bezel, a black resin band, and a black dial, this timepiece is a fashionable, durable choice for everyday wear. Its unique face includes three subdials, small white indices marking each second, faceted silver-tone indices marking each hour, three hands, and luminous accents. A small, digital display at four o'clock provides added functionality, while a window made of acrylic acid resin protects the face. This watch is water resistant to 330 feet and is backed by a one-year manufacturer warranty.

The Waveceptor Story

Waveceptor- On time all the time

With the launch of its first watch in 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. Armed with cutting-edge technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered the field confident it could develop timepieces that would push watch technology forward.

With Casio’s Waveceptor Line Casio is focusing its efforts on radio-controlled watches: the radio-controlled or Atomic function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. All Waveceptor watches even automatically adjust for daylight saving time…now that is an intelligent timepiece.

Some Waveceptors even feature a built-in solar battery which eliminates the nuisance and waste of replacing batteries, and the radio-controlled function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. Through the further development of high radio-wave sensitivity, miniaturization, and improved energy efficiency, Casio continues to produce a whole range of radio-controlled models. Amazon.com offers the largest online assortment of Casio Waveceptors

Waveceptors are everything you like in a fine timepiece, easy on the eyes, easy to use and provide the most precise time on planet earth. With a Waveceptor you come only be fashionably on time…all the time.

The Casio Story

In developing its own wristwatches Casio began with the basic question, "What is a wristwatch?" Rather than simply making a digital version of the conventional mechanical watch, we thought that the ideal wristwatch should be something that shows all facets of time in a consistent way. Based on this, Casio was able to create a watch that displayed the precise time including the second, minute, hour, day, and month — not to mention a.m. or p.m., and the day of the week. It was the first watch in the world with a digital automatic calendar function that eliminated the need to reset the calendar due the variation in month length. Rather than using a conventional watch face and hands, a digital liquid crystal display was adopted to better show all the information. This culminated in the 1974 launch of the CASIOTRON, the world’s first digital watch with automatic calendar. The CASIOTRON won acclaim as a groundbreaking product that represented a complete departure from the conventional wristwatch.

Casio transformed the concept of the watch — from a mere timepiece to an information device for the wrist — and undertook product planning based on this innovative idea. We developed not only time functions such as global time zone watches, but also other radical new functions using Casio’s own digital technology, including calculator and dictionary functions, as well as a phonebook feature based on memory technology, and even a thermometer function using a built-in sensor. The memory-function watches became our DATA BANK product series, while the sensor watches developed into two unique Casio product lines of today: the Pathfinder series displaying altitude, atmospheric pressure, and compass readings.

In 1983, Casio launched the shock-resistant G-Shock watch. This product shattered the notion that a watch is a fragile piece of jewelry that needs to be handled with care, and was the result of Casio engineers taking on the challenge of creating the world’s toughest watch. Using a triple-protection design for the parts, module, and case, the G-Shock offered a radical new type of watch that was unaffected by strong impacts or shaking. Its practicality was immediately recognized, and its unique look, which embodied its functionality, became wildly popular, resulting in explosive sales in the early 1990s. The G-Shock soon adopted various new sensors, solar-powered radio-controlled technology (described below), and new materials for even better durability. By always employing the latest technology, and continuing to transcend conventional thinking about the watch, the G-Shock brand has become Casio’s flagship timepiece product.

Today, Casio is focusing its efforts on solar-powered radio-controlled watches: the built-in solar battery eliminates the nuisance of replacing batteries, and the radio-controlled function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. Through the further development of high radio-wave sensitivity, miniaturization, and improved energy efficiency, Casio continues to produce a whole range of radio-controlled models.

Customer Reviews

Awesome watch for the money
I was disgusted with TAG Heuer for no longer making repair parts for my favorite old watch. I was even willing to spend the ridiculous money they asked for replacing the battery and gaskets... about $100 every two years. I'll never get another TAG since they don't support their customers.

So... I looked all over, did lots of research, and found this watch had everything I was after. I love the solar power (no battery to replace) and the atomic clock synchronization (no more monthly date-changes or DST adjustments).

