Five Affordable Casio
In 1946 a company called Kashio Seisakujo was born in Tokyo and 12 years later, in 1957, Casio Computers was founded, a company that started producing compact all-electric calculators, but that was just the beginning of a success story, with a “Creating something from nothing” philosophy, in November of 1974 Casio launched its first electronic wristwatch and just 4 years later, it created its first wristwatch equipped with a Casio LCD, since then it has produced many different wristwatches that have become sales champions making Casio the world leader in digital watches.
Today we have chosen five Casio watches that are an asset to us in terms of quality / price, all with affordable prices, durability, history, some vintage models but also some modern models, some digital and other analogue and, last but not least, all under € 100. Many other models could be here in our choices and bring an equal or even better value to this list, but we believe, based on our criteria, that these were the best choices.
Let’s start, with the most popular and probably the most sold wristwatch worldwide, the Casio F-91W, launched in 1989 and still in production today, after more than 20 years. It’s very versatile can be seen on the wrist of many different people since the construction worker, military forces, watch collectors and public celebrities such as former US President Barack Obama.
This watch has a resin case that measures 38.20 mm by 35.20 mm, a thickness of 8.5 mm and weighs 21 grams, with a stainless-steel caseback, a resin glass, an 18mm wide resin strap and an LED light. Its battery lasts for approximately 10 years. This watch has some complications and is equipped with 12/24 hour format, automatic calendar, daily alarm, stopwatch and split time.
This model can also be found in different variants, and the most popular are: the A158W with a stainless-steel bracelet, the A159W with a golden stainless-steel bracelet, the F-91WC with neon colours, but many other variants are available.
The price of the Casio F-91W is available from the price range of € 17.
Our second choice is the Casio G-Shock DW-5600E. It is a retro model inspired by the first G-Shock produced in 1983 with the reference DW-5000C, this model was made to resist almost everything and is almost indestructible, durability is its middle name, and just like its old brother F-91W that we talked above, this model captures the admiration of many people, elected by different armed forces, celebrities and has also been used in space by astronauts.
This G-Shock model has a plastic case measure 48.90 mm by 42.80 mm, a thickness of 13.40 mm and weighing 53 grams, with a stainless-steel caseback and a resin strap. Its battery lasts approximately 2 years and, like many other Casio models, can be easily replaced by the owner, this watch has a water resistance of 20 bar or 200 meters (ISO 2281 certificated). This watch has some complications and is equipped with 24h / 12h time, automatic calendar, alarm, stopwatch and split time.
The number of variants of this model is numerous, almost for all tastes and different wallets, they exist in most colours, with many other complications, latest releases include a model GMW-B5000D in solid stainless-steel, in gold and white gold.
The price of the Casio G-Shock DW-5600E is available from the range of € 99.
Our third choice is the last in the category of digital watches; it is the Casio AE-1200WH-1AVEF, it has a retro look and is a smart choice for those who have to travel a lot and want a watch with world time, but it is also a fantastic choice for those who just want to have a fun watch on the wrist. Curiosities about this watch, also known by Casio Royal and associated with the film 007 Casino Royal, although Daniel Craig never used this watch, a fact seems to be real, this Casio was inspired by the Seiko G757 5020 Sports 100 used by Roger Moore in the film Octopussy.
This watch just like the other two models we talked about above has a plastic case measuring 45.00 mm by 42.10 mm, a thickness of 12.50 mm and weighing 32 grams, with a stainless-steel caseback and a resin strap. Its battery lasts approximately 10 years, this watch has a water resistance of 10 bar or 100 meters. This watch has some complications and is equipped with 24h / 12h time, world time, automatic calendar, four time zones, 5 daily alarms, stopwatch and split time.
This Casio has another variant in stainless steel, the Casio AE-1200WHD-1AVEF, even in this version the case is still in plastic but with a case in “steel” paint.
The price of the Casio AE-1200WH-1AVEF is available in the price range of € 34.
Our fourth choice is the first in the analogue watch category, it’s the Casio MDV106-1A, also known as Casio Duro or Marlin, it’s a fantastic watch with an excellent execution given the price you’re paying, it’s a dive watch, with a water resistance of 20 bar or 20o meters, among the quartz dive watches, it is probably one of the best, despite being an entry-level watch it is a smart choice for those who enjoy diving and do not want to spend a lot. This model is desired by many collectors as divers, and it can also be seen on Bill Gates wrist.
The original name of Casio “Duro” among the watch community has many versions, and one of them has to do with its long durability, on the other hand, the original name of Casio Marlin is easier and is related to having a fish Marlin in the dial as well engraved on the caseback.
Casio Duro is equipped with a quartz movement (module 2784) has a 44.00 mm stainless-steel case, 48.00 mm lug to lug, 12.00 mm thickness and weighs 92 grams, with a stainless-steel caseback and a resin strap. This watch has a water resistance of 20 bar or 200 meters, a unidirectional bezel with 120 clicks, a crown at 3 o’clock with crown guards, date display at 3 o’clock, crystal mineral glass and a battery life of approximability 3 to 5 years.
The Casio MDV106-1A is no longer available in the European market, but it is still available in the US and the Asian market and therefore can be found at many online retailers, the price in the US is around € 65.
Our last choice is Casio LTP-E148L-7AEF. It is a recent model compared to the other four suggestions presented above it is a more contemporary option. This watch is inspired by the Bauhaus style, with a look similar to the Orion model by Nomos Glashütte, whose prices vary between € 1,400 and € 3,500.
This Casio has a polished stainless-steel case that measures 46.50 mm by 40.00 mm, a thickness of 7 mm and weighs 40 grams, white dial (beige colour to be more precise) with a stainless-steel caseback and a leather strap. Its battery has an approximate life of 3 years and an amazing sapphire glass considering the price.
This watch has other variants, one in stainless steel with a black dial and two in a golden stainless-steel case with white and black dials.
The price of the Casio LTP-E148L-7AEF is available from the price range of € 99.
