Juan Carter III
After buying a very disappointing Casio el cheapo, first bad one I've ever had but it was royally bad, tended to reset itself if you placed it face down on the counter for example.... I ended up with this watch as a replacement. Wish I had seen this one first.The face is large and friendly. The display is both high contrast and suitably large print. I am getting older and it's nice not to have to squint. Even the secondary data like day and month are larger than many digital watches' main display yet the overall size is not humunguous. I like a large watch as I have large wrists and hands and this does not overwhelm. It's a bit thick and a little plasticky but it's not a Cartier or even a Seiko and I didn't buy it for elegance.The backlighting takes a bit of getting used to as it shows the dial in reverse, like a photo negative for those of you who actually remember photo negatives. :) But a couple of days on and I'm fine with it, The normal watch face is of such a contrast that I only need to use the backlight in real darkness and once you get used to the different look, it's not a problem to read at all.It's alleged to be waterproof to 100 meters but you must take that with a major grain of salt with anything but a genuine diving watch. If it survives an occasional dunk in the sink or a swim I will be happy.Watchband: The watchband is Velcro with a touch of something neoprene-like at the tip of the "belt" It's a bit awkward as the band doubles back through a "keeper" like the strap on a backpack and the whole thing is a bit thick and not easy to do one-handed. My wrist is thick enough I can't just undo the Velcro part, I have to slip the entire band out of the "belt" to take it off. A nuisance but not a fatal one, if your wrists are smaller you won't even notice. if my wrist was any larger, the band would not fit as it is extended almost to the Neoprene tab at the end, Other reviews have commented on this as well.I haven't yet played with the various inevitable extra features: stop watch, alarm, microwave oven etc. I rarely use them so I can't comment but as a nice, basic watch for everyday knockabout use, I am well pleased and the price is quite reasonable.You can spend more and get worse. Casio used to be my cheap watch of choice but their quality seems to have diminished badly. I haven't had a Timex since I was a kid (and that was long enough ago that you wound the watch by hand) but perhaps I've been away too long, I like this watch, it's not fancy but it works.Update 8/2015: Since I bought this I have started doing volunteer work at a local aquarium. Once a week, this watch is regularly dipped (up to my elbow) in salt water for minutes at a time and it's holding up fine. The band is getting worn and some of the rubbery parts are turning white, probably from the salt so it's definitely not the watch for classy evening wear now.No question it is water-proof for this level of use (up to about three feet deep with lots of activity) and I like it even more now.Update - May 2016- Keeps on trucking. Weekly salt water dunks continue with no problem whatsoever. Plastic case is showing tiny nicks and dents from rough usage and banging on the rocks. Velcro bajnd still works fine but has turned a sort of weathered "salt and pepper color".Update - Almost November 2016 - Velcro on the watch band has almost given up the ghost. Barely sticks now. I take it off and put it on at least once a day so I guess the "hook and loop" material is just worn out.A replacement band will probably cost as much as the watch so it may be time (no pun intended) to replace this one.On the plus side, the same battery is still going strong. Can't beat this watch overall for value.Great value in a basic every day watch. No longer even vaguely suitable for wearing with a good suit to the Symphony but it's a primo work-a-day watch.
