The one watch I’d save in a disaster would be my $22 Casio world-beater
Adam ReederThere’s always one watch. It’s the watch that you never thought much of when you got it. Maybe it was a gift, or you purchased it on a whim because you were just itching to get something new but didn’t have the cash flow for a “serious” timepiece. Somehow though, that watch that was never expected to do much beyond the day you bought it, becomes a staple. For me, that watch is my little white Casio F-108WH-1ACF. In the event of a major disaster where I could only save one watch, I think this would probably be the one.
Marriage of convenience
About six months ago, I was cleaning out my desk and happened upon a $30 Amazon gift card from the previous Christmas. Apparently, I had dropped it in the drawer so I wouldn’t forget about it, and then immediately forgot about it. Finding a gift card in your desk drawer is like finding cash in your jeans when doing the laundry. It’s not “real” money. It falls just outside the jurisdiction of the monthly budget because, let’s be honest, you had no clue that it even existed.
International law clearly states that found money is to be used exclusively for fun, and not for bills or other expenses. My first thought upon finding the gift card was “There’s got to be a watch I can find for under $30.” Sure enough, the aforementioned Casio magically appeared on my screen when I typed “Casio cheap watch” into the search bar. I’ve always been partial to non-traditional colored watches when it comes to resin or plastic. It just seems to suit the fun vibe of the material itself. I opted for white because I figured even though it was more interesting than the standard black it would still match with anything.
The little quartz that could
This little digital darling has a slew of features that you would expect from any standard Casio digital watch, notorious for their value proposition. While not quite a G-Shock, it still has all the charm and most of the benefits of the legendary Casio offshoot (now available in the Time+Tide shop by the way.) In fact, Casio’s own website described this watch as “inspired by the classic design of the DW5600 from G-Shock.” The watch has a stopwatch feature, an LED light, a 7-year battery, an alarm, military time function, and it’s also an annual calendar. The only downside in my eyes is the minimal water resistance. It’s basically splash proof, and that’s about it. But, hey….What are the odds I’d need that during a disaster, right?
The unbeatable beater
The first time I wore this watch was to play tennis. I figured it was the perfect beater for falling on the court, slamming into the practice wall, and getting tangled in the net (I’m pretty bad at tennis). It felt lightweight and durable, and so I wasn’t constantly worried about damaging it, as I have been while wearing other watches to play tennis. Eventually, I found myself grabbing the watch out of my watch box more and more often. I wore it hiking. I wore it for a casual night at the movies. I wore it everywhere. Even though I have other watches that serve similar purposes, I almost always seem to favour this little Casio. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why I was so attached to the watch, but after pondering for a bit, I realised why I love this watch so much. It’s a combination of convenience, nostalgia, and good old fashioned fun for the price of a fast food combo.
Together forever
The convenience factor of this watch relates to the features that go along with almost any digital watch on the market. There’s no need to set the time regularly like there is with a mechanical watch. As mentioned above, it also has a 7-year battery life, so that’s another plus. There’s honestly not much that this watch can’t do. The lack of water resistance is admittedly a bit of a downer, but I tend to use my trusty Squale diver for swimming anyway, so it doesn’t affect me too much.
This watch brings me so much nostalgic warmth. My first watch ever was a small, nondescript, square digital watch. Casio is so simple and straightforward that it just reminds me of being a kid, before life and watches became complicated. Every time I see the watch on my wrist, it reminds me that there are so many simple joys to be enjoyed every single day. It sounds corny, but it somehow reminds me to act like a kid every once in a while. All of this makes the watch so much fun to wear. It’s no nonsense, it does the job, and it looks great. The Casio F-108WH-1ACF is the definition of pure unadulterated fun. What makes it even more fun to wear is knowing that I only paid $22.