I found it quite easy to set up. Yes, you MUST read the manual but it's logical and easy to follow. Don't go pushing buttons without knowing for certain what you're doing and you should be okay. I especially like the setting that automatically turns on the dial lamp when it's dark and I tilt my wrist... it's totally cool. So in addition to solar power and atomic reception, it's got a tilt-angle sensor. Amazing.

The watch looks great... Amazon is selling it at a really good price: a bit over half what Casio lists it for.

My only wish is that they offered the watch with a stainless link band. I'm concerned that the weakest aspect of this is the rubber band. It's comfortable and looks fine, but I worry it'll break where I bend it back to insert the tab every time I put it on. And it's not a standard attachment, so there may be no repair option.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT AFTER LIVING WITH IT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS:
I still like this watch, but wanted to share one problem that's popped up. The large buttons on the bezel are TOO EASY TO PUSH INADVERTENTLY. Meaning, simply by bending my hand back, I can end up changing the time zone or setting off a timer. As I type this, the date has been replaced by the time zone indicator. I now must find the manual (at home in my bedside table) to resume normal timekeeping functions. This happens a LOT! I can only hope Casio designers check these listings and will create a future version with a twist-stem that locks to replace these big, fat buttons.

Otherwise, I love the watch. At such a great price, I can't justify downgrading from 5 to 4 stars.

Impressive looks but serious shortcomings
A good value in an attractive package but with serious limitations.

Pros:

Very impressive appearance. Three small dials and LCD window, sweep second hand. Excellent timekeeper with automatic updating through Waveceptor capability. Automatic or manual dial illumination is excellent for nighttime use.

Cons:

Stopwatch function. (1) Elapsed minutes are not displayed except on the left small dial that's marked in 5-minute intervals. Between these tics, you have to guesstimate minutes from the tiny dial. (2) The upper small dial measures 1/20th-second intervals during the first minute of stopwatch operation. While it spins impressively for that minute, it serves no other useful function as the LCD window displays 1/100th-second intervals continuously. (3) There is no lap-time function; the stopwatch is on or off.

Date function: The only display is the date (e.g. "4") in the LCD window. There is no display for day-of-week or month name. This is an inexcusable omission.

Alarm function: To set the alarm, you must select the alarm time by holding one of the buttons while the watch fast-forwards from 12:00 a.m. If you overshoot, you can't back up, and must go around again. This is unacceptably clumsy and inconvient.

Other: (1) Plastic crystal can scratch easily. (Casio's mineral crystal is virtually scratchproof. Too bad it isn't on this watch). (2) The rubber-like plastic band isn't replacable, so you have to live with it. (3) The 75-page user's guide is often dense and confusing, and the type is so tiny that it's very hard to read.

Summary: There are no significant features in this timepiece that aren't available in less-expensive Casio watches, often with more detail (day, date, month display) and more convenient (alarm setting). That said, this is a very sexy watch and is sure to impress folks who don't know much about its innards.

Recommendation: If high-tech is the goal, not likely to find anything truly capable under $200. If convenience and timekeeping features are priority, there are better Casios at a lower price. This watch makes too many compromises for the sake of looks.

Very Nice Watch For The Money
Overall this is a great watch. After reading through the manual, I had no trouble setting my home time zone and the daily alarm time. The LED light could be a bit brighter but it's amber glow is awesome and the auto-light feature worked flawlessly. I decided to disable it to conserve the battery's charge. Our home is ~800 miles from the time transmitter in Colorado, yet the watch has successfully synchronized every night since 11/20 in two different locations, neither of which are near a window. At night the second hand "sleeps" at twelve o'clock and the LCD panel shuts off while the watch is motionless. When the watch is picked up and tilted ~40 degrees the second hand zips around to the current second and the LCD is turned on. Everyone that I've shown it to really liked it and most cannot believe it cost less than $90. This watch is a perfect gift for that watch fanatic in your family. I know this because I'm that person in my family.

September 2009 update:

The second hand began ticking at 2 second intervals (low battery warning). I placed it under bright lights and in the sun for hours with no change. I bumped a button which sent the hands spinning and drained the cell. Hours in sun did not bring it back. Hope it's just the CTL 1616 (supposed to last 7 years) cell and not the solar cell.