Casio Men’s GW530A-1V G-Shock Atomic Tough Solar Watch Description:
- Amazon Sales Rank: #65 in Watches
- Brand: Casio
- Model: GW530A-1V
- Dimensions: .35 pounds
- Band material: Resin
- Bezel material: Resin
- Case material: stainless-steel
- Clasp type: Buckle
- Dial color: digital
- Dial window material: Mineral
- Movement type: japanese-quartz
- Water-resistant to 660 feet
Features
- Quality Japanese-quartz movement
- Auto receive function (4 times per day); signal: WWVB, Frequency: 60kHz
- Auto EL backlight with Afterglow; world Time
- 29 times zones (48 cities), city code display, daylight saving auto on/off
- Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)
Customer Reviews:
Unique Features
As a kid I was a digital watch nut, then for a long time I wore the more dressy analog style watches. Somehow I came across the newer Gshock watches and was amazed at the technology they packed into such a small device. So I decided to go with a solar powered atomic watch and this is the model I chose out of looks and the fact that the display constantly shows month, day, and date.
Other reviews have covered the functionality, comfort, and ease of use. I thought I would instead touch on a few unique features I didn’t know until after the purchase. More of a fun facts list, if you will:
-At night, the watch enters an energy save mode beginning at 11PM. The entire screen goes blank while you sleep and will remain off until the screen is exposed to bright light or you press any button. You can end the energy save mode at any time during the night, but if you’re asleep in the dark so is your watch.
-During the normal energy save time at night is when the Atomic update occurs automatically. Starting at 2AM your watch will scan for the Atomic signal for its daily update. It will then scan at 3AM, 4AM, and 5AM as well, regardless of if it worked on the first attempt or not. You can later check to see what date and time the last atomic update occurred. You can also manually update whenever you wish.
-If it’s dark and you look at your watch the backlight will automatically turn on for 1 second so you can view the time. The internal sensor detects when you have your arm at your side vs. when you raise your arm parallel to the ground in the typical “watch viewing” position. When you reach that angle, the light comes on without you needing to press any buttons.
-If you travel it’s easy to set your watch to any timezone simply by scrolling through the list of cities already stored in the watch. Just pick a city in your current timezone and you’re set.
-I’ve successfully received atomic updates in Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Knoxville TN, Sheboygan WI, and Southern California. It’s hard to get an update inside or around large buildings. Quite easy to receive an update at the beach or in open outdoor areas.
Overall I’m very pleased with the purchase. Amazon shipped quickly and safely. The watch feels very durable and I imagine it will last for many many years.
First G-Shock watch
Pros:
- Very nice black finish with light black offset color for the face; makes it one of the best looking G-Shocks around with a resin band
- Easy to program, update, etc.
- The solar cell seems to be top-notch, never going below full charge
- Even though it is large, it is quite light; light enough not to notice
- The resin band is quite comfortable
- Does not show scratches – my arm hit a cement pillar and not a scratch to be seen
Con:
- Only con for me is the size – it is quite tall. That doesn’t even really bother me except when I wear a dress shirt I can’t fit it under the cuff.
Amazing
This watch is amazing. My favorite two features are: the atomic receiving function and the solar charging. My last G-Shock broke after getting the battery replaced. With solar charging I don’t have to worry about replacing the battery. The only function that I can think of which it lacks, is a countdown timer (but I don’t need that). A fun feature it has is: when you tilt the watch towards your face (in the dark) the back light comes on.
Amazon.com Product Description
For a modern look, the Casio Men’s G-Shock Atomic Tough Solar Watch #GW530A-1V features an easy-to-read digital-gray dial face, which is protected by a mineral dial window. A day-date-and-month calendar brings at-a-glance readability. Other details include a world-time-zone tracker, a stopwatch, and a 4-daily-alarm-with-snooze option. The stylish band is made of black resin for a sleek look, and it comes equipped with a secure buckle closure. The watch also features a stationary resin bezel and 46.3-millimeter stainless steel case. Designed to accommodate your many needs, this handsome timepiece ensures highly reliable technological precision. It is powered by solar movement and is water resistant to 660 feet.
The Casio Story
With the launch of its first watch in November 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. As a company with cutting-edge electronic technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered this field confident that it could develop timepieces that would lead the market.
In developing its own wristwatches Casio began with the basic question, “What is a wristwatch?” Rather than simply making a digital version of the conventional mechanical watch, we thought that the ideal wristwatch should be something that shows all facets of time in a consistent way. Based on this, Casio was able to create a watch that displayed the precise time including the second, minute, hour, day, and month — not to mention a.m. or p.m., and the day of the week. It was the first watch in the world with a digital automatic calendar function that eliminated the need to reset the calendar due the variation in month length. Rather than using a conventional watch face and hands, a digital liquid crystal display was adopted to better show all the information. This culminated in the 1974 launch of the CASIOTRON, the world’s first digital watch with automatic calendar. The CASIOTRON won acclaim as a groundbreaking product that represented a complete departure from the conventional wristwatch.
Casio transformed the concept of the watch — from a mere timepiece to an information device for the wrist — and undertook product planning based on this innovative idea. We developed not only time functions such as global time zone watches, but also other radical new functions using Casio’s own digital technology, including calculator and dictionary functions, as well as a phonebook feature based on memory technology, and even a thermometer function using a built-in sensor. The memory-function watches became our DATA BANK product series, while the sensor watches developed into two unique Casio product lines of today: the Pathfinder series displaying altitude, atmospheric pressure, and compass readings.
In 1983, Casio launched the shock-resistant G-SHOCK watch. This product shattered the notion that a watch is a fragile piece of jewelry that needs to be handled with care, and was the result of Casio engineers taking on the challenge of creating the world’s toughest watch. Using a triple-protection design for the parts, module, and case, the G-SHOCK offered a radical new type of watch that was unaffected by strong impacts or shaking. Its practicality was immediately recognized, and its unique look, which embodied its functionality, became wildly popular, resulting in explosive sales in the early 1990s. The G-SHOCK soon adopted various new sensors, solar-powered radio-controlled technology (described below), and new materials for even better durability. By always employing the latest technology, and continuing to transcend conventional thinking about the watch, the G-SHOCK brand has become Casio’s flagship timepiece product.
Today, Casio is focusing its efforts on solar-powered radio-controlled watches: the built-in solar battery eliminates the nuisance of replacing batteries, and the radio-controlled function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. Through the further development of high radio-wave sensitivity, miniaturization, and improved energy efficiency, Casio continues to produce a whole range of radio-controlled models.
BDP-83
exceptional style, quality and value. It is well known that the quality standards on Armitron watches match those of timepieces at much more expensive price points. The brand offers a fully multi-functional line with sub-dials, tachymeters, chronographs, ana-digital displays, digi-analog displays, timers and lap-counters with solid stainless-steel bracelets or genuine leather straps. Luminous hands and dials, one-touch fold-over clasps and genuine diamonds also are featured.
