Watch Review: Casio F-91W Digital (A Great Daily Wear)

History: 

Released in 1989, the Casio F-91W digital watch has been popular amongst watch enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. The simple, sleek design combined with many useful functions all wrapped up in a sub-$30CAD ($20 USD) price tag almost seems too good to be true. However, Casio has created something that not only checks those boxes, but many others too.

Casio is a reputable brand; after all they've been making watches, among other electronic items like calculators, cameras, and musical instruments, since 1946. They have cemented their name and reputation strongly in the world of digital products. The Casio F-91W is no exception.

When most people think of an item having more features, they automatically associate a high price tag with it. The F-91W crushes that belief and throws in the kitchen sink as well at no extra cost.

Features: 

• Crisp, easy-to-read LED display

• 12/24H time display (switch between by pressing the bottom right pusher)

• Day/date display

• Stopwatch accurate to 1/100 sec.

• Two alarm functions (an hourly beep and a daily alarm with multiple beeps)

• Battery life: ~7 years

• Movement: Casio 593 digital movement (accuracy: +/- 1 sec. day)

• Holding the bottom right pusher for a few seconds is a quick way to authenticate a true F-91W. If your watch is a real Casio F-91W, the LED display will say CASI0

Size: 

The watch measures in at 37.5mm x 33.5mm and just over 8mm high with a strap width of 18mm. The watch is thin enough to slip under most shirt cuffs with room to spare. It isn't bulky by any means, nor will it fly around and knock on your wrist if you like to wear your watches loose. It's a perfect daily watch for someone who won't shed a tear if they scuff it up or abuse it.

Water Resistance: 

While the watch claims to be water-resistant to 30m, it doesn't specifically say that on the watch itself, so I would not recommend wearing it in a pool or diving. It can be worn in the rain, while washing your hands, or in the shower, but that would be it.

The back case plate is only held on by four tiny screws, and while there may be O-rings inside to protect the components, they wouldn't be as high-quality as those you would find inside a watch meant for diving. But at this price point, if you do accidentally wear it while swimming and wreck it, you won't need to dig very deep into your wallet to replace it. 

Negatives: 

• The backlight is poor. A single weak light on the left side of the watch that's barely bright enough to reach the middle of the display.

• The strap feels flimsy and uncomfortable if you sweat a lot. While mine hasn't broken, I've heard that many do around the 3-5-year mark. Since it's a resin material, you may find that it gets sweaty and attracts gunk, making it look a bit unsightly.

Final Thoughts: 

Other than those two small negatives, I would still recommend this watch to anyone. Perfect for a first watch, for someone who gets dirty at work, or for someone who loves that 80s retro charm. There isn't much to dislike about this watch.

While it may not have the celebrity appeal like Rolex, Omega, or even Hamilton, it has been featured in many television series and movies over the years, with the most notable sighting being in season four of Stranger Things. Eddie Munson, the long-haired Metallica fan that caused Master Of Puppets to hit the charts once again, wears it (albeit upside-down). (Here's a link if you'd like to see for yourself)

My Experience: 

I have owned my Casio F91-W for almost 3 years now. I purchased mine as a daily work watch. Being an electrician, it has experienced all the elements and daily bumps and bruises associated with being on the tools; submerged in water, snow, and concrete, extended jackhammer and hammerdrill sessions, +30C to -40C, and smacked against everything including rebar and concrete walls. After all it's daily abuse it only shows a few scratches. Not bad for a $30 watch.

Summary

Overall, this watch is one of the best budget timepieces out there. At this price point, you'd be hard-pressed to find any other watch that has an abundance of easy-to-use features, long battery life, and an impressive 2-year warranty (on a watch this cheap, most companies would likely just say to buy a new one) by a reputable brand.

While fakes exist of this model, do yourself a favour and spend the extra couple of dollars to get the real deal.

If you'd like to purchase one for yourself or as a gift for a friend, click here

If you'd like to read more on watches, consider reading our other watch related article 

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