Casio

Casio Men's PAW1200-3V Pathfinder Atomic Solar Digital Watch

• Quartz movement
• Mineral crystal
• Resin case; Grey dial
• Water-resistant to 660 feet (200 M)

Product Description

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: 8.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FPZ47E
• Item model number: PAW1200-3V
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,778 in Watches (See Top 100 in Watches)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Watch, October 29, 2006

By 

The Dave 3000 "td3k" (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

My attraction to gadgets has it's roots in my unwavering love for watches, especially high tech watches. As both a previous owner of Casio G-Shock solar powered time pieces and Suunto brand wrist top computer watches, I have often wished for a watch that could combine both the solar power and atomic time keeping features with those of an altimeter, barometer, compass, and thermometer. This is that watch.

The watch appears to be well designed and is very light weight. I don't have any problems with the resin band as it seems plenty sturdy and is quite comfortable to wear. The watch face is larger than most watches, but it's not too big. Some of the Suunto watches are much larger, and thus look much more awkward. The display and readout of the LCD display is sharp and good and easy to read. One of the biggest complaints I've had with the Suunto watches is that the displays are not easy to read unless you are in bright sunlight. This Casio watch is easy to read, even indoors. Also, the setup and functionality of the instruments on this watch were very easy with everything working right out of the box - there was no set up at all other than adjusting the units to imperial instead of the default setting of metric. Comparing to the Suunto, the watch gives the same readings as the Suunto so it seems to be spot on with reliability and accuracy.

Overall, this is really the ultimate watch. All of the features just about anybody could want on a watch (except no heart monitor) but everything there for the outdoorsman, athelete, or just the plain uber-geek techno junkie like me. A big selling point is that the watch does feature world times with 26 time zones which is very useful for a business traveler. The Suunto watches do not have this feature and require you to manually reset your watch if you travel into a different time zone. The watch will never require a battery, stays perfectly in sync with the atomic clock in Boulder, CO each day, is easy to read and set up, is tough durable and styled such that it doesn't look like you're wearing a kitchen timer on your wrist. It would be nice to see the day of the week along with the date in the same view, but it's only one button push away. That would really be the only thing I wish was different on the watch, but not enough to detract it from the 5 stars this watch obviously deserves. And finally, it should be noted that this watch is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper (depending on which model you compare to) than the equivalent Suunto model. I can't see any reason to spend more for the Suunto instead of going with this one. You really do get more for less.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great watch, June 22, 2007

By 

Sverre Amundsen (SPRING, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Casio Men's PAW1200-3V Pathfinder Atomic Solar Digital Watch (Watch)

I love the feature set of this watch, and all the features work as advertised. I'm getting good signal on the atomic/radio update, the solar panel charges the battery, the compass and barometer works great. The watch is very solid, build quality appears to be excellent.

There are only a couple of caveats that prevent this from getting a full 5 star rating. First, the watch is HUGE. You don't really get a good impression of the size from the pictures, but it is REALLY big. It's very light though, so weight is not a problem.

Second, the color of the arm band...it's army green, something that's not very clear from the pictures. I would have preferred a black band, but this is not that big a deal.

Last, and this is very minor.. with such a large display I don't understand why Casio decided not to display both the weekday name and the date at the same time. It either shows the day name (as FRI) or the date, and you have to press the big ADJ button to toggle between the two. Much smaller watches than this finds room for both.

Overall, this is a cool watch that will satisfy geeks and gadget freaks as well as outdoorsy types.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Base Camp on your wrist!, November 29, 2006

By 

Michael C. Mclean "Politico" (College Station, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This watch is great. It has all the things you need and some you probably don't to boot. What's more, it's solar so feel free to use the auto illumination and check the compass, barometer, altitude, temp., every five minutes since it will not run down the battery. Now, if they will only make this watch but also have a dive computer...of course it will then be as big as a quarterback's play sleeve.

