Casio Men's Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch #PAW1300T-7V

I've got a bit of a watch fetish but tend to be loyal to one watch that I wear into the ground over years. My beloved Seiko was ruined after two decades of dependable service by an inept repairman, so I've been looking for a new everyday companion. Requirements: rugged, reliable, feature-rich, yet good-looking enough for everything ranging from outdoors activities to formal business meetings. Illumination. Dual-time capability, ideally with city-code time-zone selection. And gadgets... I love gadgets in my watch.

After a lot of semi-obsessive research including lurking here, I found what I was looking for in the titanium PAW1300T-7V. Previously I'd been attracted by the features and technology of Casio Pathfinders, Suuntos, etc, but put off by their bulk, clunky plastic looks, and the difficulty of getting replacement bands as needed after a few years' wear. Plus, most service technicians won't warrant the water resistance of a watch after a battery replacement, so a solar-powered movement was attractive.

The PAW1300 series is considerably slimmer than previous ABC (Altimeter-Barometer-Compass) Pathfinders and others such as Suunto, with no loss of functionality, thanks to clever design, and the titanium model's solid metal band should last pretty much forever. The watch's compass display is a good example of how Casio has managed the downsizing trick: the dual, overlaid LCDs that provide a cool but bulky compass solution in other Pathfinders is replaced in the PAW1300s with a radial tick-mark in the main LCD. Same functionality, half the thickness.

Observations:

o In my West Coast house, the atomic time update works every night even though I tend to wear the watch to bed. The instruction manual's advice to leave the watch on a windowsill so the nightly shortwave radio update from WWVB can be received isn't necessary for my home's lath-and-plaster construction. It was, however, necessary in a recent hotel stay, with thick concrete walls and steel framing. No worries, though: the watch is highly accurate even if it must miss the nightly updates for some reason. It's a digital quartz watch, so you can depend on it in any circumstance. The atomic updates just provide millisecond-class icing on the cake for crazy accuracy-obsessed people like me.

o The world time feature is essential to road warriors like me. It's very nice to be able to display the local time (selected by scrolling through major city codes) as well as the time back home, simultaneously on the same screen.

o The barometer is fantastic. It's like having your own weather station on your wrist. Love the mode with the baro graph visible at all times-- great for at-a-glance weather trend estimations.

o The altimeter works well, typically accurate to 100 feet or so, but read the manual so you understand how it works, how to use it, and how ambient conditions can impact its accuracy. Since it's based on barometric pressure, changes in the weather will affect its readings. In a climb or hike where you care about accuracy, take the extra few seconds to calibrate it against known waypoint elevations every once in a while. It's a ten-second process. Incidentally, the altimeter is a nice tool to evaluate airlines with. The lower the effective altitude in the cabin at cruise, the more the airline values your comfort and health.

o A review I've seen elsewhere that complains about the band being unable to go over a wetsuit sleeve is rather annoying. First, it's not a diver's watch. It's not marketed or specified for diving, and frankly I'd be concerned for the safety of any diver (and his companions!) who is so clueless about an essential piece of equipment. 100m water resistance is fine for swimming and snorkeling, but to repeat: it's not a diver's watch. And diver's watches generally have widely-adjustable rubber straps rather than size-and-forget metal straps, so gripes about the band are prima facie evidence of folks to avoid diving with.

o The solar battery recharge works great. (The solar cell is cleverly configured as a decorative ring around the display that provides a contrast to the tick-markings and alphanumeric labels that rim the display.) I've yet to see anything but maximum charge despite habitual playing with the watch's features and frequent use of the backlight.

o The compass works great too, quick and accurate. (Be sure to hold the watch level, and read the manual for greatest satisfaction.)

o Stopwatch, alarm and similar timing features generally work as expected.

o The thermometer works accurately if you leave the watch off your wrist for twenty minutes or more-- for example, next to your sleeping bag when camping so you can check the temp when you wake up. Its purpose really isn't to measure ambient conditions but to compensate the calibration of the pressure sensor, a tiny piezoresistive silicon element about the size of a grain of salt if you were to dig into the triple-sensor assembly. Piezoresistive sensors measure strain, such as the strain on a diaphragm due to air-pressure. But they have a thermal dependence, so the thermometer is mostly intended to monitor the watch's temperature on your wrist rather than the ambient air, and having it available as a readout is a bonus. If ambient temperature is important to you, take the watch off for a while.

o The button-activated backlight's duration is a bit brief, but made up for by the ability to trigger the backlight automatically just by tilting your wrist. This feature is easily enabled and disabled, too. I do wish the illumination button had a little pip or something on it to make it easier to locate in the dark. And a two-second illumination option, as found on other Casios, would be nice to have... but I suspect this was omitted as an engineering choice favoring battery life. Shrug.

o The buttons are easy to work and sensibly laid out.

o Comfort: excellent. The construction and materials are top-notch, with a nice finishing touches. It's a really good-looking watch, and not comically huge like most in this class. It has no trouble sliding under a shirt cuff... but you'll want it out, both for best solar charging and maybe, let's face it, to show it off just a little. It's a head-turner.

o The band uses an uncommon pin arrangement; be sure whoever sizes it to your wrist knows what they're doing. I suspect folks posting an occasional review here or there who have complained about pins falling out are the victims of clueless technicians who are unfamiliar with this type of pin-and-sleeve arrangement, also used by Seiko on some of its models.

o There are other clever engineering tricks that presumably aim to maximize life of a thinned battery. The display, for example, will go blank in the dark, then automagically come back on instantly if the room lights come on (and of course if you press the illumination button). You have to be quick to catch it blanked!

