State of my watch collection 2021

Downsizing has occurred.

In the latter half of 2020 I decided to sell off a few watches and may sell a few more. What I own is nothing expensive (most are in fact quite cheap), but I've come to learn a few lessons over the course of my watch journey thus far.

What I wear now

Nothing but Casio. Specifically, you'll see me wearing model F-91W, A158 or AQ230. I don't wear anything else.

The two reasons I wear these is because they're lightweight and legible. To date, the F-91W and it's steel "brother" A158 have the most legible displays of any digital watch I've ever owned. Both have the most crisp, clear displays, and do not wash out when tilted. And while you wouldn't think the small AQ230 isn't legible, it is because it has fantastic contrast.

Here are the watch lessons I've learned.

Lesson #1: I can't do G-SHOCK.

I measured my wrist recently, and it's 6.5", which is small. Because of this, there is not a single G-SHOCK watch out there that fits my wrist.

Size of watch is not the issue and never has been.

It's the strap.

If a resin strap, the watch won't rest flush to my wrist and a huge tail sticks out.

If a fabric strap, the tail isn't as bad but still sticks out quite a bit.

You might say, "Why not get one on metal bracelet?" I've not done this because they're too expensive and all too heavy. The lightest one is about 73g. By comparison, a GWM5610, one of the smaller G-SHOCK squares, is 52g.

And speaking of which, on paper the GWM5610 looks like a perfect fit even for the small-wristed as it measures 46.7mm lug-to-lug, 43.2mm case size and 12.7mm thickness. But strap it on and whammo, there's the strap tail sticking out like crazy. Totally ruins it.

Yes, I know there are strap adapters for G-SHOCK watches. I don't like the look of any of them.

Lesson #2: If the watch has a snap back case, I don't want it.

I prefer quartz movement watches because it's much cheaper and easier to change a battery yourself compared to bringing a mechanical watch in to be serviced every few years.

Generally speaking, there are four ways to get to the battery of a quartz watch. A screw-down case back that can be removed with the appropriate inexpensive tool, four little screws (which is most Casio digital watches), a flathead style button battery you can remove with a coin (many Swatch watches use this), or the dreaded snap back case.

The snap back case is pure evil. On the back of the case you will find a little slot where you stick in a very thin screwdriver, use as a lever, apply a little pressure and the case back pops off. That's easy. Getting the case snapped back is where the nightmare happens.

Only twice have I ever changed the battery on a watch with a snap back case. The first time I did it, I shattered the crystal and had to throw out the watch. The second time I just got lucky, and was genuinely surprised I was able to do it. And then I never did it again.

The only proper way to get a snap back case properly reinstalled is with a watch press. Yeah, getting one is cheap, but for me it's just not worth the bother.

Lesson #3: I don't like round watches - yet

Someday I may find a round watch that I actually like, but that day hasn't come yet.

Most new round watches are either way too big or way too small. And for the scant few I've found that are the right size where I like the style and don't weigh a ton, they end up being really loud tickers. I'm looking at you, Swatch and Timex.

In order to find the right round watch, I may have to go vintage. In the 1970's and 1980's there were several watch companies that put out genuinely decent proper men's quartz watches that were just the right size, right weight and looked great. And more often than not, as long as the quartz movement still works and the battery terminals aren't oxidized/corroded, the watch should keep good time even if it's over 30 years old.

Lesson #4: Obsessing over accuracy is stupid

There was a point where I was synchronizing my watch to time.gov several times a week. With a quartz movement watch - especially a Casio - this is totally unnecessary.

A plain non-atomic Casio quartz watch (like the F-91W) will only be off by 30 seconds in a given month. And in reality it probably won't even be off even by that much.

Realistically speaking, it's only required to sync a plain quartz Casio watch once every 60 days where at worst the time will only be off by 1 minute.

With mechanical watches, yes, those must be synchronized way more often because you can lose anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds a day. But for quartz on a Casio? Sync it once every other month and you're good to go.

Lesson #5: Thick watches are terrible

I can understand that a G-SHOCK needs to be thicker because of the suspension system inside that helps it withstand shocks. I can also understand why many mechanical watches need to be thicker so they can house the movements they use. And I also understand that certified dive watches need to be thick so they can achieve proper 200m or greater water resistance.

For the vast majority of other quartz movement watches out there, there is absolutely no good reason at all why so many are so thick.

Quartz movements can be made to fit in ridiculously thin watch cases. The Casio A700W (which I own) is a good example of this as it's just 6mm thick. Yes, really.

The A700W has 30m water resistance. The W59 has 50m, and that only has an 8.7mm thick case. The HDD600 has 100m of water resistance and is just 11mm thick.

Any time I put on a watch over 12mm thick, I notice it. For example, I have an AE1000W which, while very lightweight, has a beefy 13.77mm thickness. Any time I put on a coat or long sleeve shirt, the watch catches on the cuff every time. Very annoying. The AE1000W is definitely for short sleeve wear only.

The future?

For now, I'm sticking with my F-91W, A158 and AQ230. Small, thin, light, legible, comfortable.

But I do still scan around for new models out there, and old ones too. My biggest gripe about the F-91W/A158 is that it doesn't show month/day at the same time. Wish it did, but it doesn't. I do have a vintage F-28W that does show that, but it has no stopwatch nor alarm function, and I use both.

Where I really missed the boat is that I should have bought a W-71 back when they were still being made. That sorta/kinda looks like the famed DW200 "Marlin" watch but without the 200m water resistance. Vintage examples are available on eBay and of course are all overpriced, so I won't be getting one of those.

But maybe Casio will release an F-91W style with month/day on the main display. That would be amazing if they did that and I'd buy it in a hot minute.

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Published 2021 Mar 4