# Casio pathfinder PAW1200T-7V LOVE IT!!



## yaesumofo (Jun 1, 2006)

So I was surfing the net a while back and found this watch that I think is pretty cool it may have been discussed here before but oh well.

About 10 or so years ago (Maybe less) My sister bough me a Casio watch which had a compass altimeter thermometer. II wore it for quite a while until the battery wore out. It was big and cool.
Recently I found a replacement for this watch made (partially anyway) out of titanium it is the PAW1200T-*7V.*
*This watch is a whole world *ahead of my old one. all the same features for the most part. But it has some unique features as well.
it is solar powered. it self sets it's self using the atomic time signal. Not just the USA one but the signals which are in Europe and japan and the USA. it also automatically lights the dial when it is dark when you raise your wrist to look at it.
It is totally sealed. like there is no way to put a battery into it because it never need one. the calender is good for the next 80 years or so.
anyway I have several watches that do similar things a suunto and a tissot t-touch. this Casio with the self setting feature is just so cool.
It cost $219.00 a hell of a lot of dough for a CASIO. but I think it is worth it. Anybody else have one of these? Love it hate it?
I have seen some Japanese solar atomic watches which are VERY expensive. and want one of those too.
Anyway I just wanted to say something about this in case you like this kind of thing.
Yaesumofo


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## mtbkndad (Jun 1, 2006)

My wife got me one as an early Father's day gift and I really like it.
She gave me the option of the Titanium band model or the Black, which is really a metalic grey color with a brushed aluminum ring around the face and a very supple charcoal black band. I went with that model.
I use this as my Mountain Biking watch.
I think it is rather fun to get up in the morning and be able to check what time the watch reset itself the night before.
I also use this watch as the reference to set all of my other watches.
I like these a lot more then the next model down in Casio's line up with similar features. That one is HUGE.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:


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## Wingerr (Jun 1, 2006)

This is one I recently got- not a Waveceptor though-







*CASIO PROTREK PRG-60T-7AVDR*

I also have a older Casio triple sensor without the solar power and analog hands, which I mainly didn't like because of the rubber strap. It closed up in a near circle; no contouring for the shape of the wrist, so it would just rotate around unless I cinched it up tight. The titanium one is much better.
Only problem with the new one is that they cheaped out on the barometer history function; they cut down severely on the resolution of the pressure readings so that it only shows three distinct levels, making it useless for seeing the trend. With the old one, it clearly showed the direction the barometric pressure was heading.

Casio seems to have a zillion models out there, but each one I've seen always seems to miss some feature I want. Haven't achieved perfection for me yet.


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## sflate (Jun 1, 2006)

It's funny that you posted this watch. I was just looking on Casio's site yesterday and decided I really want that exact model. It would replace a Casio waveceptor (atomic) from a couple of years ago. It is still great but doesn't have the compass or the solar power. At first the solar doesn't sound like a big deal since batteries are cheap and last a long time, but I found out after replacing the battery myself that once you open the case you lose a lot of the water resistance - unless you send it back to Casio to change the battery. I think the re-pressurize it before sealing it - or something like that. With the solar you should never have to open it up.

Can you post any details on the compass feature? For example, can it constantly show the direction as you move around or is it one of those that only shows the direction when you press a button? If you then turn does the display change or do you have to update it by pressing a button again?


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## mtbkndad (Jun 1, 2006)

Attempted edit reposted so I deleted the first
:wave:


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## mtbkndad (Jun 1, 2006)

sflate,

The altimeter stays on all of the time in altimeter mode.
The manual says the following about the compass.

"A built-in bearing sensor detects magnetic north and indicates one of 16 directions on the display. Direction readings are performed in the Digital Compass Mode

...

About 2 seconds after pressing button A letters appear on the display to indicate the direction that the 12 o'clock position of the watch is pointing.
The direction reading on the display is updated each second for up to 20 seconds, after which measurement stops automatically.


