CasioIlluminator AE1500WH Series | 10-Year Battery | LED Backlight | 5-Alarms | 1/100 Sec Stopwatch | Men's Digital Watch

I have used my cell phone instead of a watch since about 2001. Decided to start wearing cheap, quartz watches again because I often find myself without my cell phone within reach at rehearsals, recording sessions, lawn-mowing, or work from home situations. Picked up a few Timexes and Casios around the same time. So far, I like this model the best for general use. The size of the time display is so easy to read that I have already started preferring it to comparable analog models. I will mostly be looking to buy digital watches like this with big, simple displays from now on.I’m not James Bond, in spite of what you may have heard. I don’t want an expensive watch on my wrist that might make me a potential target for theft/robbery downtown or on a subway. If I get some paint on this one or it breaks while I’m trying to remove an oil filter, it would be no great loss.Use is fairly intuitive and it hasn’t lost or gained time in the few weeks I’ve owned it, unlike a Timex expedition analog model I got at the same time. After only a couple of weeks, the analog Timex expedition has lost about ten seconds already, which I admit I was surprised by.The only complaint I could possibly make about this watch is that the two LED’s are quite poor in comparison to Timex’s indiglo or the backlight used on much more expensive G-Shock models. But for how cheap and functional this model is, that is a completely unfair comparison. The lights work perfectly fine for me to see if I wake up in the middle of the night but can’t roll/reach over to check my phone due to a sleeping dog contorting my legs at the foot of the bed. Or if I fall asleep on the couch.I have mostly avoided getting it wet up until now, but I did accidentally leave it in the bathroom with the shower running a couple of times and no condensation formed on the inside of the face at all even though there was plenty of water vapor in the room. I also leave it on when washing my hands with no ill-effects.I’m very impressed by how simple and functional this watch is. These cheap, digitals are light years ahead of the Timex Ironman I owned as a kid. But it should be said- that $25-$35 Ironman I bought sometime around 1995 went body boarding, surfing, in the pool with me, and I showered with it on. That thing was basically water-PROOF and never had an issue in water less than 20ft. deep. I swam in Atlantic/East-Coast hurricanes with that thing and it even got tossed around in the salty surf with me. Also used it to time lap-swimming in Olympic-sized pools. I do not have the same confidence in this model, though I have no real rationale for that.The rubber strap was very uncomfortable on the old Ironman models and used to cause some really annoying, visible, skin irritation. I found G-shock straps of that era to be almost just as bad. That is not the case with these modern Casio polymer straps.I also despise those weird circles Casio, Armitron, etc. put on watch faces and take up a quarter of the face of the watch. This watch has NONE of that BS going on. The info on the watch face is SO bold and easy to read that I would definitely prefer it to all the G-shocks with those damned, senseless circles taking up so much of the display. PV cells excluded because they actually do serve a purpose. But here’s my view on all that: if the watch battery lasts even close to ten years, it will already outlast the battery/operation of the solar-powered, $150 G-Shock I once owned by a factor of YEARS. So I would still prefer this because legibility is far more important to me than photovoltaics.After a few weeks getting used to wearing a watch again for the first time in twenty years, I’ve really appreciated not having to dig my cell phone out of my pocket just to check the time/date. A weirdly subtle difference I would never have thought would matter. But it does. I’m starting to really like Casios!I also like the hourly chime because otherwise I get lost and completely lose track of time while recording/producing. That could only backfire if the chime goes off in the vocal booth and ruins a take. Hasn’t happened yet, though.I’m also glad they make it in the desert-sand/beige color because I’m fair skinned so it doesn’t look like a giant thing on my wrist.At some point or other I will wake up exhausted and forget to take it off before I get in the shower. At that point I will update this review if water penetrates the buttons/gaskets/seals.Again, I am in disbelief at how excellent this watch is for the price. I hope they never discontinue this model until an identical “20 Year Battery” model is available. But by then we’ll no doubt have flying cars, rocket-skates, jet packs, and digital, tattooed watches with veinous, indiglo epidermis. Or more than the current, standard-issue, two to three computer chips implanted into in our visual cortex at birth.Just pick the color you like and buy the damned thing!

For my uses, this watch is perfect. I don't need no compass, temperature sensor, heart monitor or any of that other junk. (And if I really need something like that, I will just use my phone). Just give me a basic watch with a good display.This watch fits that bill. The display is perfect with no clutter. It has a countdown timer with auto repeat, a stopwatch with split time, dual time zones, 5 alarms (one snooze alarm), and has a 10 year battery (CR2032). The band feels to be of good quality and is more comfortable than you'll find on most $20 watches. It comes in various colors and there's two models with negative LCD displays if that's your thing. You can't ask for much else at this price point.After I got this from Amazon I was in my local big box store and saw they had a big display of these watches. I was tempted to buy various other colors. It becomes hard to resist. So now I understand what Casio is doing - they make a great watch for the price point knowing people will not be able to resist buying all the colors. Those Casio guys are pretty shrewd.In the future, I would like for Casio to offer this watch with multiband 6. I would be willing to pay twice the current price for that feature. They already have "wave ceptor" budget watches in the $40 range. If they could make this watch a "wave ceptor," it would be perfect.

Needed a cheap watch for work! This did the job and some. It’s rugged, large display you can choose standard time display or 24h. There’s a stop watch and other functions available. Large watch so smaller wrists be aware.I like Casio for this need and it fills a void for a cheap yet reliable watch! I wear it everyday without issue!Has a light function that works perfectly. Simple and effective! Don’t hesitate.

Durable, easy to read LED face, dual timezones, waterproof, affordable, entry level Casio G-Shock digital watch, with many digital functions, alarms, countdown, day / date and such....but surprisingly not very accurate, loses time accuracy at about the same rate as my mechanical / automatic Swiss-made self-winding watches -- a couple seconds a day. I bought this to wear when I travel overseas as it is inexpensive, silicon strap, lightweight, large font digital dial, has a military / tactical beige appearance and has G-Shock durability. I have owned several Casio G-Shocks before and always loved their reliability and functionality. It has served me well, the unusual loss of time accuracy is annoying to my OCD, but otherwise it has been a very good watch. Would probably buy again but maybe a slightly more expensive version next time that would probably be more accurate.

I ordered this watch in November 2024, and it’s been a fantastic find. The large, clear digital display makes it super easy to read at a glance, and the price point is hard to beat.It’s become one of a few watches I rotate wearing as impressed with its accuracy. In about five months of use, it’s only gained around a minute.Overall, a solid, dependable timepiece that does exactly what it promises. Highly recommend if you’re looking simple, dependable, and affordable digital watch,