New Watch – Casio Baby-G BGD-501-1JF

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/30 sec, ISO500
“Baby-G” Cedar Park, 2021

For my birthday, I treated myself to a new watch: the Casio Baby-G BGD-501-1JF. I’ve always thought Baby-Gs (women’s version of the G-Shock) were really cool ever since Mariko had one back when I first met her in the late 90s, and lately I’ve seen the G-Shock black-out version which looks really cool. However, it’s a large watch for my 6.75-inch wrist (plus I have a couple other large watches already).

Enter the Baby-G version of the black-out watch. It’s pretty much the same design except in a slightly smaller package. I think it’s the perfect size for my wrist! And like the big brother G-Shocks, this particular Baby-G has 200-meter water resistance (most Baby-Gs have 100-meter). It also has the little wire guard that should offer more protection from scratches.

There are a couple of cons to the Baby-G, though. First, the display is a bit hard to read sometimes. That’s just a tradeoff for having a black-out style. Secondly, the light doesn’t stay on long enough. I think it should stay on for at least three seconds, but this Baby-G’s light stays on for only one. Not a huge deal, but still annoying.

All in all, I love my new watch. It’s definitely the most comfortable watch I own (even compared to my lighter Casio W800H-1AV). It sits so well on my wrist that I often forget I am wearing it and wake up to realize that I’ve worn it all night. That would never happen with my beloved Seiko SKX-007. 😁

To make room for the new watch, I have put an older Casio I have up for sale. No takers so far, but we’ll get it sold someday!

New Casio Watch

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
“The New Watch” Austin, 2019

こんにちは!

I received another birthday present, this time from my brother. The Casio W800H-1AV watch is a model that he has had for a while now, and I put it on my wishlist after seeing his last year in China. So I was really surprised because I was chatting with him about his watch just the other day, and lo and behold, a package containing new Casio arrived at my doorstep!

The Casio W800H-1AV is really comfortable and light, with an easy-to-read display and a 10-year battery. It’s a great watch for sporting activities like running and biking, and has a 100 M water-resistance rating. A good all-around watch, and a great addition to my small collection of watches.

I hope you had a nice day!

またね~

Casio MTP4500D-1AV – Watch Review

Casio MTP4500D-1AV
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/55 sec, ISO6400
Casio MTP4500D-1AV

For a while, I’ve wanted a chronograph watch, which is basically a watch with a stopwatch function used to measure elapsed time. I think using a smartphone for this is much easier, but to have the chronograph “complication” (a term for extra function) on a watch is pretty cool. After a bit of online shopping, I found the Casio MTP4500D-AV chronograph watch with slide rule bezel. It looked pretty cool in the photos and I like Casio as a brand. And the price was a bargain at US ~$35!

The watch is 42mm in size, with a 22mm lug width, a stainless steel case and a quartz movement. You can compare the watch size next to the Seiko SKX007 and SNK809 in the last photo. The stainless steel bracelet feels good, especially at this price. As far as value goes, the watch is a winner.

Casio MTP4500D-1AV
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/15 sec, ISO6400
Casio MTP4500D-1AV

The main dial has the hours hand, the minutes hand, and the chronograph seconds hand. There are three smaller subdials, the one at the top is the chronograph minutes counter, the subdial at the left is the chronograph hours counter, and the subdial at the bottom is the watch seconds hand. FYI, on most chronograph watches, the large second hand is used for the chronograph function, not the normal watch seconds.

Operation of the chronograph is solid and simple. The top button starts and stops the chronograph with a nice solid click. The bottom button resets the hands. Then crown in the middle is used to adjust the time as you’d expect, and with it pulled out, you can use the chronograph button to set the chronograph’s start position in case it needs adjustment. All-in-all, it functions smoothly and the hands line up perfectly.

I had never used a slide-rule bezel before, so I thought it was kind of cool. I don’t really know how to use a slide rule, but I was able to convert miles to kilometers using it, so I know it’s at least functional. And the bi-directional bezel is smooth without any wiggle. Very nice! By the way, Long Island Watch has a great tutorial about how to use a slide rule bezel.

