Casio F91W

9.5
9.5 score
[Editors rating (9.5) + Users rating (10.0)] / 2 = (TheGearHunt) score (9.5)/10


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Editor rating: 9.5 / 10
User's rating: based on 5 user ratings
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Casio F91W Review Facts

While many people today are looking for fitness trackers and other high-tech designer watches, some of us simply want a watch. We are not looking to spend every minute of the day checking how far we have walked, nor are we wanting to take a morning jog with tunes going. If we wanted to answer our phone with our watch, we would have looked for a watch that can act like a phone, right? Then there are those of us who simply just do not want anyone in the universe to hack out our location because of our wrist wear. For those out there who just want to tell time and not do everything else, this is a great purchase. Going ‘retro’ can sometimes feel like a relief when our world seems to be skyrocketing to a place where nothing is left disconnected from the internet. The Casio F91W is our answer to the dilemma. From a company that has been around for ages comes a watch that is just, well, an old school digital watch. Let us check out this breath of quiet and see what it has to offer in the way of simply breaking out of the internet box and doing what a watch was meant to do- tell time!

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Easy to read
  • Easy to use
  • Back light
  • Price
  • Durability
  • Known company
  • Reliable
Cons
  • Back light could be brighter

Activities

This watch was built to be durable. This becomes obvious when you realize it can handle nearly every activity you may want to have a watch available through. It is built to handle concussive force, so even if you somehow drop it or it gets caught between you and a hard surface, it will not crumble. It is also built with a waterproof design, so you do not have to question if it will survive rain or even a nice swim. Thanks to its slender design and less need for bulk, you can wear it easily even with more formal clothing and not worry that it will get stuck under or on clothing when you need to check the time. If you were looking for a heart monitor, you will not find it with this- though you can keep track of how much time you spend doing your favorite exercise- or maybe time your favorite restaurant for how long it took to serve, just for fun!

Basic Features

This is a real watch, and not a technologically advanced tracking device, so its features are rather simple all around. The watch band is even designed like it to be more retro. You get a digital readout of time and even a backlight button, and that is its most basic features. Since it does not connect you online, we will save the other features for what might be considered its ‘advanced’ uses. If basic is what you want and need, this is the right choice for you.

Advanced Features

For what might be considered ‘advanced’ this watch does have the age-old stopwatch feature, so you can time how long it takes you to complete a single task or set of tasks. It also holds an alarm feature, so you can have it wake you up or let you know when you are late to start something. Unfortunately, if you are a heavy sleeper, you may find the alarm is put to better use for the latter purposes, given that it is softer sounding. There are also a couple of hidden fun things to try for those who enjoy the spontaneous ideas. The Casio watch can display all of its numbers and available spaces for things if you hit every single button at one time, and if you like knowing you are wearing an authentic Casio, just hold down the button on the right for a few seconds and it will let you know! Of course, with its price, which we cover further on, why would you fall for a cheaper design? Still, it is fun to see words written out in calculator fashion for those of us who still remember having the old-style ones of those in class as well!

Comfort

Thanks to the lack of ‘advanced features’ we see in most modern watches, this one does not have a lot of bulk to it and can rest easily and snuggly against your wrist. The band itself is a soft rubber/resin combination which does not rub harshly on the wrist and the flat back will not dig in or leave you feeling like your wearing weighted bands for a workout. The watch itself is lightweight and leaves it easy to almost forget it is there. For those of us who prefer to get dressed without having to tug at or unbutton our sleeves to leave room for our watch, this is a perfectly designed and nice-looking watch to use. With its less gaudy appearance, there are fewer stares as well, so if you prefer to wear and not tell, you can’t get much more comfortable than this watch.

Style

This one holds a classy retro digital watch feeling for those of us who remember when such was the newest and best on the market. If you like to look classy, you will definitely feel it wearing this. The choices in color are about as old-school feeling as the watch itself. You can go with the black band or you can go with the metallic version of the watch and its band. Of course, those of us with experience will take the black- the downside to the metal band being it has the ability to pinch or pull at hairs where the connections for flexibility are. The upside to the metal band, though. Id that the old black bands are made of a material that can wear out much faster and may not be able to take as much stress as metal- so the choice is up to how you want to use it. We suggest that if you want to swim in it, stick to the plastic/resin or you could end up needing to clean it more often, and besides, swimming in metal anything is going to cramp style.

