This is most retro Casio watch released in almost 34 years

There's retro, and then there's really retro. Where 1980s Casio digital watch designs are concerned, this is as retro as it gets.

The watch seen above is the Casio F-84W. For retro Casio enthusiasts, yes you've seen this watch before. It's basically a near-exact copy of the F-87W from 1986. The only difference is that the 87W has a red border and the 84W a blue border. If you do a Google Image Search for Casio F-87W you'll see what I mean.

Is this watch for sale in the USA? Nope. (Update: Yes it is.) I had to order it from Japan, hence why you see the JDM packaging with the hang tag at top. Is it expensive? No. Mine cost slightly over $14 with shipping included.

Why did I buy this watch? See this photo first, then I'll explain:

I have a Casio F-28W. Mine is in fairly good shape, but the resin strap crumbled apart years ago, hence the NATO strap. I did the same with the F-84W since I know that strap would suffer the same fate at some point.

When the F-28W was discontinued, it simply vanished. On very rare occasion you will see one pop up on eBay. It's always used, never new-in-box, and either really beat up, or the seller wants some ridiculous price for it. This model is clock-only. It doesn't beep, doesn't have a night light and has no alarm. Just time and date. The only other feature is the ability to switch from 12-hour to 24-hour and nothing else.

The F-84W is functionally identical to the F-91W in every way. If you know the F-91W, you already know the F-84W.

When I saw the F-84W had almost the exact same case shape and thinness as the F-28W, I jumped on it because I know this case very well.

The F-91W is slightly bigger and more angular. The W59 is slightly smaller than the F-91W but thicker.

With the F-84W on a NATO, this is one of the lightest, thinnest watches one can wear that has the same super legibility of the F-91W. How light? 19 grams with the strap. The only thing lighter would be a paper watch (which by the way are in fact real clocks that actually do tell time).

When I say this is the most retro digital watch Casio has released in almost 34 years, I'm not kidding. The F-84 has perfect mid-1980s digital styling. It has the older thinner model text, the "Lithium" word to promote the fact it has a lithium battery, and the alarm graphic right below that to promote the fact it has an alarm function.

Also, this is a very reserved design. The F-91W and W59 are slightly "loud" in appearance. Not the F-84W. It's very simple and pleasant to view.

Now of course, the original intent of this design back in the '80s was to look futuristic. But now it serves as a simple, well made digital timepiece that has a less-loud design compared to the F-91W.

Is the F-84W a tribute watch? No. It's the exact same thing they did almost 34 years ago. The only thing that's changed is the red to blue border and that it's made in Thailand instead of Japan. Otherwise this is literally the same watch from decades ago - and it's cheap to buy.

If you thought the F-91W was as retro '80s as it got with Casio digitals (which it never was since it was intoduced as a 1991 model), you were wrong. The F-84W is the king of the hill. The only thing more retro is a late 1970s era Casiotron model!

Will this ever be sold in the US? I guess that depends on whether or not Casio wants to spend the money to put this in a box, because that's the way all Casio North American packaging works for their watches.

At the time I write this, the F-84W is an eBay-only, Japan-only thing.

Lastly, is the F-84W better than the F-91W? No. As said above, they're functionally identical. Both watches have the same quality to them. The reason to buy the F-84W is for the mid-80s styling and the fact it's slightly smaller, thinner and lighter.

Published 2019 Nov 4