Customer Reviews

Casio Solar Powered Titanium Triple Sensor Pro Trek PRG60T-7AV

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

 

 

I have the watch for 3 years now, and am very satisfied. It was quite a challenge though to get the 'lunitidal interval' value needed to display the correct tidal data. The manual lists the required numbers for several cities around the world, but tidal dynamics are extremely complicated and tides can differ several hours even when you go up north or south of the same coast. What made it more complicated, was that I am living in a country where English is not the main language, and I had no idea what I was looking for in local terms. Finally, I understood that lunitidal interval is known here as "gemiddeld havengetal" (Dutch), but still it was a real challenge to find it for the spot of coast I was planning to use the watch. It was not on the internet - ultimaltely I was able to find it in a specialized yearly nautical publication. I can imagine that not being able to find the right data, might let some users down. Casio should have realized this and should have put more effort into guiding the user to the right values. It might be the reason Casio left this option out of the newer Sea-Patchfinder models. For users in The Netherlands: I have uploaded a table at http://tide.mach25.nl

As far as the watch: one problem I have with it, is that it does not have dual time, which I really need. Second, I do not understand why Casio has chosen not to print a complete 360 degree scale around the watch, but chose to print COMP, BARO and START in between the 210 and 330 degree values instead. Especially since it is also shown near the buttons as well as on the display at about the same spot. OK, it is nice to have a compass and a barometre, but don't need to read THREE times every time I look at my watch. Another disadvantage is that it is impossible to verify that the watch is level when using the compass. Especially at sea, this is essential. The watch does have some sort of tilt sensor to automatically switch on the light when you look at your wrist - it would have been nice if this feature had been used to indicate if the watch was level.

A small disadvantage is the short lighting period. Having so many batteries aboard, this period could have been longer than 1.5 seconds. Also, it would have been nice if the moon graph was inverted - with the positive display showing the lighted part of the moon. Standing outside in the dark and pressing the light switch, results in seeing the dark part of the moon lighted up on your watch... Also, a button lock would have been nice. Because of its size, it is easy to press a button by mistake. Especially the Baro-button is prone to be pressed inadvertially when bending your wrist, supporting yourself during an activity.

Otherwise, a perfect watch, which is extremely light for its size. The distinct beep when you return to time mode, is very handy. The glass does not scratch, it is perfectly protected by the bezel ring. I am looking for a replacement after 3 years, since the black plastic light switch broke off (it is only supported at the back by a small metal pin which is off-center, so pressing it eventually makes the connection snap) and the barometric pressure sensor went offline recently. Since I really need dual time and I do not like the newer Pathfinder model using about 1/4 of the display telling me about the battery status (what a waste of space!), I decided to compromise the tidal data and buy a Suunto watch (with button lock and sensor that indicates if the compass is level) next.

Bigger than my Timex watch, but not as heavy. Easy to use. Excellent price. Auto light is great. Compass, altimeter, barometer, and thermometer work just fine. This watch is technological state of the art. Check it out!

This review is about PRG60T-7V, the analog-digital (ana-digi) Solar Casio Triple Sensor Pathfinder Protrek watch. Some reviews listed under this item are about different Pathfinder Protrek watches without the analog hands which I never seriously considered. Analog dials have a great advantage - you can take a split-second glimpse and still know what time it is, and combined with digital dials they give you an abundance of available readings. I have been looking for and buying only ana-digi watches like this because of their functionality and flexibility.

The greatest selling point of this watch is the perfect combination of features that I am always looking for (listed in order of importance):

- Analog-digital multi-function watch
- Solar
- Shock-resistant
- Compass
- Barometer
- Altimeter

So far, I have been very proudly using this watch every day for two and a half years and it is still my #1 functionality-features watch in the world. Although it's not listed as anti-shock but as "Tough Solar" it really is a very tough engineering work of art. It still works perfectly even though it has gone through a significant number of abusing events. Besides the annual vacation swims/dives in the sea and everyday normal movements, I'm an ex professional drummer who still frequently pats his knees in the rhythm of the music, and nowadays this watch has to withstand frequent clapping when listening to the music and playig with my daughter. In addition, my 1.5 year old daughter used to play with it occasionally and she let it fall on the floor many times. Moreover, this watch has two times received a hit that would have broken apart any other watch I have. Once I accidentally hit a corner of a rock wall with it so hard that my hand hurt. In spite of my expectations, all those abuses have only left a single barely visible scratch in the middle of the glass and several minor scratches on the bezel, so I can testify that the crystal/glass on it is very scratch resistant and the watch really is very tough. I bought the titanium model/bracelet, so the entire watch is very light in spite of its size.

