Stylish and well built, but fundamentally flawed
I have always liked CASIO watches, and the Wave Ceptor concept, with its supreme accuracy at all times, seems great. This one is solar powered - a bit of a gimmick to those who, like me, do not live outdoors all the time, but no problem if used with a readily-available LED solar charger. And if you do spend much of the day outdoors, you may feel this feature is a benefit. The styling of the watch is good - in my opinion, at least - and I particularly liked the modern look digital panels. The light text on a dark background seems to match the way digital displays are developing for the future, as seen on so many modern car instrument panels.
But here is the problem. In all the official photos, the digital display panels are bright and clear. In reality though, they are dim and difficult to read in all but the brightest of lighting conditions. They are viewed entirely in reflected light, yet are set well behind two cut-out windows in the watch face, and are usually in shadow as a result. And to make things worse, press the appropriate button to turn on the light, and a bright spot illuminates at the foot of the display for about 1.5 seconds, shining upwards along the face and missing the digital panels completely. It is sometimes not easy, in the brief time that the light is on, even to recognise clearly where the analogue hands are.
When I contacted CASIO to see if my watch might be faulty, they explained how the glow from the luminous coating on the hands etc is long-lasting and this supplements the backlight to make the main part of the display easy to see in darker conditions. However, whilst exposing the watch to really bright light does indeed bring out a strong green luminescence, once it is taken into a darkened room, this fades to virtually nothing within 15-20 minutes. Realistically, how often would anyone need a backlight within 20 minutes of being outside in bright sun? The luminous coating is, in my opinion, of little benefit at all, and the backlight (or perhaps more accurately, surface-light) is next to useless.
Don't get me wrong - this is a good watch, and its build quality certainly justifies the price-tag. It is comfortable to wear, and there are no sharp edges to scuff a sleeve. Even the steel strap adjustment is simple and refined. But surely, shouldn't a watch designer's priority be to ensure that its features can actually be seen?
Much to recommend - yet deeply flawed.
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