# Casio Atomic Solar watch - opinions?



## KevinL (Feb 11, 2005)

Time for a new watch... my existing relic is something like 8 years old. Heck I don't even wear it. I can't recall where it is. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I'm looking at the Casio Atomic Solar watch. What do you guys think of it? I like the fact that it's got a metal band that doesn't start to smell in hot and humid conditions. I'm also familiar with the Casio series, my last one was a G-Shock as well. 

Comments welcome. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## Lightbringer (Feb 11, 2005)

I dont know anything about these atomic watches. I heard rumors they had trouble acquiring the atomic signal and calibrating. I have an atomic wall clock that has trouble gettin signal even next to a window.

The watch looks good, the only thing i dont like is it doesnt' have a countdown timer (does it? i checked the link u sent and didnt see a mention of it).


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## jsmn4vu (Feb 11, 2005)

I've got a couple of radio watches and four clocks that all work fine as long as you follow the rules. 

o Think of them as only receiving in the middle of the night. While not strictly true, life will be much easier if you understand that the signal is weaker-to-nil during daylight hours. 

o They need to be oriented in a direction that maximizes reception. Their receiving antennas have lobes and nulls of sensitivity that can eliminate reception of the signal (check the instructions for further information). Coupled with the first point, it effectively means that you can't wear the watch while sleeping overnight. 

o If you're in a metal building, or a house with foil sheathing, the watch or clock will probably need to "see" out a window in the general direction of Boulder, CO

o The thing that trumps all of the above: local interference from computers, monitors, TVs, electric motors, dirty insulators on power poles, etc., can blank out reception. Quick check: tune an AM radio between stations, and if you hear strong man-made noise, you'll probably need to track it down and eliminate it before your radio timepieces will work reliably. 

But having said all that, within some fairly narrow parameters, they work quite well. 
-- 
John Miller, N4VU


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## KDC (Feb 11, 2005)

I have a slightly different model (silver instead of black) and find that
it works quite well. It is perfectly waterproof, charges and stays charged 
if worn in sunlight, and keeps time very accurately. The comments by jsmn4vu
above are right on -- find a location where it receives well, and put it
there every night. The only downside is that these watches are quite large,
and someone with small wrists (like me) might find it too large.


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## Josey (Feb 11, 2005)

I have the G-shock atomic/solar and love it, despite its bulky size and my small wrists. While I do have to leave it sitting in the window to get the overnight signal, it will keep exact time for many days even if it misses the signal. And you can tell whether it picked up the signal overnight from an indicator on the dial.

What I really like is that it resets itself for Daylight Savings Time/Standard Time changes and it's accurate to within a second.

I have the rubber band, which I like, and the digital face, which is easy to read, even the day and date.

My voltmeter has never left fully charged, even though I make no attempt to give it light.


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## sotyakr (Feb 12, 2005)

The one (GW300) I had was great. No problem acquiring a time signal, a bit bulky but was plenty rugged. The reason I no longer have it? The battery crapped out after a year of use, and I returned it.


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## Darell (Feb 12, 2005)

I'd love nothing more than a non-bulky Casio-like Atomic watch. I have a very expensive atomic that I love, but I also need one that I can beat to hell without worrying about it! 

I've seen the watch mentioned here, and I just can't pull off that huge manly thing with my sissy little wrists! That's about my only complaint with it though (well, that and if there is no count-down timer! What's up with that?)


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## KevinL (Feb 12, 2005)

Hmm.. thanks for all the feedback guys /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I was thinking of the same too, the watch looks great and I love the featureset but if it's going to be a repeat of the bulky G-Shock I currently own, well.. that is one of the reasons why I am looking for a replacement - a lower profile replacement.


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## Canuckle (Feb 12, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*sotyakr said:*
The one (GW300) I had was great. No problem acquiring a time signal, a bit bulky but was plenty rugged. The reason I no longer have it? The * <font color="red"> battery </font> * crapped out after a year of use, and I returned it. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought it was a solar powered wristwatch being discussed.


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## jsmn4vu (Feb 12, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Canuckle said:*
I thought it was a solar powered wristwatch being discussed. 

[/ QUOTE ]

That's right. A battery runs the watch, and a solar cell charges the battery. Some small percentage of the batteries will fail before the end of their expected lifetime. Prospective purchasers should have a look at what the warranty covers.


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## sotyakr (Feb 12, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Canuckle said:*
I thought it was a solar powered wristwatch being discussed. 

