Most Popular Casio Watches (for Men & Women)
Casio has nearly become a household name, rivaling the popularity of Rolex, Omega, and other popular watchmakers. The company makes its stand through superior functionality and groundbreaking designs that stand up to difficult conditions such as humidity, heavy wear and tear, and rigorous activity.
The craftsmanship in their movements and dials are unrivaled by any other watch brand in their cost range, as well, making an excellent gift for anyone looking for affordable style and reliable functionality.
The team at My Gift Stop has searched for the best and most popular Casio watches for both men and women so you don’t have to. This article will help you learn everything you need to know about this watch brand, including the most popular models on the market today.
The Most Popular Casio Watches – Best Casio Watches of All Time
The famous electronics company has secured their namesake in the world of watchmaking by producing timepieces that endure the rigorous wear and tear of everyday life while still maintaining spectacular functionality throughout the years.
While many people thought watchmaking would become a lost art as technology made the need for timepieces obsolete, there are still plenty of reasons to wear a watch versus checking your phone or opening a laptop to check the time. (1) The company has gone above and beyond to ensure the classic style and purpose of the watch continued to thrive throughout the digital age and has even been at the forefront of adapting many Casio watches into digital format.
“Peeking at your phone in the middle of something important, whether it be a date, a wedding, or an interview, is often bad form. A watch makes it much easier to check the time on the sly.”
-Ellie Krupnick
The team at My Gift Stop has curated a list for four of the most popular, best Casio watches of all time. If you are in the market for a wonderful timeless gift that doesn’t cost as much as other luxury brands, then this groundbreaking watchmaker will help you achieve that.
This list is based on the overall popularity for a mix of functionality and style, suitable for both men's and women’s wear. Continue scrolling and you can learn more about the Casio company, where their watches are made, and if they are considered a luxury brand.
The Casio G-Shock GBDH1000 Fitness Smartwatch – Featuring Solar Technology
It wouldn’t be the 21st century without mentioning this company’s latest innovations in smartwatches which are Bluetooth compatible. This line of G shock watches features mineral glass and water resistance up to 650 feet. This water resistance depth is perfect for casual swimmers and professional divers alike.
The band is made of resin to help reduce the temperature difference between the watch and skin, and the case is a mix of stainless steel and resin. The dial features an LED backlight and features different display options that can be selected via the smartwatch’s app.
The Casio G-Shock GBDH1000 Fitness Smartwatch is a part of their MOVE sports watch line and an ideal choice for the athlete or busy worker. The watch is additionally a great fit for the outdoorsman who wishes they could get more use out of today’s smartwatches.
The model GBDH1000 provides plenty of technological advancements including assisted charging which can upkeep the basic functionality of timekeeping and step counting without the need for USB charging.
The smartwatch is equipped with five sensors, which is more than most other watches. The timepiece also features an optical heart rate monitor, step counter, thermometer, and features a Bluetooth connection to your cellphone.
In combination with the MOVE smartphone app, you can see a map of your traveled route and obtain the coordinates for your current location. You can also access fitness stats such as your V02 max, training analysis, and training plans for runners.
This watch band and case are larger in size than most other G-shock watches and may not be the look that everyone appreciates. Before purchasing this watch as a gift, consider whether the intended wearer would enjoy a watch that is larger than other G-Shock watches.
The Casio MSGS200G-5A – Top Analog Choice
This watch is perfect for both men and women, though it is designed with women in mind. The MSGS series is a part of their popular G-Shock series which prides itself on sports features such as water resistance, shock resistance, and scratch resistance. This watch offers a modest time display option for women who want to make a social statement without being hampered during daily activities.
The small size dial features an analog and digital world time display with polished, colored stainless-steel casing and LED backlighting which illuminates the time no matter the environment.
This watch is solar-powered and features water resistance up to 350 feet, as well as shock and scratch resistance. This watch features a standard analog timekeeping interface with metal hands and dial accents, with a digital world time display below.
Though this resistant watch is not a smartwatch, you might be fooled into thinking it was with the number of features it offers. When using this watch as a stopwatch, it features three measurement modes for elapsed time, split time, first, and second place times. It also features a countdown timer in one-second intervals for a range of 60 minutes, optional hourly time signals, a battery level indicator, daily alarms, and button operation tones.