The solar charging works great and the battery is almost always on H (high) position, and only in December during long nights and short days it sometimes goes to M (medium) and the contributing factor might be that I have the automatic backlight set up and it frequently lights up even when I don't need it. When I get the M reading I can quickly charge the watch if I leave it in the window for half an hour during a sunny day because in the winter it is often covered with my sleeve when I'm outside. Usually, instead of charging I like to push the envelope and see whether I can get it to L (low), but I've never seen that so far. At night and during prolonged low light conditions, the watch shuts off its digital displays to save power, but once you move the watch (or turn the backlight on), they turn on automatically and instantaneously.

Some people complain about inaccurate temperature readings on watches like this, but you have to be aware that there is no way your watch will not get influenced by your body temperature, so you need to take it off and leave it for several minutes before you can get an accurate reading. The only exception is when you are swimming/diving and you can obtain a reasonably accurate measurement of the water temperature in a matter of minutes without taking the watch off, especially if you are moving your arms and swimming or if water is otherwise flowing around the watch.

The barometer/altimeter is accurate (of course, if you adjust it prior to your trip to a known reference point). I always watch it on the airplane where you can tell which passenger plane keeps the air pressure best (or also which company is trying to save and scrape on air supplies and maintain low pressure) - sometime you'll see the pressure drop about 33% before they adjust it and so the reading of the altimeter in a pressurized plane cabin is not at all accurate. The internal artificial pressure they keep in the passenger cabin usually corresponds to 4000-6500 feet above the sea level.

The compass function works well, but I think they should have allowed it to work for a longer and possibly adjustable period of time before shutting itself off automatically after 20 seconds. I know it takes a considerable amount of battery power to run the compass but still, I'd like to have the option to run it for 30 seconds or a minute without having to press the button repeatedly.

There is more I'd like to see and buy in a better watch and I have been looking for it for years, but I still haven't seen one as good as this.

The only two main competitors I considered for a while were Tissot's T-Touch and Citizen's Eco-Drive Skyhawk. The T-Touch watch, as seen in the James Bond movie is a bit less bulky and more dressy, so it looks better, but you have to spend about double the amount on it. Still, if it were solar I wouldn't hesitate to buy it, but since it's not, in my referent system that translates to a waste of time and money when the battery runs out and a questionable water resistance after replacement, so it's out of the question. Citizen's similar solar bulky watch Eco-Drive Skyhawk is a bit more dressy, but its digital and analog dials are not independent and from some reviews I can also conclude that it's definitely not as tough and resistant as this one. Omega had an amazing ana-digi multi-function Speedmaster X-33 watch that was a serious candidate for my favorite, however, that one was not solar powered, it was many times more expensive, and it is not being made any more, so Casio's PRG60T-7V still owns the "THE WATCH" title in my world.

Some minor cons:
- I'm 6'3" and not skinny, and although together with the titanium bracelet it does have a rugged sturdy look, I'd like it to be a bit smaller, and definitely thinner.
- Position of start/stop/reset buttons on the stop watch function is unusual. The lower right button is used to start and stop and the upper right is used to reset (I'm used to the opposite).
- The color of the first circular layer under the bezel (I suppose this is the solar charging part) is gray but in some light it gets an ugly-ish purple shade
- It takes a long time to circle almost 12 hours if your watch is one minute fast because I can only adjust the hands forward. Fortunately, the watch is pretty accurate and I only do this several times a year, two times because of the DST switch.

Things I would like to see in a future improved model:
- Atomic world-wide time adjustments
- Count down timer.

All in all, this is as good as it gets. I have been searching for a better watch for years, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

this is an amazing watch its like having my own weather station on my wrist and its tought.its also quite entertaining using it while mountain biking. the only reason i gave it 4 stars is the sound of the alarm its not that loud that sometimes i can't hear it. considering the size of it its amazingly light. so thats how titanium feels like. and amazon.com/digitalwrist delivery is reliable got the watch within 2 working days.

And I'm just going to offer my support for just an amazing time piece. Not only it this watch attractive to look at, the combination of it's light weight performance, features including solar powered interface, and rugged design, make this time piece a cut above. I love my PRG60T, and I'm waiting to see what they come up with for the next generation.

Es un maravilla de reloj, un poco grande en tamaño, pero esta padrisimo. El extensible es muy comodo y tiene opcion de ajustar el tamaño aun sin quitar eslabones del reloj. llevo mas de un año con el y ningun problema. Aunque tiene muchas funciones que no son imprescindibles en un reloj, debo de reconocer que nunca esta de mas una brujula por que siempre la ocupas cuando menos lo imaginas.