Pick a movie about the 80’s. Now look at the stereotypical nerdy character. They're either wearing a Casio F-91W, or a calculator watch such as this one. I’m willing to bet there won’t be a single person reading this who hasn’t seen a Casio calculator watch of some sort, and this is the most popular version. The Casio CA-53W is iconic, affordable, and as fun as a watch gets. It also has a pretty major flaw that you should really take into account before adding one to your cart.
Heritage
If you were to rank every watch brand, the top of the heap would be hyper-expensive luxury brands, and Casio. It may seem weird to say Casio and Patek Phillipe in the same sentence, but they are both industry leaders in their own way. Casio has consistently had hit after hit, and its successes are some of the most ubiquitous watches of all time. Between the simplicity and popularity of the F91W, the icon-status of the G-Shock range, and the elegance of the new Edifice range, Casio is a major player in most segments of the watch industry, and is held in an extremely high regard.
Value
Casio is proud of their prices, and with good reason. This iconic watch is $29.95, straight from their website, at normal price. There are a ton of features, obviously, and it is also a ton of fun. As with basically all of the Casio catalog, their only competition is themselves. For under $30, specs almost don’t even matter. What matters is that it implodes on day 2, and that it looks good. Check and Check!
Case
The case here is exactly what you are expecting. The tested formula of a cheap module inside a fully resin watch has been shown to deliver great value and looks, but it's less known for its elegance. The case here is fully resin, besides the screw-on steel caseback. This isn't going to stop anyone from buying the watch, but it is undoubtedly a weak point, as it's really cheap material and not built with any outstanding finishing. The plastic covering on the dial to the plastic back behind the buttons. Everything here is cheap, but that's sort of the point. The case back is still with all the specifications listed. One positive aspect is the 20 mm lug width now. I doubt anyone's going to be swapping the straps, but this at least makes it an option and a really easy one at that. Casio claims "water resistance" which is their way of saying about 30 m, but as we all know, Casio famously under-reports their water resistance ratings, so don't worry too much about getting this wet – it's probably more like 50 or 100 m in reality.
Dial and Hands
Undoubtedly the weakest point of this watch is the disappointing dial. In this color where we have a white on black display which is where things get interesting. While, perhaps legible in the right lighting condition with a very simple display, anything outside of the absolutely perfect. The conditions means an illegible dial. The viewing angles from any direction are extremely poor. It's hard to view in overly lit conditions. It's even more difficult to read in any sort of dim condition. If you have any interest at all in this model, make sure to pick a colorway with a black on white display rather than the one seen here.
Lume
Adding on to the previous section there is zero luminescence and this watch. Most casios around this price point or in this design category have some sort of backlight built-in, but there is none to be seen here. This is pretty disappointing as even the F91W that comes in at a significantly cheaper price is able to pack a backlight. Of course it isn't a great backlight on that model, but it exists which is the important part. For a watch like this with the white on black display that's so hard to read in most lighting conditions, a backlight is a very needed addition.
Movement
Inside the CA-53w is the 3208 module. While the shining star of the movement is clearly the calculator feature, it isn't the only feature. There are two times a stopwatch and a calculator implemented here. The battery life will be a couple of years and you should expect great accuracy. Jumping between modes is as easy as pressing the pusher on the right side of the watch, and the various functions of the movement are controlled via buttons on the face. The calculator is intuitive to use (albeit small) , and those buttons are repurposed. Went in other modes to be used as functions. For example, the plus button is used to start the stopwatch timer. Of course there is no decoration and the movement is extremely cheap, but it is quite functional.
Bracelet or Strap
If you seen one Casio bracelet then you've seen this one. It is the run of the mill resin band that is comfortable but is once again extremely cheap and construction. These resin bands are known to wear out after a couple of years and become brittle and break, but it will be comfortable until that point. The buckle is black plastic and is signed with the word Casio.
Fit
Looking solely at the dimensions you may be led to believe that this watch wears very small like many of the other Casio models. As always, you have to keep in mind that it is a square watch so the otherwise small dimensions are amplified when viewed on the wrist. This watch ends up actually looking quite large and on my average 7-in wrist is approaching the limits of what I would wear. The saving grace is the extremely thin nature of the watch. It hugs the risk quite close because of this and really brings down the wearing dimensions and looks okay on the wrist.
Versatility
Of course calculators aren't known for their place in the ballroom or under a tuxedo sleeve. This watch isn't intended for that purpose, and is instead catered towards casual wearing. The watch is very fun, eclectic, and eye-catching, but isn't the most versatile. It's at home in casual settings and has a little bit of water resistance so it might make a good workout watch but not much beyond those two areas.
Originality
In truth, it doesn't get much more original than this. Does it? While, perhaps played out now this watch, and its other versions and styles, did something truly new and unique here. In fact, even as a watch reviewer, I can't think of any other calculator watches(that aren't smart watches) that aren't from Casio.
Diameter: 34.2 mm
Lug-to-Lug: 42.6 mm
Lug width: 20mm
Case Material: Resin
Strap: Resin
Crystal Material: plastic
Movement: Casio 3208
Water Resistance: 30m
Lume: No
Crown: None
Color Options: Many+
Heritage: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Case: 3/10
Dial and Hands: 1/10
Lume: 0/10
Movement: 3/10
Bracelet or Strap: 3/10
Fit: 5/10
Versatility: 5/10
Originality: 10/10
WatchScore: 47/100
So what’s the verdict? This watch is $30, fun. and immediately recognizable. It comes in a lot of colorways and is certainly a statement piece, as well as a nostalgia piece for some. If you're interested in the look which many of us are then there's not really much of a reason to stay away. That is if you're able to get a model with the standard display(Black on white). If you can't read your watch then why have a watch? It's hard to recommend the models with a white on black display for this reason, but I don't think that should discourage us completely. There are plenty of models that don't suffer from this problem and for that reason the Casio calculator watch gets a recommendation from us.
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