Casio’s model MSGS200G-5A can also be switched to a 12 hour or 24-hour format for the digital world time display. The watch’s charge will last for 2 months when tested in total darkness to avoid activating the solar charge function.
The Casio MDV106-1A Analog Watch
The Casio model MDV106-1A is a resistant analog watch that showcases a popular style with the minutes embossed into the outer dial ring, rather than the inside. A small calendar display is featured on the right-hand side of the dial in perfectly complimentary colors to the dial hands and numbers.
The company states that this watch is inspired by the sea, with nuanced curves and cool colors that blend in rigid form along the band of the piece
With a small size band made of resin, a case of stainless steel, and a black dial and bezel, this watch has a classic timepiece look to it. This watch comes in several color designs, such as the MDV106B model which features a sapphire-colored face, or the MDV106G model which features gold plated rims and numbering on the dial.
This watch does not have special features or multiple display patterns; it is simply a piece of good timekeeping technology that will remain reliable for years to come. For a timepiece that retails under $80, there’s no comparison.
The Casio PAG240-1 Pro Trek Digital Watch
The company produces a large collection of pro trek water resistant digital watches, as they are leading the technological way to new digital interfaces with a variety of solar and radio sensors built-in to help athletes, outdoorsmen, and information enthusiasts explore their world. The watch includes five different buttons that control the information on the digital display.
The PRO TREK digital watch line is one of their latest and most evolved digital watches, and the PAG240 model is a welcome upgrade from the previous PAG40 model. This watch boasts a black resin band with a neutral blue-colored, round digital watch face. The watch’s digital compass takes the front seat with the time featured in the lower third portion of the watch face, a unique way to display digital timepieces for those who value information about their surrounding environment.
This watch features Tough Solar power which is a proprietary Casio solar-power technology that helps recharge the watch batteries with simple solar power. This backup charging method allows the watch to remain reliable even with sparse recharging despite many features utilizing a large portion of power to operate daily.
The dial lighting, alarms, stopwatch, and measurement functions all rely on the solar power technology to provide backup charging to their PRO TREK line of timepieces.
This watch also has a triple sensor, including an altimeter and Barometer, a digital compass, and a thermometer to help keep you up to date on your environment. This watch also stores sunrise and sunset data, perfect for the outdoorsman who relies on the light of day. The PAG240 also features a World Time function for up to 48 different cities, which can be set with the dials on the side.
Are Casio Watches Good?
The best Casio watches are known for their superior quality, shock resistant casing, and innovative technological development. Most watch collectors agree that this company supplies a good line of timepieces that you could even call great. (2) The brand is not solely a watchmaker which might leave you wondering whether their timepieces are a good investment.
“They remain an enduring symbol of timekeeping to this day, but alongside their range of watches, Casio also offers a huge selection of electronic products as diverse as calculators and musical instruments.”
- Sayu
The best Casio watches have proven their worth to watch collectors time and time again, from the Swiss quartz crisis to modern-day watchmaking as they continue to push the envelope in innovative technology.
The brand has become a sort of household name for good, reliable technology that you can count on. The company first got its start in electronics by producing new calculators and refining both the size and capabilities of other electronics.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the company released its first digital watch. These Casio watches immediately took hold of the world’s watch collectors as electronically-run, quartz-powered watches were at their height of fashion and desirability, yet the world’s watchmakers were struggling to make the change from the now-classic mechanical timepieces.
Where are Casio Watches Made?
Most collection models are made in Japan, in their primary factory location in Yamagata under the name Yamagata Casio, Co., Ltd. The electronics company is said to make all of their products with pride as this is the company’s only manufacturing base in Japan.
Casio Computer Co., Ltd is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. This headquarters oversees all production of their range of electronics, including their line of digital and analog watches. The company also has a European arm in the United Kingdom called Casio Electronics Co., Ltd.
Their flagship range of products, the G-Shock timepieces featuring water resistance, are developed in Hamura, Japan, and then assembled and produced in their primary factory in Yamagata. While the company primarily chooses to develop, produce, and assemble all of their parts in Japan, they do outsource some of their material production to other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea.
Who Makes Casio Watches?
Many watch collectors are caught by surprise when one of their watchmakers stop producing in-house products and outsource their manufacturing to another company. In these instances, a notable loss in quality is often discovered as in-house production requires a mastery of the individual part.
