CasioPRW3500 Series | Pro Trek | 100M WR | Compass | Alt/Baro-Thermo | Tough Solar Power | Atomic Timekeeping | 1-100 SEC Stopwatch | Countdown Timer | World Time

My response to the rise of smart watches has been a desire to go retro, and when it comes to retro digital chic, nobody beats Casio.My first purchase was a Casio F91W-1 Classic Resin Strap Digital Sport Watch, a truly low-end classic retro, to find out if I would even wear a watch after 10 years without one. I loved it, and as a time piece it is a bargain. But I wanted something bigger and chunkier.I really like the look of this 3500, the 3000, and the 2500. They have slightly different features, and it may be that you would get more use out of a tide graph over say sunrise/sunset times, in which case you are going to click over to the 2500 page. I decided I would buy whichever one came up for a great price, and it turned out to be this watch. If price is your thing, you need to add a plugin called keepa to your Chrome, as it tracks and charts the price of just about everything on Amazon. High-margin articles such as watches have very volatile prices, and if you can wait for a sale, you can save a lot of money.So I got a very good price, and I'm happy with the purchase, although the vendor sold me one that had been opened, perhaps as an in-store demo. However, there were no marks on it at all, no fingerprints etc, so I decided to run with it.It is fairly bulky, it is more than snug under close fitting sleeves, and makes it harder to remove Parkers and other winter clothing. Not a complaint, just an observation. The thick metal rim provides a lot of protection for the mineral glass and looks good. This ring has no detents and is too stiff to turn with one finger. The deeply recessed glass means that to scratch it, you need to whack it on a really awkward corner.The display may look similar to, say, the PRG-270, but in fact the numbers are noticeably bigger with more LCD area. So if you step down to a 270, you lose not just the radio control but a small amount of readability. The backlight is pale blue, lit by two LEDs on the left, but evenly lit across the face with no problem reading any part of the face. It has an auto-light when it detects you tilting your wrist - this triggers all the time, even when driving. I will turn this off for long drives at night (or just remove the watch).I leave the display switched to the barometer chart. It gives me a good idea what is going on with the weather. It has a long recording time, 48 hours I think, which is more than you really need. A 24 hour chart would be fine. Note that if you drive to work, with an altitude change, it is going to mess up your nice chart (I work from home).Which brings me to sensors. They appear to be very accurate. I calibrated the baro to the sea-level value for my location, using the website of the local university. Comparing the baro charts side by side, this watch is very accurate. The thermometer is fine, but obviously it records the temperature close to your wrist (usually in the range 75-85 degrees) and not ambient. If you google up a Stevenson Screen, you'll see that to reliably get air temperature, you need a specially constructed and vented box of around 1 cubic foot, double-roofed etc. So no complaints about the thermometer, please. The compass works fine, I would not navigate across open water with it, though.The radio receiver works for me about 2 days out of 3. I am a bit over 1k miles from Colorado. The instructions say to put the watch near a window that faces Colorado, etc, but I think solar winds and other overnight electrical/atmospheric noise make more difference. My watch gains about 2 seconds a week when running free, which is not nearly as good as my ten dollar F-91W (2 seconds a month).My watch struggles to stay on "H" (high) charge during the winter. The great advantage of solar watches is not that they run for ever (they wont) but that you can use energy sucking ancillaries like the sensors and the backlight without worry. My circumstances are, a dimly lit room during the day, and the sun is gone by the time I get outside. So the watch gradually discharges during the week and recovers at the weekend. This is fine, and is the reason why it has a power saving mode (turns off the display and eventually almost everything else during periods of low charge). The power saving mode is switchable but I can think of no reason not to use it. I would guess that the battery lasts as long as a regular battery in a regular watch with none of the goodies i.e. 7-10 years.It is waterproof to so many feet. I would take this with a grain of salt - google up wrist watch on wikipedia, the published depth ratings may not be what you expect. I am sure this watch is safe in the pool or in the shower, but why risk it? I take mine off.Overall I am very happy with this watch. I would not pay list price for it, not because it is not worth it but because you don't have to. If you are a Casio guy, and want a full-featured watch with all the bells and whistles, put this on your list.

This is one of the few casio watches where I keep the band it comes with. That said, I prefer the rangeman because it has date + baro at the same time on the face as a possibility. Sure, this has bigger display elements and is less cluttered, but it goes too far the other way. Where the face feels like it has wasted space. That said, we are still talking about what could be their best looking outdoor style watch. It's still tough solar. It's still crazy accurate. It still has features zero analog watches have, without requiring a tether to a phone for any of it.

I'm not a watch collector, but I do really like watches, and I've had quite a few. My EDC is an Apple Watch, and I love ALL the things it can do for me. At the same time, an Apple Watch is quite dependent on regular charging, and I wanted a watch that had solar charging for power outages, etc.I've had a Citizen Eco-Drive "atomic" (sets itself via radio signal) watch that served that purpose, and it was a gorgeous watch. I decided, though, that I wanted something a bit more rugged, and digital rather than analog. I've had my eye on this Pro-Trek for a long time, and it checks all those boxes: digital; rugged; "atomic"; and solar powered. Added to this are the lovely titanium bracelet and the ABC capabilities. Those weren't required features, but they're very nice to have.While the Citizen had a chronograph, it only ran for an hour. This Pro-Trek chrono runs for 1,000 hours. I'm very pleased with it!

This has officially, yet unfortunately, replaced my GShock Rangeman as my do it all EDC active watch.I say unfortunately cause I love my Rangeman. Nevertheless, I think that speaks volumes to this watch. This is the first Pro Trek I have ever owned. Function wise, it has basically the same specs as the Rangeman. Multiband, ABC Sensor, 20bar water resistance, Etc.The main standout reasons why I personally really enjoy this watch over my rangeman (which again I do love)1. Fits a tad better on my wrist in terms of comfort2. My tastes have sort of shifted and I enjoy the more rounded look that is synonymous with protrek design3. Can wear it with a few more options (even wear it with my business casual work attire) and it works.. Rangeman is a bit too aggressive in my opinion to be wearing with anything other than outdoorsy attire4. BUTTON GUARDS. My word is this an amazing thing to have. I have yet to look at my watch and it be on a screen other than the time unintentionally because my wrist accidentally clicked a button. That’s the kicker for me.Highly recommend this watch and, like many Casio watches, for what you pay (relatively speaking not that much) you are getting absolute value