...

Press button D to return to Timekeeping Mode."

What the manual does not say is that if you are very careful you can get the compass to register 1 degree changes in direction.

I also think the reason this Digital compass shuts of after 20 seconds is because it is a watch first and needs to be kept level to be used as a compass.
For my purposes 20 seconds is sufficient.
I generally leave the watch in altimeter mode when I am riding and watch mode the rest of the time.

The temperature sensor is nice but, the watch needs to be off the wearers wrist for greatest accuracy.
The opposite is true for the altimeter.

Take Care,
mtbkndad :wave:

PS. Regarding the Barometer graph funtion.
The Barometer takes readings every 2 hours and shows previous measurements for up to 30 hours
The graph has 8 steps to it.


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## SimplyJ (Jun 2, 2006)

I recieved my PAW-1200 with titanium band two days ago. I got mine from JCPenney's website under a free shipping deal. Total cost including tax was about $276. I'll try to post some pics tonight. I haven't had time to fully read the manual or play with the features yet. Here are some of my initial thoughts:

- It's big! About the size of a small stopwatch.
- Only the wristband is titanium. The band is labeled "BASE TITANIUM - MADE IN CHINA".
- The upper part of the case appears to be titanium-colored plastic. The caseback is stainless steel. I was disappointed by this, JCPenney's website specifically says titanium cover. I haven't tried to scratch the cover, but I base my observation on the feel and sound of the cover when I tap it. I also have an all titanium Bulova Marine Star. The feel and look of my Bulova case is very different from the PAW-1200. The "titanium" cover of the PAW-1200 also has visible mould lines around the buttons, I doubt a metal case would have these.
- The titanium bracelet is good quality, but it requires a professional watchmaker's tool to adjust it. Anyone know of a good place to buy one?
- Last night I was shocked to see a blank screen on my Pathfinder! But it turns out the watch has a power-save feature when it is not exposed to light for an extended period of time. It "wakes up" and becomes normal again when a button is pressed.

When you activate the compass, it "floats" around to reflect your orientation for a few seconds. Then it locks in place and no longer spins. You must press the button to activate again. 

Also there are no less than three warnings in the manual about keeping the PAW-1200 exposed to light in order to keep it fully functional. It must be a real power hog, no surprise.

Despite being misinformed about the titanium cover, so far I am very pleased and impressed with the watch.


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## Wingerr (Jun 2, 2006)

The compass mode draws a lot of power from the magnetic bearing sensor, which is why they don't have a mode to let it remain on continuously- that's where the solar feature comes into play, if you use the compass feature frequently.
Tradeoff is that the rechargeable battery isn't a lifetime battery though, so it will eventually need to be replaced.

Sounds like the baro charting feature is the same as my old Pathfinder, which has much better resolution than my new one. Good thing -

The strap on mine is adjustable by driving out the pins in the links marked with arrows, indicating the direction the pin needs to be pushed. If yours is the same, you can use a suitably sized paper clip with a small right angle to fit into the hole, and just tap on it carefully. It only needs to be pushed out a few millimeters before it'll just fall out. 
You can determine how many links need to come out in one shot by placing the watch on your wrist in the desired position, then pulling the watch up until the clasp is in the desired position, and looking at how many link segments pass by as you move it. Just make a note of how many links you need to take out from each side, and hopefully you can do it in one shot..


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## Ras_Thavas (Jun 2, 2006)

I bought the PAG-70T from Costco a few months ago. I really like it. It's pretty much my daily wear watch. The solar power is working great, no low power issues.


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## SimplyJ (Jun 2, 2006)

For those who are more interested in watersports, the PAW-1200 Pathfinder has a cousin, the SPW1000 Sea Pathfinder, also an Atomic Solar watch. Maybe I should have got this one instead...or maybe I should get it also!

http://pathfinder.casio.com/watches/sailing_diving/SPW1000-2V


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