Luckily for watch collectors, Casio watches is not one of those companies. The electronics pioneer has no plans to discontinue the production of their timepieces and will continue to produce their timepieces alongside their other electronic offerings. Watch collectors can continue to rely on the same trusted quality and style the company has offered for generations.
All of the best Casio watches are made by Casio Computer Co., Ltd, the company which sells and makes all products that are available on the market today, from computers to calculators, to timepieces.
Furthermore, the company boasts several achievements that speak volumes of their reliable quality and pioneering nature in the watchmaking world. One of these notable achievements is that Casio was the first company to release the first mass-produced digital timepieces. This was astounding in a world of watchmakers who were struggling to switch from mechanical gears and springs to quartz-powered electric watches for the first time.
The company does not have any plans to back down from the respected quality and innovative technological development that the founder aimed to achieve when he first founded the company.
Is Casio a Good Watch Brand?
The company was originally founded in 1946 by Tadao Kashio. Their first watch was released in 1974 when the Swiss quartz crisis was on the rise. The quartz crisis was difficult for the watchmaking industry because these watchmakers were forced to move from mechanical gears and springs to quartz-powered timepieces with battery power.
Casio pioneered the first successful electronically run timepieces powered by quartz, officially putting them on the map for many watch collectors. Since then, these watches have been cemented in history as some of the most reliable and technologically sound timepieces available on the market. (3)
“The Casio watch remains a remarkable outlier: a once-advanced device that has been available for a quarter-century and still does exactly what it was designed to do.”
- Jeff Sommer
In the 1980s, these timepieces were the height of fashion and technology, and they have since managed to maintain their reliability in the world of technology and watchmaking.
Today, they remain a good and reliable household brand in several technological industries, including watchmaking. The company shows no signs of giving up its reputation for pioneering the next way forward, and they are now working on developing a new line of digital watches that are powered through radio and tough solar technology.
Is Casio a Luxury Watch Brand?
This brand is not classified as a luxury watch brand, but they are valued highly for their resistance to scratching and water, making them an ideal selection for everyday wear. These watches are made with high-quality materials, and they do produce some luxury timepieces, as well as some vintage timepieces, but most watch collectors will not consider the brand as a whole luxury because of their diverse range of products.
There is some debate as to whether Casio should be considered a luxury brand, however, the notion is often dismissed because their range of watches varies so wildly in cost, with many of their more popular options on the low end of the spectrum. The brand is well respected in the watch collector community and is known quite solidly as a household brand for fashion and reliable technology.
Most luxury watchmakers solely produce refined, high-end watches with pristine craftsmanship and only top-quality components and materials. While the company is known for its superior materials, it is largely known for choosing the best materials for functionality, not for luxuriance. The brand sports a few gold-plated and solid gold watches, however, most of their timepieces are made from polished stainless steel and other practical materials.
Casio is an outlier in that they are well represented across all areas of watchmaking, and they do not specialize in watches. Instead, they offer a range of products, all of which are known to be trustworthy and reliable in quality and technology.
What Type of Movement Do the Most Popular Casio Watches Use?
The type of movement they use in their timepieces varies depending on the watch model and production line. The most popular timepieces which use quartz-powered mechanisms will often utilize Seiko and Miyota movements.
This might be surprising to some watch collectors who open their watches expecting a Casio movement piece, but the times have changed as the company has set its sights on different watchmaking technology.
In the 1980s, this company was at the forefront of quartz movement development and made several breakthroughs that made their brand a technological leader in the watchmaking industry. While they have largely moved away from producing movements for analog timepieces in-house, they do still manufacture some movements in-house. These movements are solely reserved for their digital and solar interfaces, however, as they pioneer a new way to set and power wristwatches.
One reason why Casio might prefer producing digital and solar movements in-house, over the classic analog movements, is that there are plenty of in-house analog movement productions out there.
This company is currently leading the way to popularize a new type of movement with their in-house production of solar and radio-controlled movements. Re-allocating resources to begin producing analog movements in-house would require them to slow down on developing their in-house technology.
What is the Most Expensive Casio Watch?
For a brand that prides itself in providing functional and reliable timepieces for an affordable price, you might be left wondering which one of Casio’s watches are the most expensive.
