Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158 in Watches
• Brand: Casio
• Model: F105W-1A
• Number of items: 1
• Band material: Resin
• Bezel material: Resin
• Case material: Resin
• Clasp type: Buckle
• Dial color: digital
• Dial window material: Mineral
• Movement type: Quartz
• Water-resistant to 330 feet

Features

• Quartz movement
• Protective Mineral crystal protects watch from scratches
• Case diameter: 35 mm
• Resin case; Digital-gray dial; Day-and-date functions
• Water-resistant to 330 feet (100 M)

Amazon.com Product Description
Show off your classic style with the Casio Men's Illuminator Digital Watch #F105W-1A. Protected by a durable mineral dial window, the digital-gray dial face offers at-a-glance readability while a handy day-and-date calendar keeps your schedule on track. Both the 35-millimeter case and stationary bezel are made of high-quality resin. Other details include a matching black resin band that is accompanied by a sturdy buckle closure. This affordable and striking timepiece accentuates your casual cool. It is powered by quartz movement and is water resistant to 330 feet.

Development of the Timepiece Business
With the launch of its first watch in November 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. As a company with cutting-edge electronic technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered this field confident that it could develop timepieces that would lead the market.

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

7 years and still running without a battery change !!!!
1999 - one of my other watches had a broken glass - so, I was looking for some watch, which I can use for 1 or 2 months before I can buy a fancy one. I was driving on I35 in Austin, drove into a walmart, saw a couple of watches and made a quick decision to buy this casio which then costed me about $14.

7 years have went by, I never bought another watch - I have received a few watches as gift during product promotions etc. But this is the best. It is on my wrist atleast 15 hours a day - office, sports (not swimming), special occasions ...

It is a fully functional, no-nonsense watch - Illuminator, alarm, large format display of time, day and date on the same screen.

My friends cautioned me against using the illuminator and the alarm - saying that it might reduce battery life. But, I have abused this watch more than anybody else could do, set daily alarms, use the illuminator maybe 4-5 times a month ... - I had to replace the watch strap once due to my misuse.

I have no plans of replacing this watch until the battery lasts. After the battery dies, planning to buy a new one - ofcourse it will be a casio (or maybe a citizen ecodrive).

Definitely Up There
I've been wearing this watch for over a year now, and I've been quite satisfied. Here are all the disadvantages I could think of. I think this list would be longer for other watches -- I am just nitpicking.

1. Sometimes the button to switch between AM/PM and 24-hour time gets accidentally pressed, so I have to press it again to change it back.
2. The illumination button serves a double purpose as a reset button. I think having two separate buttons would be a little nicer.
3. The rubber ring into which the strap goes just broke, so I am buying a new one of these.

But I think this is watch is really up there in its class for a number of reasons:

1. I think it looks elegant, solid black with some blue, even though wearing a cheap digital watch is not very macho.
2. The backlight is great. It's not one of those crappy little green bulbs. It's an even, easy to see, cyan glow, and it doesn't even get washed out by the sun on a typical day. Very nicely done.
3. The display is very nice, as another reviewer mentioned. The digits are crisp, and a good size. The normal display shows the day of the week and day of the month -- very handy.

Overall, I am impressed. They got a lot of things right that most digital watches screw up. It's nice and well-designed, and very inexpensive.

I love this watch
For as long as I can remember (10+ years), I've used this watch, and I plan on continuing to do so until it is discontinued. It's the perfect blend of simplicity and utility--it has all the necessary features (date, backlight illumination, alarm, stopwatch) and none of the useless ones. I've never had any problems related to the battery dying or the watch not working, despite banging it every so often. I do have three minor complaints, however, which is why the the watch gets only 4 stars. First, the watch band tends to break after ~2 years, so you need to buy a $10 replacement at a local jeweler. Second, after ~3-4 years, the place where the band meets the watch head breaks, and you need to replace the entire watch. Finally, the watch tends to gain time (~1-2 minutes a year, in my experience).

Still, the quality for this price can't be beat. If you want a simple but elegant and effective digital watch, this is the one to get.