Swatch, Casio Data Bank, Seiko and Other Watches

Cool! A Forerunner of modern smart watches.

 

Except the batteries in Casios usually last several years. I was so excited when Palm announced they were releasing a watch.
Then I saw the battery life and was very disappointed, and dismissed it.

I have had item 31 on this page since 1989 when the catalogue was published. I reckon it is on about the fifth battery.

 

Yeah, it is truly said! Several at least, some models up to 10+ years.

And thanks to Casio Tough Solar and Citizen Eco-Drive now there is no need to worry about
batteries at all.
My first Eco-Drive Orca is over 10 years old now and still feels fine.

 

Going through my tool chest, I found a CMD-40B and a it's "knock-off" I had forgotten about owning:

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...1jcrpyHmM&w=294&h=451&hl=en-US&source=sh/x/im

The genuine needs a battery and wristband, but it appears to be in good condition... save maybe one side button seeming a bit sticky. I wonder if I can get it to work with my Element/Hisense televisions...?

 

I've done many times, with both my Clié and Treo 600, whenever I took my late friend to visit the doctors.

 

I had a lot of Casio watches in my youth, I loved all the gadgets and functions they had that no other watch at the time(ahem!) did. I've no idea where they are now sadly, I'd love to find them all. I had many of the databank ones in succession, the Casio watch page was one of my favourite pages in the Argos catalogue.

 

An odd thought just entered my head: What are vintage Swatches now worth? Yes, I know the focus here is Casios... but when I first wore one (Casio) everyone else was caught-up in the Swatch trend. So....

 

Great to see so many Casio products in the same (Arab News) advert. A friend at college went out and bought the Space Invaders one as soon as it was advertised.

That is like asking how much a Sony Walkman is worth without quoting the model number or condition. With Swatch watches there were literally hundreds of designs.

Last year I got a bit obsessed with slim watches, as a reaction against the fashion for watches the size of Alarm Clocks. As well as the Casio databank I have already posted a picture of, bought these two.


The orange face one is a Casio. The battery has gone flat since I bought it. With a new battery the LCD displays date etc. It even has an alarm.

The white one is a Swatch Skin.

At 3.9mm thick the Swatch has the Casio beat for thickness. The two of them together are thinner than a standard CD case, which is what is in the background.



I also have a couple of Swatch Skuba watches but have never owned a standard one.

p.s Proving that Google is watching us all, a web advert that just mysterious appeared was
https://www.watchnation.com/product...MI96GP05_L6wIVcWHmCh0vIgaJEAQYAiABEgLoXfD_BwE

I did use Google to check the thickness of the Skin so that would be what triggered the advert.
They don't realise I have never spent more than £50 on a watch.

 

I just checked completed listings. The most expensive was a prototype that sold for $3899
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SWATCH-K...876310?hash=item4b6e86d116:g:1XAAAOSwlkhd1Vn4

The next highest was a collection of 50 new ones that sold for £1300
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swatch-W...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

At £26 each that wasn't a financially profitable investment for the original purchaser as I recall they cost about that in the 1980s.
You could get a pretty nice Casio for the price of a basic Swatch.

 

I get the impression that they are now like a slightly more upmarket version of Timex. As you say there are now loads of styles with both plastic and metal cases. Originally there was just one style but in dozens of different colours and patterns.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/581875/swatch-watch-history

Although I bought one new in the early 1990s I always felt they were slightly too expensive compared to the Casios where the same price would get you a watch full of novel features. I just checked the 1990 Argos Catalogue and they only had Swatch look alikes. Plenty of Casio though. I bought item 17 back then and it still works

 

citizen echo drive are rubbish my friend, had several over the years and they use a rechargeable sell that lasts about 5 years and then you are screwed as you need to send it back to citizen..... lol,,,, i have 3 here that don''t work

here is one i own that doesn't work
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citizen-...580713?hash=item46b3ff8f29:g:uPMAAOSwrg1fPjJb

otherwise great thread guys

 

just looked at the watch and it is now working lol what gives haha