[/ QUOTE ]

The GW300 is (was) one of the Atomic/Solar G-Shocks. As jsmn4vu mentioned, it does have a solar cell charged battery. Guess my watch was one of the "small percentage" with a flaky battery, but that's made me a little gun shy about getting a similar replacement (as much as I liked the idea).


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## dg (Feb 12, 2005)

With regards to the comments about placing watches in certain locations overnight, or interference with reception etc, I think this is going off on a bit of a tangent.

The watch does not run from the atomic signal, so it does not need 24/7 connection to the transmitter. 

It is a quartz with accuracy of seconds a month so its not as if it will lose a few minutes overnight and make you late for work the next morning.

If in range, it will connect at some time with normal use as you go about your daily business. There is no need to worry about it updating every single night


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## jsmn4vu (Feb 14, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*dg said:*
With regards to the comments about placing watches in certain locations overnight, or interference with reception etc, I think this is going off on a bit of a tangent.


[/ QUOTE ]
Not at all. Some people wonder why "atomic" timepieces are no good. Now they know that they require a tiny amount of special care and feeding. You do understand that some people haven't been able to get their radio timepieces to work at all, ever, don't you? 
[ QUOTE ]

The watch does not run from the atomic signal, so it does not need 24/7 connection to the transmitter. If in range, it will connect at some time with normal use as you go about your daily business. 


[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, experience shows that some people's "daily business" doesn't permit their watches to connect at all. Depends upon the watch (and the daily business). 
[ QUOTE ]

There is no need to worry about it updating every single night 

[/ QUOTE ]
Heh...as long as you remember that what we worry about is an individual choice. For example, there is no need to worry about other people's desire to update every night. 

There are people who are happy if their watch is within five minutes of the correct time. There are others who fret if their watch isn't within five seconds.


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## gadget_lover (Feb 14, 2005)

I got a similar one (from one of the discount mail-order mags) for christmas. I's nice to know that it's always correct.

As noted above, it only listens for the radio signal a few times a day. This cuts down on battery drain. If left near my computer, it would never update and be as good as any other quartz watch. There's too much noise from my computer, screens, UPS, etc.

I have a metal roof on the house, so I leave my watch on a dresser next to an east facing wall at night. It seems to update daily.

Daniel


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## paulr (Feb 14, 2005)

Besides the radio issue, you have to give the watch a reasonable amount of light exposure to keep it charged up. I prefer a conventional battery powered watch which will run for many years in complete darkness. Most Casios I've had have been accurate to 1/2 sec a day or so, which means resetting them to www.time.gov once a month is enough to keep them accurate to within 15 sec, which is good enough for most purposes.


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## 83Venture (Feb 15, 2005)

Thought that I saw on one of the watch sites (Pulsar, Seiko?) that one manufacturer also has a solar that charges a Capacitor instead of a battery. 

I have seen equipment that had not been used in years that still had power stored in capacitors. What is the advantage of using batteries over capacitors?


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## Lynx_Arc (Feb 15, 2005)

What gets me is the lack of watch makers ability to make accurate digital watches and having to resort to *atomic* watches to make up for their ineptness of precision. I have one of the first LCD digital watches made by Sensor that was accurate to a second a month. Yes, I set it twice a year for daylight savings time etc and it was never off more than 5 seconds during that time. I would rather have a watch that was accurate than have to pay extra and haul around a shortwave receiver watch, but watch makers apparently do not care to make higher quality oscillating crystals and adjust them better. I have had brand new casio watches that would gain or lose up to 3 minutes a MONTH. I had to open one up and turn the adjustment dial on one of them. As for the solar watches... give me a lithium watch instead. My casio lithium watches run 5-10 years without replacing batteries while other alternative powered watches depend on certain conditions to keep them running which at times you may not meet.

As for the battery vs capacitor question, few capacitors are able to store much electric capacity vs a rechargeable battery. I have done tests using rather large capacitors running a single LED and find rather large capacitors unable to run one for more than half a minute, while tiny watch batteries can run one for about 30 mins to an hour.


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## gadget_lover (Feb 26, 2005)

The one I got was $29 at heartlandamerica. The link is
http://www.heartlandamerica.com/Item/default.asp?SKU=92609&Cat=1127&SubCat=1130


It onlt feels huge at first, you get used to it quickly. The time is accurate when manually checked against the NIST reference.

It's nice to be able to use it when setting the other dozen clocks in my house, cars, etc.

