I am a huge advocate of collecting watches that you ENJOY.
If you’re just buying a wristwatch for it’s name or price tag I’m afraid you may end up with a watch that sees limited wrist time. Whether this is a Swatch Watch or an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon, just make sure the enjoyment of the watch is present. Whilst looking at my current collection recently, I gravitated towards the current Casios in my collection.
The more I studied them the more I thought that’s not a bad trio of Casios for less than £100, they all get a good amount of wrist time whilst providing a purpose and that enjoyment I was talking about. I have broken this down into three categories, the watch itself, value for money and lastly when and how I like to wear it.
Casio F-91W - Credit WatchGecko
Casio F-91W
The first Casio added to my collection needs no introduction and is a real icon! The F-91W has some great history and changed the game for entry level digital watches. More information and detail can be found in Richard Brown’s article “Why I love this £10 watch” This Casio was in fact a gift from a great friend of mine, who’s knowledge and passion for watches is extensive. Prior to this, I was aware of the F-91W and its creed due to it appearing in numerous films and YouTube videos, where it was always ranked top tier and highly respected amongst true watch enthusiasts.
Casio F-91W - Credit WatchGecko
Value for money
Well… what can I say, priced at under £10! This watch is an absolute no brainer, don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure this could be the cheapest Casio on the market. It is for this reason I would go as far as saying that everyone should consider having one in their collection.
When and how I wear it
I can honestly say I have worn this watch in most scenarios I encounter. Work on the farm, casual drinks and meals, the day job and it even went swimming in the river and survived! However, I wouldn’t recommend this as the 30m water resistance usually means it’s rain/splash proof. The F-91W isn’t the most accurate out of the trio but it’s definitely up there with the most iconic.
Casio F-91W - Credit WatchGecko
Casio W-800H
Next in the trio is the Casio W-800H. This is not a watch I was familiar with prior to purchasing. It’s nice to get a watch not having any expectations or doubts. When the watch arrived and I saw it for the first time, I immediately thought ‘F-91W on steroids’! Next observations are the ultra-legible and large display screen. This presenting all the usual Casio features and functions such as day, date, alarm and stopwatch. Not to mention this reference boasts 100m water resistance; this I feel is what tips this Casio into being one of the most capable I’ve seen and owned.
Casio W-800H - Credit WatchGecko
Value for money
I was lucky enough to purchase the W-800H for just £15.99 on sale, since the model has seen an increase with prices now around £30. it is certainly worth keeping an eye out for discounts and sales on these models and many more. To be completely honest, being an owner of the watch I would hands down buy another W-800H for £30 if mine was to get lost or broken. When I’m talking about this watch one word just keeps coming up, that word is ‘functionality’. There is so much packed into £30!
When and How I wear it
Like I mentioned, the W-800H to me is like the F-91W on steroids. With a case diameter of 36mm (40mm including the pushes), the watch has a larger feel so I believe it works perfectly for my 6 ¾ inch wrist. The lug to lug is 43.8mm therefore the watch is not far off being square; it feels compact and solid when wearing. This Casio is purely utilitarian, although I don’t thinks it’s bad looking either! I would put this watch through literally anything, its worn for all practical/work related activities where I’m pretty sure it’s likely to take a beating.
Casio DW290
The final Casio in my trio is another iconic super cool reference, the DW290. Known by many as the ‘Mission Impossible’ due to its appearance on famous actor Tom Cruise’s wrist in the film ‘Mission Impossible’. The hexagonal shaped case is just completely different to anything else, the protruding pushers housed in the resin case make the appearance even more alien. The screen has text on it such as “ELECTRO LUMINESCENT BACKLIGHT” and the turquoise writing on the actual watch head above and below the display screen is just an amazing touch and gives the watch a further dimension of character. And don’t even get me started on the backlight; its bright and its colour resembles that of the writing on the watch head. Pure cool is what I’d call it!
Casio DW290 - Credit WatchGecko
Value for money
This one comes in at around £40. It is the most expensive out of the trio, however, I feel this can be justified. Firstly, out of the three Casios this model is the largest and carries some extra weight as far as specification. The DW290 has 200m water resistance, although I highly doubt a professional diver would take it to these depths! This Casio may appeal to some due to its role in ‘Mission Impossible’ however, if I’m honest I just bought it because I liked it.
When and how I wear it
The DW290 just feels more sporty than the other two Casio’s in the line-up, and so I gravitate toward it for gym use and running. I also like to wear the DW290 as a daily driver, it’s a fun and exciting watch to look down at whilst I go about my day.
Casio F-91W - Credit WatchGecko
Personal Conclusion
Looking at this trio in greater detail has made me realise just how much I do enjoy and embrace these affordable watches. Although these three Casio’s are obviously digital, each watch is so versatile when it comes to wear-ability, especially for the more practical side of life. Once again I will remind you this trio cost less than £100! Three watches and a whole lot of enjoyment.
Here at WatchGecko we do quite rightly focus a great deal on the higher end of the watch industry, particularly with the recent events at Watches and Wonders. Expensive tool watches such as the IWC Ingenieur are front and centre just now, and yes I freely admit that my quest for a Rolex Explorer continues (interrupted by the recent distracting Tudor Black Bay 54!)
But I would argue that everyone has a place in their collection for a decent digital watch, whether you beat the heck out of it as a tool watch like I do or just enjoy wearing these little gems for daily use. Recently online I was reading about a collection of F-91Ws. It was utterly impressive, every conceivable model, and made me realise just how collectable these iconic watches can be.
Casio F-91W - Credit WatchGecko