Durability

No matter which version of the watch and its band that you take, it is still incredibly durable. Between the fact that it can take one heck of a beating, and being waterproofed, this watch is likely to last you for many years. The only question to it is in the bands. For specific activities, the rubber band is actually preferable, and though it can wear out, we took into consideration that it takes years for that to happen if you are taking care of it properly. That being said, it is a heavily durable watch and deserves the respect it gets when it comes to reliability and wear. As for the functioning part of the watch, we have not seen anything but praise in our research (we have even seen mention that it is bomb-proof. Of course, we have to ask who tested that out and why. Still rubbing our heads on that one.) so we can safely say that it is not likely to fail you.

Face

This watch has a very simplistic design and most of what we can say has been said. The face is a clear plastic over a digital readout. Nothing like the new watches which seem like mini computers. This one reads your date and time, whether its alarm is set and if you switch it over it had a stopwatch. (Along with of course its surprise hidden settings mentioned above!) When it comes to the date, it reads the day of the week, the month and the date for the day you are on. Of course, it has an LED light which is just enough to read your watch in dimly lit areas but is not powerful enough to really use it for a flashlight like some watches. A lot of us still recall when the light lit our watches, but we still needed extra light just to be sure- it is a great way to force your sleepy self out of bed in the morning.

Band

As mentioned earlier there are two types of bands that can be gotten with this watch, though the face of it is made to match right along. One band is made of soft flexible rubber/resin combination and comes in the color black. This material is best for those intending to go swimming or who simply want a comfortable material that does not pinch at the skin or hair when you move. This band can be tightly pulled so that your watch does not slide or move around on your wrist easily, and the material has just enough given that you do not have to worry about snapping it. Of course, like any rubber type of material, it does have a life span and will break down over time and use. This particular band lasts at least three to five years. However, the other option will last much longer because it is in effect, more durable. The downside to metal bands are that, in order to be flexible, they are created in sections that interlock. This means they can pinch and pull at the hairs and skin on your arms, and you can’t wear it tightly, for the most part, without becoming uncomfortable. It also needs to be said, that if you like water activities, metal is not usually the first or best option. Casio seems to have a replacement for the bands as well, so you should be able to find another if your rubber one snaps, or you find you actually do want a metal band.

Ease of Use

Simple, basic, and easy to use, the Casio watches are not made to confuse you. They have three buttons which are used for everything the watch can do. The light is a single button and the other two let you set date, time, alarm and use the stopwatch. By reading the instructions you can find out what combination, or lack thereof, of the buttons, allow you to work with which setting. Since it doesn’t do a whole lot, there is not a lot to confuse you. Once you know what each does, you can likely do everything you need in no time flat. After all, with only three real functions, what is there to be hard to memorize? Though we do suggest you hold onto the instruction book so when you need to you can easily find out what size battery you need.

Battery

Speaking of batteries, let’s go a little into how long this one lasts, and what you need when it does come time to change it. The battery is held in by a simple backplate which can be opened with a watch screwdriver. Once you have it open, the watch itself runs on a single lithium coin cell battery - and here is the kicker - it lasts seven years! That’s right, the less a watch attempts to be a full computer or tablet, the longer it lasts between batteries or charges. If you need to find information on how to change the batter, like the size of the screwdriver and other information, there are a lot of tutorials you can take a peek at online. We don’t think it will need that much effort, but just in case, it is nice to know it can be found easily with a quick search.

Price

Ready to get the next mind popping bit of information that most take for granted? This watch is not even going to break your bank, and honestly, it will barely touch your pocket change. At $10 and some change, this watch can be yours. While it may not have the fast-going tablet-style workout that other more expensive watches can offer, we feel that sometimes simple can be better. A watch was always meant to make sure you get everything done on time and can keep track of your day. If we need more we will look for other items that can supply it, but when you just need a day off- this watch is perfect, and wonderfully priced as well. Its quality is definitely worth every penny and then some, but we are grateful that we do not have to dig out our life savings to get that.

Key Features

-Simple design
-Light for face
-Waterproof
-Easy to use
-Long battery life (7 years)

Bottom Line

When you just need simple, this watch has you covered. For the person who just wants to know what the date and time is, you get a quality design and easy access. This is for those of us who just want to take a breather from figuring out ‘advanced tech’ and be able to check the time at a glance.