All in all, I'd give the watch a 10 out of 10. Nice work, Casio. The PAW1300 series is a world-class accomplishment.


I purchased this watch in February after extensive research and reading of reviews, and have worn it every day since. Overall, I am very pleased. I don't use all the features (e.g., altimeter), but it's nice to have the option and extra gadgets. Casio - why not add in the moon phase feature while you're at it! My wife's a 4th grade teacher and said that the moon phase gadget would be a nice feature to have so that she could anticipate the full moon and be prepared for her kids to be a bit more unruly.

Pros: Titanium band makes is acceptable to wear with a shirt and tie; compass is very accurate; having multiple alarms is great; being able to show two time zones on the same display is VERY useful. The barometer readings are fairly accurate, but obviously are effected when you're going outdoors to indoors. But if hiking or out with the dog for the day, it's a perfect feature.

Cons: I tried removing a few links by myself and was unsuccessful. I have removed links on several watches before, but after many attempts at removing links on the PAW1300T-7V, I was afraid that I'd do permanant damage (to the watch and link-removing tool) so I took it to my local jeweler - 5min and $10 later, the watch fit like a glove. Also, the atomic sync feature doesn't always work. If I leave the watch on my night stand (next to the window) before I go to bed, it only receives a signal and syncs automatically about once a week. However, I've had better luck syncing manually when outdoors early on the morning.


I don't want to repeat what everyone else said before me. I am sure by the time you read this review, you are already familiar with how great this watch is.

The one thing I would like to mention is that this watch has a LOT of functions and it is difficult to remember how every single function works. But if and when you get use to this watch, it is one of the best gadget ever built.

Some things that other people might not have mentioned before is this watch has a tilt sensor so that you can view your watch in the dark by simply tilting your wrist toward you. My wife thought that was the coolest feature.

Another interesting thing is that if you remove the back cover to change the battery, the watch would actually display a "cover is open" message. I thought that was cool.

Lastly, I LOVE the titanium band. That really lightens up the watch. And the 24 hour barometric pressure trend plot is really cool. You are practically a walking weatherman if you have this watch.

You would love this watch.


Large, easy to read face and lighter than you'd expect from such a sized watch. Easy to use functions.


I have owned several altimeter watches. This is definitely my favorite watch of all time, altimeter or otherwise. Here's why I love it...
1) Durability: The face is recessed to avoid scratches, the metal band won't wear out like resin bands, the pins joining the band to the body are reinforced, and the clasp piece double/triple locks in place. There is no watch as durable as this that I have been able to find anywhere. I break things, I break things a LOT, I don't think I'll be breaking this.
2) Solar power: One famous problem of altimeter watches is the huge amount of battery power they draw. The solar power face of this watch works well, keeps the battery charged, and avoids battery changes. What a great idea!!! Think Green, go solar!
3) Other cool features: Atomic time keeping works and is a cool little feature. The altimeter could have better resolution (only 20 feet) but is adequate for the purpose. The thermometer & barometer are as good as any other altimeter watch. The compass works well and has occasionally come in handy. Lastly, the watch has a cool little feature that detects its movement so that the back light can come on automatically when you look at the watch! This also works so that the display can go blank at night to save battery but lights up when you look at the watch.
4) History: I have a few friends with this watch they all love it. Last week I met a college student from Venezuala. He had the previous version of this same watch. His dad bought it several years ago and spent a few years motorcycling around europe & asia with it. When we got back he gave it to his son who wore it while motorcycling around north america and then wore it to college. So this watch had multiple years of heavy wear on it and still worked perfectly...they loved it too!
Three cheers to casio.

TO CASIO (if you find this): I love your watch, can you make a version dedicated to skiers? Ditch the compass, expand the altimeter features to be 3 foot intervals and create a log that counts your ski runs.


Don't need my glasses to see the large readout. All functions work perfectly. You need to remove the watch from your wrist to get an accurate readout of the air temperature or you'll get something closer to 98.6


This is a great watch. My initial thought was to get the Tissot T touch but this is far better than the tissot watch. This is solar powered and so no headache of battery change etc.

I got the 7V version as I wanted something more formal and this watch is best for that.

So far no complains in over 2 months. Just go for it!!


Hats off to Casio on this one! Automatic time updates reliably every morning, compass is accurate and easy to use, barometric pressure is precise to .05" Hg. The solar-recharge battery works as advertised, needing only a few minutes or so of direct sunlight every couple of days to remain at high charge level. Reasonably sized and lighter than expected. A lot of watch for the money.


