Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I can't recommend any watch more than this. It's affordable, long-lasting, durable, good-looking, practical, and more waterproof than me. I got this watch mostly for the compass feature, since as a filmmaker I need to know where the sun is going to rise or set, and which direction buildings are facing so we know what time of day we're should shoot to get the best lighting. Everything about this watch's design is well thought-out, more so than a lot of other Casio watches. The round face allows for the compass arrow to give you a live preview of where north is. No screen real estate is wasted on displaying the year (looking at you, Casio Men's W800H-1AV Classic Sport Watch with Black Band). The green-blue backlight lights up the numbers rather than the face, which makes it very easy to read in the dark. The time, date, and day are big and quickly readable, and drifts less than a second per month. The pre-programmed calendar means I never have to worry about which day it is, and the World Time function is set automatically based on the city you choose, including whether or not that region uses Daylight Savings Time. When you're cycling through modes, the main timekeeping mode beeps at a higher pitch to let you know when you've hit it. When you're in any mode besides the main Timekeeping mode, the local time appears in the top right. It's not particularly thick or big like a G-shock, so it doesn't interfere with your movement. I only have three minor complaints: 1. The volume of its alarms are low (I don't trust them to wake me from sleep) 2. You can't swap out the band 3. The watch uses the back plate to read the temperature, so it's inaccurate if you're wearing it on your wrist. This isn't particularly a big deal, since you can easily get accurate temperature readings by strapping it to your backpack or belt loop. I titled this review "Better than a smartwatch" for a few reasons: 1. It's durable. You never worry about submerging it in freshwater, saltwater, or the unsavory goops found in nature. I've knocked it around a lot but there aren't any scratches to be found on the bezel or the face. I have no qualms about showering, swimming, or jumping in the hot tub with this watch. 2. The battery lasts three years. Even with smartwatches like the Pebble lasting around 10 days, it's still freeing not to even consider having to tote around a charger or worrying about your timepiece dying. 3. The display is always on, and always counting the seconds. This is important because I frequently need to synchronize the internal clocks in cameras and time recordings to 30 seconds or one minute. 4. I never have to worry about software updates, Bluetooth connectivity, or upgrading to the newest hardware. Until the pre-programmed calendar hits the year 2099 and self-destructs or something, this watch won't be obsolete. 5. It's cheap. If it falls from my belt loop or I lose it while going through airport security, I don't need to fret about how much it costs. This is a case in which something is more valuable PRECISELY because it's inexpensive. In closing, this watch is up there along with my phone and laptop as one of my most useful possessions. It packs a bunch of features in a durable little package and looks good to boot.