CasioCollection Men's Watch AE-1000W

One of the criteria for a digital watch was a countdown timer. At the time of searching, I don't think Amazon mentioned anything about a countdown timer, but this was a number one priority for me. After looking around for some info, I found it did have a timer - and one which you can set from anywhere between 1 second to 23 hours 59 minutes, 59 seconds.The analogue display isn't much good really, though it has been handy once or twice when I've had the display on the countdown timer. It does take a second of two to actually read though. The time zone map is really just a gimmick - something to fill the watch face. You can't really see which part of the world is highlighted.Apart from the countdown timer, I wanted a good display when lit. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have the more recent illuminator display which is quite bright and provides an even light across the whole watch face - on watches that have it. This one has an amber light located in the bottom left of the display. This though, as my attached photo shows, is more than adequate, and makes the time easy to read in the dark.It's a great watch.Update (Feb 2013) : 15 months on and the watch has stopped working. Either the battery has gone (supposed to be a 10 year battery!) or there's a fault in the watch. I know the last time I pressed the illuminator button it buzzed quite loudly. I'll update here if I bother to get a new battery as to whether a new battery fixes it! ... On the 10 year battery, it's only 10 years from when the battery was put in the watch (by the manufacturer) so it's possible mine was on the shelf for a few years! And I'm sure the light runs it down a bit, though I didn't use it often. Still a good watch... while it lasted!

Dirt cheap! I have a tendency of destroying watches regularly... so I'm not allowed to have really nice things. This is a great little watch if you spend a lot of time outdoors, work on sites or in a workshop, or any other environment where you wouldn't want to wear the most luxurious of time pieces. The different timezone function is neat... maybe a bit pointless, but an interesting feature nonetheless.One minor issue... the plastic strap isn't the most comfortable, and has a tendency to rotate the watch outward on my wrist... but this was easily remedied with a replacement strap. 18mm NATO watch strap from Amazon for less than £5 did the job just fine and, frankly, looks better too.Had it nearly a month, and it's surviving!

PROS:- comfy strap- large digital display which is easy to read- innovative digital "analogue" clock face in top right corner of face which is nice to watch. There is a second marker that blips around the outside of this circular display and the hour and minute hands are standard.- 5 time zones can be set up, and different alarms set for these time zones. Handy if you are on a transatlantic flight etc.- Little world map is nice to look at- battery is a 5-year one so that's a bonus point- waterproof so no need to worry about having it on in the shower/bath/swimming etcCONS:- Back-light is fine in the dark but it is a little bit bleary - it's a small orange LED located at 7 o'clock so don't be expecting an "illumination" effect across the whole watch face.- Watch is a little bit chunky on the wrist, not particularly apparent from the description- the strap could be prone to splitting where the lug-pins are located - common Casio problem but not too expensive to replace and shouldn't happen for 2-3 years

The watch works very well and looks great. It is light and comfortable to wear. On top of it, it is inexpensive - I don't want to use the word cheap, because it does not look cheap and it functions better than many much more expensive watches I have. I wear this more often than I wear my Omega, Cartier and Baume and Mercier. It is easy to change the time zone - press a button a few times is all you need to do. I only wish the light is a bit brighter and in blue instead of yellow. This watch reminds me of the good old days - when well made products did not break the bank.

This is a great watch well worth the about £15 I spent on it.It tells the time on a digital screen with clear display and a small analogue clock in the top right corner for those who are that way inclined.The watch has stopwatch modes and timezone modes that all seem good and the date feature informing of the date and month is useful.The light is adequate but find where it is before going out in the dark! (light in the top right corner)The one problem I have found is the strap is not quite as comfy as that of some other watches I've had, but it is not too uncomfortable either so this is not a significant flaw.Very pleased with this watch!