Daniel


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## Skyline (Feb 27, 2005)

I love the Atomic Solar G-Shocks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif My daily wear one is the MTG900 that I got for $99 at:
http://www.dynadirect.com/sg-mtg900da8v.html

However, my favorite is an imported black titanium one with inverted display that I got from Higuchi. It's the GW-700BTJ-1JF:
http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~s-watch/gw700btj-1jf.htm


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## oklalawman (Feb 27, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Skyline said:*
I love the Atomic Solar G-Shocks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif My daily wear one is the MTG900 that I got for $99 at:
http://www.dynadirect.com/sg-mtg900da8v.html

However, my favorite is an imported black titanium one with inverted display that I got from Higuchi. It's the GW-700BTJ-1JF:
http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~s-watch/gw700btj-1jf.htm 

[/ QUOTE ]


I want the black import how much and where????? My oriental language skills is lacking...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif


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## Skyline (Feb 27, 2005)

Sorry, the _GW-700BTJ-1JF_ (*black titanium, black bezel*) is limited edition and you can't get it any more.

You should be able to find the _GW-700BDJ-2JF_ (*black steel, blue bezel*). It's also less expensive since it's steel. Ask for availability and price here:
http://www.higuchi-inc.com/howto-e.html

Here's what the two look like:









I have to give props to Higuchi too. They sent my watch from Japan and I got it in three days! :O Wonderful service.


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## DBrier (Mar 1, 2005)

I wear this one all the time.
http://www.dynadirect.com/sg-gw300a1v.html
I only take it off about once a month to clean it. It recieves the signal very well for me and it one tough watch. It would be nice if it were a bit smaller.

Skyline, is there anything we don't have in common? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif


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## _mike_ (Mar 2, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Darell said:*
I'd love nothing more than a non-bulky Casio-like Atomic watch. I have a very expensive atomic that I love, but I also need one that I can beat to hell without worrying about it! 

I've seen the watch mentioned here, and I just can't pull off that huge manly thing with my sissy little wrists! That's about my only complaint with it though (well, that and if there is no count-down timer! What's up with that?) 

[/ QUOTE ]

Like this?

Or this?

Though they are not atomic, they are solar. They are basically the smaller, classic style not the bigger bulkier ones. The folks over at the G-Shock forum say this dealer is quite reputable too.


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## BruiseLee (Mar 4, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*oklalawman said:*
I want the black import how much and where????? My oriental language skills is lacking...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif 

[/ QUOTE ]
What's the matter with you? Don't all troopers in Oklahoma speak Japanese!?! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Bruise


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## oklalawman (Mar 8, 2005)

OMG they still have the all black one. $350 us that a lot of low mein


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## UnknownVT (Mar 8, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*KevinL said:* I'm looking at the Casio Atomic Solar watch. What do you guys think of it? 

[/ QUOTE ]

Same comments apply about the Solar aspect to your other thread/inquiry.

According to the Casio link you gave above the CTL1616 is a "back-up" battery - I suspect it's just Casio's own designation for the lithium CR1616.

Digital watches on plain Lithium cells last years - the Solars will crap out after time since their storage battries do not last forever. 

Seems like if the watch does not get enough bright light - it keeps using the back-up battery - and the watch dies or malfunctions after a few years - much less than one would expect - as this thread seems to indicate:
G-shock Tough solar problem 

Atomic/radio watches and clocks do have a major flaw for some people.

UNLESS otherwise stated - they only work within the USA (ok, within good radio reception of Boulder, CO)- 
so world travelers beware - 
"world time" is not the same - 
it has to be specifically designated as capable of being used worldwide - otherwise one can assume it does NOT.


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## sotyakr (Mar 8, 2005)

Just found a review of the G-Shock Tough Solar on CNET. The early user reviews were positve, but more recently many who owned the watch much beyond one year (myself included) had the battery take a dump. The reported cost for Casio to replace the battery is about $60 (as much as the watch sells for). BTW, mine had at least 40 hrs+ of exposure to direct sunlight, and it still died after a year of use.


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## Skyline (Mar 8, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*oklalawman said:*
OMG they still have the all black one. $350 us that a lot of low mein 

[/ QUOTE ]

Really! The GW-700BTJ-1JF? Higuchi removed it from the site and posted on their forum that it was all gone. Snag it while you can!


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## drewsands (Jan 29, 2012)

*Re: Casio Atomic Solar watch CR1616 is fine to use- opinions?*

Most batteries can be charged even a cr1616 a good replacement for the ctr1616. Yes there is a volt difference 2.2 for the ctr compared to a cr which is 3 volts. The circuit can handle 3.8 to 4.2 volts with no problem. The chemistry is different so the cr will not charge as many times or half as well as the ctr. So far it has been 3 years with no issues.


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