2020 Update!
After summer, the watch show signs of leakage, the glass is foggy on the inside at times...
Am I upset? Yes, but only because I know my time with this watch will be coming to an end.
I have been wearing it almost nonstop, day and night, in the sea, in lakes, in frost, kayaking... Still the battery remains fully charged.
The wristband is also worn out soon.
Having in mind that it has lasted about 10 years, I will be looking for a new Casio ProTrek to replace it.
From 2013:
The Casio ProTrek PRG-80 have been strapped around my arm for 2 years now, full time, and I'm absolutely happy with it.
It's on my wrist while sleeping, swimming, trekking, working..... needless to say, my skin is pale white behind that watch!
I like to use stuff that I don't need to worry about, and when it comes to electronics, that's not always easy to find. This leaves a big market for water-, shock-, and dirt proofing bags and cases, but that's another discussion!
The watch doesn't need battery replacement since it is solar powered; It doesn't need to be tucked away in the rain, or in the ocean for that matter, since it is waterproof - Not splash proof, but really waterproof! (Thats 10 bars for those interested in metrics....)
It doesn't have a GPS, so if you need to track your whereabouts, you need an additional device. I normally use the ingenious "MAP" for that purpose..... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCp-JSVSNZM#!)
The functions it does have are:
- Current time and date (obviously...)
- Barometer (with 24hrs history log)
- Altimeter (based on the barometer, so do not trust this to much.)
- Compass
- World time (A second time zone from a list of most major cities in the world)
- Stop Watch, with split time
- Count down timer
- 5 Alarms
- Display light
- Solar power
The primary function is of course to know the time and date, but some of the other functions are very useful too.
With some practice, it is possible to predict poor weather with a couple of hours warning, which is very useful when you're exploring the outside. Of course the barometer function enables this, with the 24 hrs history log you are able e.g. to tell if a low pressure system is approaching.
The function of the compass goes without saying I guess, but remember this is an electronic compass, built into a wrist watch, great for backup, but don't use it to point out direction for the artillery!
The world time is nice if you travel the world, or have contacts around the world. Maybe less useful to us close to the GMT line, but still nice to have.
The stopwatch is no fuss, and works fine....
The count down timer is nice. This is of course useful to time boiling an egg, but for tasks of longer duration it is possible to get audible "split timings" as the end of the timing approaches. Initially you get a warning every 10 minutes, but in the final 10 minutes, you'll get a warning at 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes and the final 10 secs you hear a beep every second. You have the option to run the timer on repeat, I use this (without the split time warnings though!) to remember to have a drink of water every 30 or 45 minutes.
The 5 Alarms will wake you up in the morning, and can be a one time, or daily alarm. If you have a hard time getting up in the morning, do not rely on the Casio to wake you up, as the beeps are not that loud, especially underneath a pillow or inside a sleeping bag....
The light..... lights the display for a few seconds.... If you need a light for anything else, bring a flashlight!
My previous watch needed a battery replacement every 2nd year or so, and I was told that the Suunto's needs replacement more frequent than this.... The solar power is possibly one of my favourite features. When I unpacked the watch, it was low on battery, but working fine. I started using it in the month of december, in Denmark, so the amount of sun available was low. Add to that I like wearing gloves when it is cold, and the Casio did not get much sun at all. Never the less, in a week or so, the battery was fully charged, and have remained fully charged since then! There's a nice little L-M-H indicator in the bottom of the display, I don't pay much attention to it since it is always on "H - high". If you use the light over and over again during the night, you might be able to get it to M, but I haven't tried that yet!
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| The Casio on my wrist. I have a rather slim wrist about 17cm circumference, and was concerned if the watch would feel to big on my wrist. It doesn't, I don't notice it at all, and it fits perfectly even though it is in the 2nd smallest setting. |
All in all, there might be better watches out there, but for everyday use, and no concern and reliable timing I find the Casio meets my requirements. I was tempted by the Suunto's, but I choose the Casio due to the solar power and no battery replacement issue. After all, a watch out of battery is not very useful.....
