Customer Reviews

Casio Men's LIW500DJ-1A Edifice Sporty Solar Atomic Watch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've only had this watch for a few days, but I'm very happy with it. If it turns out to be reliable over time, it'll be the best I've ever owned. It deals with the two most annoying aspects of watches I've had in the past--replacing batteries and regularly resetting to the correct time. This watch can reset itself automatically several times a day, and it runs on natural or artificial light-power.

Notwithstanding some of reviews I've read elsewhere, I can't say that reading the dials on this watch is any different or more difficult than several other chronographs I've owned; and I've found that the back-light feature works very well, both in the automatic mode, when the wrist is turned a certain way, and manually by pressing one of the buttons. However, the watch can be programmed so that this feature is permanently off.

I would rate this watch with five stars except for the User's Guide. It's incredibly small, so it's very difficult to follow the rather complex directions for setting the watch and using its various functions, such as the stop-watch and alarm. Having said that, however, a much more readable User's Guide is available online from Casio at no charge.

On balance, when compared to watches that are not programmable, there is a steeper learning curve involved in the set-up of this watch and becoming familiar with its functions, so it's not for technophobes or the electronically challenged.

My automatic watch started losing time in a major way. I wanted to get a replacement watch that didn't require changing batteries every couple of year. I was initially considering a Citizen Eco-Drive model, but then found the Casio models that offer not only the light-powered movement, but also the added benefit of atomic time (via radio signal). After looking at several similar Casio watches, I settled on this one mainly due to the slightly smaller size compared to other sports models. Overall, a great watch, but with some quirks.

Pros:

- Solar-power never needs batteries (in theory)

- Atomic signal time sync works well every night (I am in New England area, about as far as one can be from Boulder, CO)

- Bright lume

- Easy to read

- Relatively comfortable to wear given the 12mm thickness

Cons:

- Bracelet links are loosely coupled resulting in constant clatter with the smallest of the arm movement

- Bracelet size adjustment is too course

- The digital display in the display window is too small to be practical. Can't imagine why the letters/numbers inside are so small when the window itself is decent size.

- No full calendar feature, just date. Why?

Overall, I like mine enough to keep it, but I hope Casio designers make some simple enhancements to make this an even better watch.

UPDATE: After having owned the watch for couple of weeks now, I am downgrading my rating of the watch from 4 stars to 3 stars. The main reason for the downgrade is the poor precision of the second and minute hand movements. As the second and minutes hands move around the dial, they don't line up with the minute markings. Worse, they line up reasonably well through one portion of the dial and poorly through other portions. This lack of precision is rather disappointing from a watch of this price range.

I've had this watch for a week now. I cannot wait to share my thoughts.

This is a great watch! There is no need to replace any battery and the time is always accurate to the second (I checked with the internet time#.

Easy to set up #unless you are not electronics-savvy#. I took it out of the box and set it to my time zone. That is about as much setting as you need. It was charged already out of the box, so it was working properly after a few minutes.

The sync was never a problem. I tried multiple locations in the house, by the windows, by the door, and on a counter by the fridge #far away from any door or window#. At all locations I tried, the sync was completed without any problem #my home is about 900 miles from Fort Collins, CO#.

In response to an earlier review, the minute hand advances 1/3 of the division every 20 seconds, so the minute hand does not alwasy point to the division marks. All the hands are aligned well enough on my watch, so no hand setting (one of the modes) was needed.

The watch looks really good on my wrist. Now I just hope it will last long, if not forever.

My brother and I are kind of "watch snobs". So, there were no Casio watches in my collection...until now. While considering a new watch purchase, we listed all the attributes that would create the "perfect" wristwatch (even if it was unrealistic). Some of the ideas that we came up with were:

1. Never change the battery (solar powered).

2. Never have to set the time (neither of us knew that Atomic watches existed).

3. Never have to adjust the date because.

4. Accurate forever.

5. Built tough.

6. Look great.

7. Must be analog.

He was surprised when I called him the next day and told him that I had found the perfect watch, and he was even more surprised when I told him that it was a Casio.

I now have this watch, and I couldn't be happier. I'm still having a hard time with the idea that it's a Casio, best known for digital calculator watches, but I'm getting used to it. I think that this watch has put me on the path to watch snob recovery. Until then, I simply tell everyone that it is THE perfect watch, and it's made by Cacheot. ;)

And, let's not forget...the perfect watch is only $195.00. Not often that you can get this much product for this little price. Thank you Casi...Cacheot!

First off. the only reason i could not give this a 5 star review yet is the fact that i have only had it a couple of days and i cant say if it lasts or not. So far though, this watch is everything i wanted. Now lets address the issues some people have in other reviews.

-one review states that the watch has a very small user manual and hard to understand. while this is true, there is a nice large pdf on the casio website of the manual and it is very helpful. I have never had such a watch and it only took me a small amount of time to understand the watch completely

- one review states that the bracelet is so-so and makes a ton of noise. its not the best bracelet in the world and yes, it does make a little noise. But the only time i would ever have a problem with it is if i am in a silent room and my arm starts shaking uncontrollably, and at that point, i dont think its the bracelet noise i should be worried about

So far i love this watch. It looked good when i looked at the pictures and it looks even better in real life. Dials are easy to read, and the solar is great. The atomic feature is also amazing. Syncing has not been a problem, it has even synced at night even while I'm wearing it, and i live in michigan.

