Comments on: Casio Men’s G-Shock Atomic Tough Solar Atomic Watch #GW500A-1V

By: S. Lee

S. Lee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:50:56 +0000

It dropped $5 right I ordered it!! Arghh!

I love the solar, atomic, recessed buttons, light, batt indicator, recessed glass, 4 independent alarms, aluminum frame.

Just wish it had bigger solar cells and better sleep functions.
Citizen's eco series sleeps after a few minutes and awakens in bright light.
Although this type of sleep may be unnecessary for a LCD watch.

The plastic band is not standard, but the pin is much stronger. Its not really a pin, but more like long thin bolts. So finding a replacement band is hard.
Also, its the reverse of how watch bands are put on a watch.
Instead of putting the pin inside the band then squeezing it and putting them in the watch, you put the band in, then put the bolts in from the outside ends.

The watch is big. It sticks out.

The alarm lasts 10 seconds.

The piezo-electric transducer (speaker) is 1/2 inch wide and not particularly loud.
There are three springs inside that pop out, so be extremely careful when disassembling.
To disassemble, remove both parts of the watch band, then the four back cover screws on a solid stable table. Be careful when removing the cover and watch out for those springs.
The battery is a 1616 size cell. It is specially made and it is rechargeable.

Rating: 5 / 5

By: Kevin Anderson

Kevin Anderson — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:02:16 +0000

Great watch and TONS of functions … sadly, it is far cheaper at Walmart for $65.00 USD.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: H. A. Lipps

H. A. Lipps — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:47:09 +0000

Had the watch for several years, it performs well. However, Casio customer support is a complete FAIL. Had to return the watch for service recently; shortly after having received it back from service (and paying $45) the buttons started falling off. I returned it just over a month from the original service date and was told it would be ANOTHER $45 to fix the buttons. Contacting customer support was a COMPLETE waste of time, so don’t bother. According the watch and company gets ZERO stars
Rating: 1 / 5

By: J. Gobert

J. Gobert — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:04:51 +0000

I received my watch within a few days as promised and it was just as described I am very pleased.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: Good Advice

Good Advice — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:07:43 +0000

All of the good reviews must not be from people who have owned tough solar watches for more than a few years. The solar batteries in these watches tend to die after ~5-7 years and can no longer be charged, so the watch becomes worthless unless you have the expensive battery unit replaced, but that defeats the purpose of the solar battery. It would be cheaper in the long run to just buy the non-solar versions and replace the $5 batteries every few years. I feel like the solar gimmick is a scam by casio. Although the watches themselves hold up well and have good features, DO NOT buy SOLAR unless you expect to replace it in a few years.
Rating: 1 / 5