Casio

Casio Men's FT500WV-5BV Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch

• Quartz movement
• Protective mineral crystal protects watch from scratches
• Case diameter: 41.7 mm

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Explore the great outdoors -- or at least feel like you're on safari -- with this rugged-looking analog watch from Casio. The Forester Watch offers a quick-drying nylon band accented by leather detailing where it joins to the resin-and-stainless-steel case with a sturdy screw-down bezel. A tan dial showcases easy-to-read brown Arabic hour indicators and small 24-hour indicators as well as small black minute markers. A date window at the three o'clock position adds to this nature-ready water-resistant watch. Skeleton hands and an electro-luminescent dial illuminates at the touch of a button for easy time-telling whether you're inside a tent or a darkened car.

The Casio Story

With the launch of its first watch in November 1974, Casio entered the wristwatch market at a time when the watch industry had just discovered digital technology. As a company with cutting-edge electronic technology developed for pocket calculators, Casio entered this field confident that it could develop timepieces that would lead the market.

In developing its own wristwatches Casio began with the basic question, ""What is a wristwatch?"" Rather than simply making a digital version of the conventional mechanical watch, we thought that the ideal wristwatch should be something that shows all facets of time in a consistent way. Based on this, Casio was able to create a watch that displayed the precise time including the second, minute, hour, day, and month — not to mention a.m. or p.m., and the day of the week. It was the first watch in the world with a digital automatic calendar function that eliminated the need to reset the calendar due the variation in month length. Rather than using a conventional watch face and hands, a digital liquid crystal display was adopted to better show all the information. This culminated in the 1974 launch of the CASIOTRON, the world’s first digital watch with automatic calendar. The CASIOTRON won acclaim as a groundbreaking product that represented a complete departure from the conventional wristwatch.

Casio transformed the concept of the watch — from a mere timepiece to an information device for the wrist — and undertook product planning based on this innovative idea. We developed not only time functions such as global time zone watches, but also other radical new functions using Casio’s own digital technology, including calculator and dictionary functions, as well as a phonebook feature based on memory technology, and even a thermometer function using a built-in sensor. The memory-function watches became our DATA BANK product series, while the sensor watches developed into two unique Casio product lines of today: the Pathfinder series displaying altitude, atmospheric pressure, and compass readings.

In 1983, Casio launched the shock-resistant G-SHOCK watch. This product shattered the notion that a watch is a fragile piece of jewelry that needs to be handled with care, and was the result of Casio engineers taking on the challenge of creating the world’s toughest watch. Using a triple-protection design for the parts, module, and case, the G-SHOCK offered a radical new type of watch that was unaffected by strong impacts or shaking. Its practicality was immediately recognized, and its unique look, which embodied its functionality, became wildly popular, resulting in explosive sales in the early 1990s. The G-SHOCK soon adopted various new sensors, solar-powered radio-controlled technology (described below), and new materials for even better durability. By always employing the latest technology, and continuing to transcend conventional thinking about the watch, the G-SHOCK brand has become Casio’s flagship timepiece product.

Today, Casio is focusing its efforts on solar-powered radio-controlled watches: the built-in solar battery eliminates the nuisance of replacing batteries, and the radio-controlled function means users never have to reset the time. In particular, the radio-controlled function represents a revolution in time-keeping technology similar to the impact created when mechanical watches gave way to quartz technology. Through the further development of high radio-wave sensitivity, miniaturization, and improved energy efficiency, Casio continues to produce a whole range of radio-controlled models.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GAYQMC
• Item model number: FT500WV-5BV
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD RUGGED WATCH, August 24, 2006

By 

T. A. Hansen "sturmandordrang.blogspot.com" (eagan, mn USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's FT500WV-5BV Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch (Watch)

When I first got this I was kind of put off by the band. It is velcro. After wearing it about a month I've come to appreciate the velcro as it allows for good adjustment. The dial is nice, with fairly large, brown numerals on a tan background. The illuminator works great. The plastic face cover isn't scratched yet even after a few accidental knocks against it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars affordable & durable, October 22, 2007

By 

R. Harrison (Alachua County, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's FT500WV-5BV Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch (Watch)

I've had one for several years and decided to order a couple more (hopefully a lifetime supply). I've worn it while bicycling, doing landscape work, construction, etc. It's just a great basic watch! Not a fancy-looking watch that you would wear to formal occasions, and it does not have alarms, moon phase, or other fancy features, but it's an unbeatable everyday watch.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Broke after two weeks, April 22, 2009

By 

J. G. Thoene "thojos" (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's FT500WV-5BV Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch (Watch)

This watch has a weakness you should know about. The arms that have the pin holes that hold the watchband pins in place are made of PLASTIC, not metal. After just two weeks of GENTLE wear, one of these arms cracked off completely. I was just sitting at my desk at work and PLOP! the watch fell completely out of my sleeve and onto my desk.

I don't mean the pin just came out of the hole, I mean the ENTIRE arm which contains the pin hole broke off. Take a close look at those four light brown arms on each side of the leather watchband. Those are plastic--brittle plastic.

Obviously this part of any wristwatch is subject to some stress, and should be made of metal. Not this one.

UPDATE: One week after epoxy gluing the pin hole arm that broke off, I checked the underside of the watch and saw that all four arms had visible cracks. ALL FOUR! This is not just one weak arm folks. This is a design flaw.

I promptly went out and bought a Timex Expedition with metal arms. Total time this watch spent on my wrist--3 weeks.

I have a motto for this watch: "Twenty days for twenty dollars."