Review by John E. Vidale for Casio Men’s MTG900DA-8V G-Shock MT-G Atomic Tough Solar Watch
Rating:
I surveyed vast field of digital choices before getting the watch a month ago, and I’m well satisfied. Most digital watches (as opposed to analog with hour and minute hands) are ugly, IMO, so my surveying has mainly been frustrating. I found a nice line of digital Casio Edifices, with big digits and glimmering colorful faces, which served for a while, but has apparently been discontinued a year or two ago, and my last one quit working two months ago.

I bought this watch, grimacing at the price, just because it wasn’t particularly ugly and had big digits, but it exceeded my meager expectations. The manual was a bit of a slog – it took about 20 minutes to read, but well worth it.

The features are outstanding – about 5 alarms, one of which can be set for snooze alarms, the expected stop watch, easy access to Greenwich Meridian Time, markers for noting times, a backlight, waterproof enough for scuba diving (not that I dive).

The special features include checking with a radio signal daily so the time is always correct (important for catching my buses and winning arguments about what time it really is), solar power (so run-down batteries should never be a problem), and backlighting that turns on when one turns one’s wrist (surprisingly convenient). A nice touch is when one cycles back to the time, the watch gives a different unobtrusive beep.

There are other features available on other watches – tape recorders, flash drives, altimeters, compasses, but none that sound remotely useful in the long run.

I had to shorten the well-built wriststrap by 5 or 6 links, a little tricky, but any watch shop could do it in 5 minutes.

If you want a big, full-featured, easy-to-read and operate digital watch, this is the one, and I’ve surveyed most of them.

Post originally written mid-January, this added 2-25-07: I’ve found there might be problems with battery life, or maybe it is just the Seattle winter. I’ve had to leave my watch sometimes under a light when the power get low, and changing the battery can only be done by Casio, according to one watch shop. Also, the price on the watch is coming down quickly to more reasonable levels. I still like it a lot, despite having to juice it up from time to time.

Review by John S. Johnston for Casio Men’s MTG900DA-8V G-Shock MT-G Atomic Tough Solar Watch
Rating:
I bought my Casio MTG900DA-8V over four years ago, and I was surprised to find it still being produced and sold by Casio as I browsed Amazon’s watch selection.

Overall, I think it is a great timepiece, and I have never regretted buying mine. But, you will notice that I only gave it four stars, because like anything made by man, it isn’t perfect. Here’s the scoop:

Pro’s

1. Superb accuracy. I live near Atlanta, Georgia, which is probably close to the limit of this watch’s radio reception range. But even here, my watch will sync with the atomic time station over 99% of the time. But as another reviewer said, you will probably have to experiment with locations within your house where you leave the watch for its overnight radio sync process.

2. Not just water-resistant, this thing is waterproof. I have worn mine while doing all kinds of nasty chores, including mowing, weeding and related dirty jobs. And when I get in the shower afterward, I just leave the watch on so that it gets a good clean-up, too. Never a problem.

3. Very tough. Again, I’ve worn mine doing some pretty harsh work, including using a chain-saw, axe and hammer. Never a problem.

4. The solar power is great. Some people may think that solar power is a gimmick, but here’s the deal: since you should never have to replace a battery, your water-resistant (or waterproof) watch will stay that way. All my previous watches, including some pretty expensive ones, lost their water-resistance after they had a battery change. (Casio does say that their rechargeable batteries may need replacing some day, but mine are still going strong after more than four years.)

Con’s

1. This watch is BIG. It is about 15mm thick and is about as big around as the old-style silver dollars. If you have a small wrist, this watch may not be for you.

2. The band and SOME of the bezel appear to be stainless steel. After four years, the stainless steel parts of my watch still look OK, even after the hard life my watch has had. But, the stainless steel band is connected to the watch with a big final link that appears to be made of some type of plastic (or “resin” as Casio likes to call it). This plastic has held up well, but it has faded in color somewhat. Also, there are what appear to be anodized aluminum parts decorating the four corners of the bezel. The anodized surface of the aluminum has begun to wear off, leaving these aluminum parts looking somewhat mottled.

Conclusion

1. My Casio MTG900DA-8V has had four years of very hard use. It is as accurate as ever, all the features work as advertized and I am still wearing it every day.

2. But keep in mind, if you give it the kind of rough use that I have, it will probably develop some cosmetic issues.

3. If you are looking for a rugged, super accurate digital timepiece, look no further. This is the one.

Review by Pierre Lavallee for Casio Men’s MTG900DA-8V G-Shock MT-G Atomic Tough Solar Watch
Rating:
I bought this watch 2 years ago, and it has been working flawlessly since then. I have many watches, some automatics – they look great but have very few functions and require attention. The great thing about this G-Shock is that it is totally maintenance-free: you just put it on and forget about it.

PROS: No need to replace battery, perfect accuracy, no need to set time & date ever (even for Daylight Saving Time or leap years), no need to take it off (WR200 meters, indestructible), can wear with any clothes (Stainless steel bracelet), auto night-light, handy functions (alarms, GMT, chrono).

CONS: Huge watch – not heavy but reaaaaally large. No countdown timer (one of the most useful functions IMO).