In late 2019, Casio released a new watch as a part of the G-Shock’s 35th anniversary. Known as the G-D5000-9JR, this is the company’s most expensive watch to date, even several years later. The band, screws, and square casing are made with pure 18-karat yellow gold. They intended to leave the iconic Casio design relatively untouched, giving it a retro feel.
This watch was a continuation of their earlier “Basel World Dream Project” from 2015. The project created a concept watch that is made from 18-karat yellow gold and features all of their trustworthy technology built into a waterproof and impact-resistant casing.
The dial is a digital format that showcases 38 different time zones, an LED backlight, and Multi-Band 6 technology for automatically adjusting to new time zones. The timepiece also features a Tough Solar charging system inside to ensure that the timepiece never loses charge when you need it most.
So, how much is the company’s most expensive watch to date?
Though the initial limited-edition run is no longer in production, the G-D500-9JR retailed for approximately $69,000 when it was first released.
Which Casio Watch is the Best?
Casio produces a wide range of timepieces for almost every need that it can be difficult to choose which one is the best for you. Whether you are looking for a Casio watch that is resistant and withstands the test of time, a watch that looks fashionable, or one that has a good mix of both, you won’t be disappointed with the brand.
Because of the inexpensive price range, it’s easy to find a stylish, inexpensive option for both men and women in the new range of styles. The team at My Gift Stop has picked out two top choices for the best Casio watches: one for the best functionality, and one for the best style. You might not be surprised that some of the most popular Casio watches are chosen for a reason; these timepieces are also some of the best on the market.
Overall, you should choose a watch that makes you proud to wear it. No matter the brand, no matter the style, or the price, wearing a Casio watch has consistently been the hallmark of successful yet philanthropic figures in the world. Both Bill Gates and Pope Francis both wear Casio watches that retail for under $50, which is a surprising revelation considering both have the opportunity to acquire some of the top luxury timepieces.
Best Digital Casio Watch for Functionality
You might not be surprised to hear that our pick for the best watch for functionality also made its debut on the Most Popular Casio watches list. The PAG240 is a superior watch model that features information about the environment with three sensors for temperature, altitude, and pressure, as well as a digital compass and the digital display in the lower corner.
Best Casio Watches for Overall Style
Our pick for the best watch for overall style is the MDV106-1A from the most popular list. This watch is timeless in its style and integrity, providing a simple analog watch for those who only need basic functionality from their timepieces.
Most Popular Casio Watches Good Enough for Billionaires: Which Celebrities Wear These Watches
The Casio collection has stolen the hearts of several celebrities and made its way into the spotlight. Many celebrities, such as John Mayer, Ryan Gosling, and Bill Gates all wear this brand of watch. (4) This brand’s timepieces are famous for keeping up with the times and releasing socially-conscious timepieces, like the recent G-Shock MT-G which was created in support of the LGBTQ community.
“A$AP Ferg, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Dogg are just a few celebrity favorites who have sported G-SHOCK in the past. While many fans often remember the popular watch brand for only having big bold faces and bright pops of color, there has been a noticeable redesign with the company's latest releases.”
- Isis Briones
Many celebrities are known for sporting the latest Casio watches as soon as they are released, no matter if these timepieces are high or low in cost.
Bill Gates, for example, was seen for years sporting a $10 Casio watch until recently, despite the man’s net worth reaching into the billions. He has since upgraded to a $40 Casio watch known as the Casio Sports MDV106-1A.
The musician famous for his out of the box style and creative taste, Tyler the Creator, sports an inexpensive Casio MW24-9B.
The Casio trend doesn’t stop with celebrities. Pope Francis has also been spotted wearing the Casio MW24-7B, a watch that retails for about $13 on My Gift Stop.
References:
- Ellie Krupnick, 8 Reasons Watches Are Still Worth Wearing, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/watches-worth-wearing_n_4675182
- Sayu, The History of Casio, hsjohnson.com/blog/2020/06/the-history-of-casio
- Jeff Sommer, Apple’s Watch Is Smarter, But My Casio Keeps Getting the Job Done, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/business/apple-watch-iphone-casio.html
- Isis Briones, Exclusive: This Celebrity Favorite Watch Brand Just Dropped a New Cutting Edge Timepiece, https://www.forbes.com/sites/isisbriones/2019/06/28/casio-gshock-watch-full-metal-timepiece-launch/?sh=4fdc23eb5e94