Casio

Casio Men's GW1400DA-4AV G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch

• Quartz movement
• Mineral crystal
• Stainless-steel case; Red-and-blue dial; Date-and-month functions
• Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Make a powerful statement with the Casio GW1400DA-4AV G-Shock men's atomic solar watch, which receives time calibration radio signals which keep the displayed time accurate. It's also solar-powered--charging in either sunlight or indoor light--so you'll never have to deal with changing the battery. This shock resistant watch features an Auto LED light with afterglow, world time for 30 cities, a 1/100 second stopwatch, daily alarm, hourly time signal, full auto-calendar, 12/24 hour format, and a battery power indicator. The watch has water resistance to 200 meters (660 feet).

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: 8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FF8QXI
• Item model number: GW1400DA-4AV
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,078 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Accurate Watch, September 13, 2006

By 

troyronson "troyronson" (Concord, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's GW1400DA-4AV G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch (Watch)

Looks very solid, but feels a bit heavy on the wrist. The accuracy of radio controlled ("atomic")timepieces is beyond compare. So if the "atomic signal" can be received, a $10,000+ Swiss watch will not be any more accurate. Looks like it can take a beating. A nice touch is the glass crystal, which doesn't scratch like the plastic ones. The only real issue I have is that unlike other Casio atomic watches, there is no visible receiving indicator to tell if it has indeed synched with the atomic clock in Colorado. However, being that I own several atomic watches and clocks, I can easily see that this Casio is in sync. Looks a bit casual, but much less so than the plastic G-Shock watches. Also, the analog dial, to me, is much more appealing than all-digital. All in all, a very good watch at a reasonble price. I'd rate it 4 1/2 stars. NOTE: If you are looking for a multiple alarm, databank-type watch, or one with barometers, etc. this is not the one. There are plenty of other Casio models out there. If you are looking for basic, ACCURATE solar-powered time, this is the one.

Follow-up: The new reviewer "J. Tashima" in Los Angeles is correct. You can push a button to receive "GET" which tells you the last date and time of signal reception. However, other Casio atomics have a visual "antenna" symbol, which lets you know that it has received, without having to push a button. Seems to be much more convenient, although this criticism is minor. I have noticed that the reception is slightly more "touchy" for me than the other three Casio Atomics I own, two of which are much cheaper all-digital models. The key to this one is finding a good location in your house. Holding (instead of pushing) the bottom right button (same as the "GET"), activates the manual receive function. The signal strength is shown in bars. This greatly assists in the proper placement for reception. By the way, I totally agree with "J. Tashima"...excellent review!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looks tough and classy, February 17, 2007

By 

TJ Hock (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's GW1400DA-4AV G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch (Watch)

The Casio G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch #GW1400DA-4AV is sort of middle of the road in terms of price (I paid $99). It's not cheap but it's not too expensive either. The display diameter is not large but it is a thick, tough-looking watch (a real man's watch... :) ). It's also on the heavy side. So, if you're looking for an elegant, thin watch, look somewhere else.

When I first got it, the power source was at 50% charge. After leaving the watch on my desk facing up towards a desk fluorescent lamp that was left on, the charge reached 100% the next day. The solar cell seems to be working. The time is accurate too. I checked it against the computer time (which also gets synched everyday). It comes with a small manual (with very small text), but I found that there's really no need to use the manual at all initially. It works right out of the box and all the factory settings were correct. (The manual will come in useful when you have some time on your hands to browse through it to get a clearer idea of all the available features.)

The watch's steel wristband was much too large for me and I had to shorten it (removed 4 links, actually). I used a Swiss army knife blade to accomplish the task. The knife tip has to be strong enough to apply pressure to the spring loaded rod that holds the links together, but small to get into the small area between the wrist band metal links (watch for the arrows: these tell you where to apply the pressure). You need to push down on the ridges of the rod, and out (away from you). (Down, so that you can make the rod shorter, and out so that when the rod is shortened, the wrist band link will pop out). I did accidentally scratch the band but it wasn't too bad since the scratch was on the inside. (It's easy enough to shorten the wristband and almost everyone who gets this watch will have to do this.) Be careful not to slice your finger open. Always turn the blade away from your finger when applying the pressure.

Overall, I give it 2 thumbs up for looks and functionality.

(Note: this watch is sold by multiple vendors on Amazon. You should check for the one that has the best price. When I bought it, I wasn't aware of this but found out later, a little too late).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great watch!, October 18, 2006

By 

J. Tashima (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Casio Men's GW1400DA-4AV G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch (Watch)

Well, I heartily disagree with the previous reviewer... HeLLOOOO, this is a G-SHOCK, they are all large watches! That's what I love about them, they are a real "man-sized" watch and they look great. The band does NOT have to be professionally sized, I removed two links on the band myself using a very small pointed object to remove the pins (I used an Xacto knife).

This watch has it all. Solar powered, self adjusting, dual time zones, stop watch, and the self illuminating dial is the coolest! Just a twist of the wrist in the dark and it lights up, not even a button to push!

I have heard of some "Atomic" G-Shocks having difficulty receiving a signal. I have had no problem at all. I leave them by a window overnight and presto... they have recalibrated themselves by morning! Maybe it's a geographical thing... I'm in Los Angeles and have not had any problems. The accuracy of this watch cannot be beat; it will even be in synch with your computer's internet clock!

One reviewer noted that it does not have a visual indicator that tells you if it has received a signal successfully. Not true! A simple push of the lower right button and the digital readout flashes "GET" and then the DATE and even the TIME of the last signal received.

I own three of these G-Shocks... an all digital, an analog/digital with titanium trim, and this great looking analog/digital with the red trim on the dial. Casio has made a lifelong fan out of me! And kudos to Amazon for the great price... $64 is an outrageous deal for this great watch.

P.S. Giving a great product like this ONE star just because you thought it was going to be smaller is very unfair if you ask me. Besides, just a quick glance inside the box to see that it is too big is all you need to just return it and get a refund! Why go through all the trouble of taking it to a jeweler to get it resized if you're just going to be unhappy?? I dunno.