Asking us to pick the watch we would never sell is like asking someone to pick a favourite child. Sure, you may have one, but it's a hard choice. When you have been collecting watches for a long time, they come from eclectic sources. They may be treasured family heirlooms handed down through generations, or unique gifts from a loved one. Or they could be tool watches that you bought for a specific purpose.
Casio AQS810-W Tough Solar - Credit Staff Writer
I won't lie; I spent a lot of time musing over my collection, deciding which would be the one watch I would never sell. Perhaps it is my Geckota Phalanx prototype, serial number 01/02. I helped design this watch and was exceptionally fortunate to acquire its first incarnation. That would be most people's definition of special, yes?
The watch I have selected is a far more humble creature; however, it remains very special to me for less evident and emotional reasons. It is a Casio AQS810-W Tough Solar.
If we turn my chronometer back five years, I was a Special Operations Firearms Instructor working in the Gulf, training a CT Team on pistols and assault rifles. This particular three-week course turned out to be a bad day in the office because it ended with me being rushed to hospital after being shot through by a 9mm Glock. The damage was horrendous as the gun was point blank, and it was only due to the skills of several surgeons that I recovered. The journey was long, involving PTSD and having to learn to walk again.
Casio AQS810-W Tough Solar - Credit Staff Writer
Throughout all my previous lives, my one love has been watches. I have always bought watches which I thought would be best suited for the purpose at hand whether they cost £10 or £1000. For this particular trip, I was wearing the Casio.
I've worn this Casio AQ in every environment known to man, and it has suffered in those environments (along with its owner). It has been subjected to outrageous temperatures and virtual sandblasting. The watch is an exceptionally clever design. The AQ is solar-powered and takes less than an hour to generate six months of charge. If subjected to dark over longer periods it has a sequential shutdown process beginning with the digital display. It then locks the hands at 12 after several days of darkness. When you bring the watch back into the light, you are treated to a fun display of both hands and digital units all setting themselves accurately back to the exact time. Like all tough Casios, the AQ offers 100 metres water resistance and all the functions you expect to find on G-Shock style models, which cost more. The model is available in many different colours.
Casio AQS810-W Tough Solar - Credit Staff Writer
However, the thrust of this feature is why I wouldn't sell it, not how technically competent the AQ is. The reason I could not part with this watch is that when I was taken into hospital, in a pretty sorry state, this was my only personal possession, and over weeks of hell, it remained a constant source of continuity in a rapidly changing and frightening world. I took comfort from the Casio; it was always working and reliable. It has a dual time zone which was set on UK time so I knew what time it was with the family. The watch had already proven itself to me over countless previous trips to far-flung places but now it had survived the most challenging experience of my life and never complained or let me down. I have the watch on today as I write this, and it still functions perfectly. For sure, the exterior has a few battle scars, but haven't we all?
Casio AQS810-W Tough Solar - Credit Staff Writer
Pound for pound, I maintain this is one of the best watches Casio has ever made, and I defy anyone to buy one and be disappointed with it. Whether you're after a casual sports watch, alternate field watch, or military-style solar exploration model, the Casio AQ ticks all the boxes. While I don't advocate testing it to the extent that I did, I can say with some certainty that if you buy a Casio AQ, it will be a worthy partner in life's adventure.
By way of an epilogue, it was during six weeks of hospitalisation that I noted how well the watch strap on my tritium Traser was faring, considering its age and life of punishment. It was a grey and black striped Military Nylon by a company called ZULUDIVER. I emailed the company to say how good the strap was. I had a fabulous response, and with that simple message transaction, I started my new career!