I have to mention though, that i didn't but this on amazon, but actually through ebay for only a bit over $100. I doubt there could ever be a watch that has this amount of quality, looks, and functionality for this kind of price.

i am thrilled with it so far, but the real test will be to see if it can last long.

I've had this watch for a few days now and I'm really happy with it. In my opinion it has a great balance of everything...it looks great, it's solar, it's atomic (sets time itself every night by receiving a signal from Colorado), and it has an additional features that I like such as stopwatch, alarm, dual time, and light.

It is a little bit hard to get used to in the beginning, but by reading the manual one can figure all of the features out pretty quickly. It took me a bit to understand how the atomic signal works (as this is my first atomic watch). All you have to do is set the time zone that you're in, and you're ready to go. One thing I didn't know before buying it though is that to receive the atomic clock signal, CASIO recommends you keep the watch near a window at night so that it can receive the signal easier (although last night I didn't do this and it received the signal just fine). It's not a big deal for me personally, but others might find that kind of annoying so I thought I'd mention it. The watch attempts to find the signal at hours in the middle of the night. So, in the morning when you wake up, you can check to see if the watch did in fact receive the signal successfully with a push of a button. If it did not receive it, you can manually attempt to receive it by another push of a button. And the only other downside is that the smaller 3 dials that make up the chronograph portion of the watch are a bit difficult to read as they are pretty small.

But in the end, I love this watch. I'm very happy with this purchase and I would recommend it to anyone.

Just before purchasing this item, I had obtained an Oceanus watch as an anniversary gift from my wife. Oceanus, just in case you don't know, is the upscale brand of Casio, and has a well deserved reputation of quality, so I had confidence that it's Casio cousin would possess it to a proportional extent as well.

Unfortunately, the quality wasn't as proportional as I had hoped. Specifically, I found the band material to feel cheap, light, and plasticy, characters I consider unacceptable for a $200ish watch. I have several watches at a lower price point with a much better build quality. The watch itself suffers the same issue. It feels like a $75ish watch. (like a Fossil) The only redeeming factor is the feature set of the item; it's solar battery recharging and it time syconization capabilities.

My conclusion is that, for the price of around $200, the watch isn't worth the money.

I have been looking for a solar atomic watch for a long time, Oceanus watches are great but VERY expensive, this watch came up in every search I made in the web for solar Atomic watches. I read a lot of reviews and most were in favor of this watch, some complained about the size of instructions....dudes we are in the world of endless information checkout the web for the manual and you will have it.

Casio site will give you this as a PDF file just enter the 4717 type there. I found this link with a more comfortable way http://mygshock.com/casio-manual/4717/ it is more HTML like and easy to read.

Other people said it is hard to program... not true!!! maybe people found it hard to program as for the small booklet that came with the watch.

As for the small LCD screen...consider this watch as an analog only watch and you will find this LCD screen very useful, not only you can see the date, it will let you know if functions are on or odd and more... I took it as an upgraded date screen and that is what i got! if you are looking for a Digital analog watch this is not it.

Bottom line I love the watch it feels good and it's a very good size.

Very recommended.

I'm a medical practitioner, and I needed a watch that was durable, reliable, and - I'll be honest - could stand up to some extreme neglect. I'm not a "watch person." I don't take pleasure in making sure my timepiece has been wound just enough each morning, or checking it against a more reliable time source to make sure it's, you know, doing its job. Like my cell phone or my computer, my watch should *just work.*

I've owned this watch for a year now, and it has performed admirably. I keep it by a window at night, and almost every morning, it reports that it has synced to the atomic clock signal. It automatically adjusts for daylight savings, and its alarm has never failed to work in those rare moments that my cell phone wasn't available to double as an alarm clock. I have never needed to touch the light button because the automatic illumination feature - initially dismissed as an extravagance - has proven to be so effective and so useful that I can't imagine living without it. The crystal has taken some pretty brutal abuse, and the case is regularly disinfected with hospital cleansers. Both still look new.

Here's why you should consider this watch:

* Atomic time synchronization - never set the time again

* Solar powered - no winding, no battery replacement

* Automatic illumination - at night, simply bring the watch to a normal, horizontal reading position, and the light turns on for you.

* High contrast hands with snap second movement (I don't like sweep second movement)

* Attractive and sporty look - I've received many compliments, followed by astonished looks when they see the Casio label!

Potential drawbacks:

* You will need to -read the manual-. Programming is NOT difficult provided you follow the instructions.

* Mode changes take ages because the watch becomes unresponsive until the servos move the hands into their destination positions. (I never change modes, so...)

* 24-hour dial is more cosmetic than useful.

I would absolutely buy this watch again!

The watch is great....and the only atomic watch I could find that would accept an expansion band, which is an ABSOLUTE MUST for my husband. It was relatively simple to set and it looks just beautiful. I'm sure a lot of big burly men appreciate the huge clunky bands that come standard with these watches, however, there are a lot of non-big burly types who don't, so when the manufacturer made this one that could be converted, they did a very good thing, and earned my 5 stars.