Wristwatch Review: Men's Casio HD Series Analog Watch

Batteries are the Achilles' heel of quartz movement watches. They don't last long enough. I've actually had watch batteries die within two hours of purchasing a watch. But, now, Casio offers affordable HD series watches with batteries that last for a decade. For today's high tech worker, that's long enough to live in five cities and get laid off at least once. Imagine a decade of always knowing the time.

Of course, if you're going to live with a watch for ten years, you're going to want it to look good. How does the HD series Casio compare to other watches in its price range? The HD series what that I bought for just under $20 at Walmart is an interesting looking timepiece. It has a small (1-inch diameter) golden face with raised numbers at twelve, six, and nine o'clock. The numbers are outlined with golden trim and filled in with luminous material. A small date window is provided in the three o'clock position. The hour and minute hand are generously sized and also filled with luminous material.

The band is a fairly stiff black plastic or rubber watch band with perforations every 1/3 of an inch or so. The band has a raised center with a very tight stippling pattern that continues the entire length of the band and is integrated into the black plastic watch case. The stippling evokes more sophisticated materials like carbon fiber. The immediate bezel area around the face of the watch is a smoother area of black plastic. A raised area surrounding the watch face and beneath the crystal presents small numerals for minutes at five minute intervals.

To conserve battery life, the HD series watch does not include internal illumination or backlighting. It's not as fancy as my Casio Telememo 30 World Time ana-digital watch. However, I found it easy to tell time in low light conditions due to the luminous material in the hands. While the watch is a no frills model, the crown offers two positions: one for changing the time and one for changing the date. The watch also has a stainless steel back and is water resistant to an astounding 100 meters.

In wearing this watch, I found myself captivated by the shiny golden face of this timepiece. The gold color scheme has a monochromatic effect and the watch presents many facets to the sun. For a cheap watch without subdials, I find the watch visually stimulating. The band was generously sized, but feels a little cheap. It would fit my wrists a little more precisely if the perforations were slightly closer together. The black band and case do a good job of balancing the brightness of the golden face. Similar HD watches with more normal color schemes are available. Casio also sells a men's analog dress watch with a 10-year battery for less than $40.

Overall, this watch and the entire Casio HD series represents a great watch value for less than $20 at Walmart.

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Wristwatch Review: Casio Men's Analog Dress Watch
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