I bought this watch as a gift for my bf. he loves the watch as its handy for so many reasons, and it completely brings out the geek in him. We've relied on it multiple times as a compass to get us headed in the right direction when we are lost. He also uses the timer a lot when he is cooking to make sure he doesn't burn anything. Also when we travel, its easy to adjust to the local timezone as the main time, but still have our hometown timezone listed on the bottom. Its also waterproof and extremely light weight. when he lifts his arm the LED light turns on automatically, making checking time in the dark fantastically easy.
if you man doesn't like to wear jewelry but you want to buy him something anyway, this is a great solution. Its utility also.


I originally bought the thicker version of this watch and eventually returned it. I was so thankful when Casio developed the "thin" version that I ordered it as soon as it became available.

I've been wearing this watch daily for over 1.5 years at the time of this review. It's a gem of a watch. I have several options available including a couple of Seiko's I like to wear. Except in very formal attire (weddings, anniversary dinner, & etc.), I opt for the PAW1300T-7V, even when nicely dressed for work. Though YMMV. I know I looked at Suunto's and the older Casio Pathfinders, including the ones with tides. I live nowhere near the water, so I wouldn't get a lot of use out of that, but that's literally about the only function I can think of that this thing doesn't have.

The titanium band helps this watch feel exceptionally light considering all of its functions. The Barometer is fairly accurate even without calibrating, the digital compass is quite good, even when using it indoors. The thermometer is accurate, but needs to be removed from your arm for at least 10-15 min. for it to pickup room temperature. No big deal and if you are climbing or hiking, you probably already have another compass with you.

I bought this watch because I wanted as much functionality with my Every Day Carry as I could get, I liked the design, and the solar power along with Atomic time made this in a class by itself. I'm really surprised that a competitor hasn't brought out something comparable, as this watch is very popular and gets rave reviews on many equipment/outdoors forums.

I bang this watch into everything and it sees a lot of action, but the band has withstood it all as has the faceplate. Other than minor scuffing and some tiny dents, it looks pretty new. I have yet to see the battery move off of the high charge indicator - not even to Medium. If you use the tip function to auto-light the face, it may wear it down, but I have used the light plenty without it draining much. It's about as accurate as it gets with the Naval Observatory Atomic time synchronization, and even if you happen to be somewhere you can't get signal it keeps excellent time. I find the dual timezones very useful for travel or when working with teammates overseas. One feature I found to be very useful is the barometric readout over time (graph) which really does help you note when the weather is about to turn. It's like having your own personal weather station.

This thing has nearly everything you could want in a watch with no compromises on design, price, or quality. Casio truly delivered with this watch. This watch replaces a lot of equipment (much of which you probably wouldn't carry all at once!) Couple this with a GPS and a backup Silva compass and you are set.

Pros:
1. Excellent Design and Quality craftsmanship
2. Light Titanium frame - much lighter than even some of my thin stainless watches. The band clasp has a nice safety in case you snag it on something. You have to squeeze the sides in to release it.
3. The functions are really endless. Except for tides, this thing has the kitchen sink. Barometer, Thermometer, Compass, Altimeter. World time, multi-function Stop-watch, Timer (countdown), multiple alarms, bright blue-glo backlight, solar-powered... the list is amazing, and they all function very well. No compromises on ease of use or capability here.
4. For all the features, this thing is a miracle of modern technology. The fact that they made this fit in a watch half the thickness of it's predecessor and MUCH thinner than any of it's competition says it all.
5. Tough as nails. I've been swimming many times, including salt-water. I've done heavy construction with it on, banged it against numerous surfaces and dropped it more times than I can count.

Cons:
I seriously have to think to come up with any detraction. I really can't come up with any Cons. I think that might be a first.

Wishlist for next version:
1. Tides (hey, why not throw in the kitchen sink)
2. Luminous hands/dials incorporated so you can check the time without using the backlight.
3. make the solar array a bit smaller in diameter to give more surface area to the face.
4. Calculator? ;-)

Seriously, sometime in the future a version will have like 100GB storage, USB uplink, and probably will be an MP3 player and get RSS/Atom feeds over the air. But for now, this thing is top notch equipment at a VERY reasonable price (especially on Amazon). I was happy to spend less, get more functionality in a thin light design compared to it's closest competition.

About Casio Men's Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch #PAW1300T-7V detail

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99 in Watches
• Brand: Casio
• Model: PAW1300T-7V
• Dimensions: .60 pounds
• Band material: Titanium
• Bezel material: Titanium
• Case material: Resin
• Clasp type: fold-over-clasp-with-safety
• Dial color: gray
• Dial window material: Mineral
• Movement type: Quartz
• Water-resistant to 330 feet

Features

• Quartz movement
• 24Hr. Countdown Timer, 1/100 Sec. Stopwatch, 12/24 Hr. Formats, 5 Daily Alarms; Bearing Memory
• World Time (30 Cities), Digital Compass with 16 points of measurement, Altimeter, Barometer
• Tough Solar Power; Auto EL Backlight; High / Low altitude memory; Cumulative ascent / descent memory; Relative altitude display
• Water resistant up to 330 feet (100 M); Barometer; Thermometer

Read more Casio Men's Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch #PAW1300T-7V

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