Now onto my subjective impressions and opinion of the Casio MTP4500D-1AV:

I was so excited when the watch arrived in the mail, but upon opening it, my first thought was that this might not be a keeper. The polished, mirror-like finish is not really my style. It’s really shiny, so if you like shiny finishes, you’ll love this watch. The metal band has rounded edges which I don’t particularly like the look of. I thought that maybe putting it on a nato or plain black band would make me like the watch more, so I decided to give it a chance. I have to say, that the plain black band (see the last photo) went a long way to improving the look of the Casio, but I just cannot get past the shininess.

Casio MTP4500D-1AV
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
Casio MTP4500D-1AV

One thing I didn’t really like was the subdial design. The minutes subdial has a large 60 at the top and 30 at the bottom, and because of this, it’s impossible to know what minute the hand is pointing at near these positions. Also, the hand (which is too wide) doesn’t point at the markers, but rather covers them so that makes it more difficult to see. Couple that with the fact that that hand has continuous (not stepped) movement, and you’ll never know with 100% accuracy if you are looking at the correct minute. In contrast, the stepped minutes hand on this Seiko below (click for larger view) points at the minute markers on the bottom subdial clearly:

Seiko SNDA27P1
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/120 sec, ISO6400
Seiko SNDA27P1

One other flaw (in my eyes) of the Casio MTP4500D-1AV is that the main minutes hand and hours hand is very reflective. It might be a cool design (they look like polished swords), but if you want to quickly know the time, it’s a terrible choice. On the black watch face, the hands are extrememly difficult to see unless they are reflecting something light colored. In my experience wearing the watch for a month, the hands are usually almost invisible and I have to angle my wrist in order to get a good reflection off of the hands to see them. Not good.

Casio MTP4500D-1AV
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
Casio MTP4500D-1AV

The Casio MTP4500D-1AV is normally around US ~$50, but you can often find it on sale for US ~$35.

In conclusion, I think it’s a really nice chronograph watch for the price, but if you want an easier to read chronograph watch, I’d look elsewhere, such as at the Timex Expedition.

Casio MTP4500D-1AV
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO640
Casio MTP4500D-1AV
"5 Watches" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
“5 Watches” Cedar Park, 2019


Five Watches I Like to Wear

"5 Watches" Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
“5 Watches” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

As some of you might know, I love wrist-watches. I don’t have a huge collection, nor are there any expensive pieces, but I enjoy wearing them, watching videos from other watch enthusiasts, and “window” shopping online.

Today I took two of my watches to a watch repair shop to get the batteries replaced. The Casio tide and moonphase watch (AQW100-1AV) with stainless-steel band has been dead for a couple years now, and the Goofy watch hasn’t run in about 30 years. But both are back in action!

The Goofy watch, which I bought when I was in high school, is too small for my wrist, so I gave it to my wife. I don’t think she had seen it before, but she’s happy to have it! I’m surprised actually. 😄 It just needs a 16mm band.

The Casio aviator watch (MTP4500D-1AV) with the orange hands is my newest addition, just purchased last week. It’s got a quartz movement, a stopwatch function, and a slide-rule bezel. I think it looks nice, and after I replaced the metal band with the black silicone strap, it’s very comfortable on the wrist – the most comfortable in my little collection. I prefer automatic movement over quartz, but I loved the look of this Casio and the price was nice – just $33 on sale!

My favorite watch is still the Seiko SXK007 diver, followed closely by the Seiko SNK809 field watch, but the new Casio aviator watch has quietly entered the mix.

またね~

NATO & Zulu Straps

"Instax, NATO, Zulu" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
“Instax, NATO, Zulu” Cedar Park, 2017

Continuing with my (so far) inexpensive watch obsession, I put my grey and black NATO band onto an old Casio quartz dive-style watch. I used to really like this style of watch face, but now I don’t like the shiny polished metal looks as much. But, it does match the shiny buckles on the strap, so I think it’s a good complement. If you look at my Seiko and its strap buckles, you can see both have a matte finish so it matches nicely. 😊

I also learned that the strap that has the 5 buckles is not a NATO strap, but a “Zulu” strap. The larger, rounded buckles are the difference here. I think I prefer the Zulu strap.

Anyways, my interest in watches continues, and I have made a little Amazon wishlist in case anyone is feeling incredibly generous! 😍 But seriously, I’m keeping my eye on a Seiko 007 model… One day!