I have always loved Casios and G-Shocks especially. I have owned two G-Shocks but as my last one is falling apart what else could I get but this Pathfinder? This thing is huge! It seems to be all face across the top of my wrist; my old G-Shock's body will fit in the face alone of this thing. It measures from edge to edge just under 2", the face is 1 1/2". The display is, of course, large and easily read, but because of the size there also seems to be a lot of empty space most of the time. As you use different functions these spaces fill up with digits, letters, symbols, etc. but when you are looking at time for most of the day, the left third of the face is just blank gray. This is my only complaint about the display but you can solve this by using the 24 hour format display. The numbers on a G-Shock are only 2/3 the size of these on the Pathfinder.

The instruments are easy to use and fairly accurate. The temperature can be thrown off from your body heat so if you are outside and really need to know the temp., take the watch off or look on a thermometer and see what the difference is so you can do some subtraction. Barometer, seems accurate since a storm has been approaching and I can see the fluctuation as it nears. Compass works great and also self-updates as you turn around in circles thinking how neat it si that they put a cool needle movement effect on it. Altimeter, the watch reads that it's the same where I am at as the USGS website says. All settings can be changed between standard and metric and the barometer does millibars and hectopascals. Time can be either 12 or 24 hour formats and has easy three letter abbreviations, for either a major city or the actual time zone's name as in the case for those over oceans, for all the world's time zones.

When I received it the battery was fully charged even though it has been in a box somewhere for who knows how long. The power display is easy to read; it's divided up into "L", "M", and "H". You have full function when it is in "H" but as you start going down on power (which has yet to happen to me) it begins to lose some functions that drain it more in order to conserve power. Finally, when it is in "L" you only get time and then it starts blinking for a while to tell you to get it into light. If you do not then it shuts itself off when it goes completely dead. Ambient light seems to work just as well as direct sunlight at keeping it charged

The auto set feature is great. I admit it is complicated to do and you will probably never remember how to do it without referencing the 100+ page instruction booklet. No worries, the first time you calibrate the watch to the atomic clock, simply set it for auto and it will take 6 readings per day at pre-set times so you will not have to go through the ritual again. They say you need to set the watch by a window to get it, but there is a signal meter for the atomic clock's strength and sitting on my wrist in the middle of my house it is full. Think cell phones, the more bars the less you have to get nearer a window or to a high point. The only complaint about this feature I have is that I had to roll back the hour after the auto calibration for daylight savings time and one of the reasons I did not give this thing 5 stars. Of course in the subsequent auto calibrations it has stayed correct (i.e. not adding that extra hour I had to subtract).

The only other complaints I have about this watch in particular is the band. It is attractive and comfortable but not long enough. The end is constantly coming out of the retaining slip. If you have a small enough wrist then I guess it is not a problem but for me the strap end is constantly sticking out. Also, the wrist is too narrow for a watch this big. You really can not tell from the photos but the strap is not beefed-up and widened to be proportionate to this big of a watch. It is only 3/4" wide. It should be at least 1" wide. My G-Shocks never lost their bands so I am sure this one will hold up fine it is only aesthetics I am complaining about.

My only other complaint about the Pathfinder, as a series and not this watch in particular, is why no titanium (Ti) watch? You have one that has a Ti band but not backing or body. If you are going to make a watch out of titanium then make the whole watch out of it. I would have gladly paid more for that but I can not see paying extra for just the band over a resin one when they are still the same watch material, where it counts. I dive so I love titanium stuff and have certain watches dedicated to saltwater because I lost a G-Shock to corrosion even though I though I cleaned it completely after all my dives.

I have never used the other features like the barometric tracking so that if you are a meterologist and know what the barometric trend means then you can predict when a storm will arrive. The programmable altitude alarm will come in handy the next time I'm scaling Everest and wonder why I'm passing out and my sherpas have died...oh, ok! I've got altitude sickness. It also has two alarms, a stopwatch, and countdown timer. There are other programmable features but like I said, owner's manual 100+ pages. You would think they could just put a readme.txt somewhere in the recesses of this things memory.

If you camp, hike, hunt, or generally spend a lot of time outdoors, like me, this watch is great. It means you can save room, and weight on things you might have had to pack (like a compass and some sort of temp. gauge) and also get things you would never pack but now have (altimeter, barometer). Plus the watch is self-setting so you will always have the correct time and never need another battery.