Casio W-50U Worldtimer

This is my Casio W-50U Worldtimer. This watch was a gift from a fellow WUS (watchuseek) member. This watch was issued in 1986.

Basic Specifications:

Manufacturer: Casio Japan

Movement: Casio Quartz Module 643

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, month, alarm (5), hourly time signal, countdown alarm (timer), stopwatch, world time (29 cities)

Case: Black resin, stainless steel back plate, mineral glass, water resistant 5 ATM

Dimensions: 32 mm X 36 mm, Height: 8 mm

As can be seen from the photos, this watch has its fair share of 'wabi' and this adds to the character of the watch. The resin case is well made and does not have any rough or sharp edges. The letterings 'CASIO' and 'WR50M' is no longer there on the case above the LCD display as it has long worn out. Same for the letterings 'World Time' below the LCD display. However, this watch is known to have a problem with the case breaking at the strap attachment.

The case back is typical Casio. It is a stainless steel plate held by 4 screws at the 4 corners. The plate is matte, with horizontal brushing. This differs from the vertical brushing found on most G-Shocks. This watch is Made in Japan (Japan C). The normal Casio marking are present at the case back, i.e. module number, model number, water resistant and made in data.

The buttons are a pleasure to use and is very tactile. As with most Casio, there is a confirmation 'beep' when the mode button is selected. The watch will cycle through time display, world time display, alarm, countdown alarm, stopwatch and back to time display. The 'beep' for the return to time display is different from the 'beep' when cycling through the functions. This helps the user in that the user knows when he is back to the normal time display. Additionally, the watch reverts to normal time display when the mode button is selected once an operation has been selected, regardless of mode. What this means is if you have adjusted the alarm in the alarm mode, when you select the mode button, you return to normal time display instead of having to cycle through the entire function modes.

The adjust button is recessed into the case to prevent accidental operation of the button. Sadly this watch does not have any backlighting. The stopwatch allows for net time measurement (start, stop, reset) and split time measurement (start, split, split release, stop, reset). The stopwatch total elapsed display is 23 hours, 59 minutes 59.99 seconds. The countdown alarm can bet set between 1 minute and 24 hours. It has auto repeat and repeat function.

This watch have 5 alarms and it can bet set in a number of ways. This, I believe is the selling point of this watch. The 5 alarms can be set independently from the home time. Each of these alarm can then be set in 4 different ways. It can be used in the following ways:

Daily alarm: beeper sounds at preset time daily

Monthly alarm: beeper sounds on preset date and time once every month

Daily alarm for 1 month: beeper sounds at preset time everyday during the set month

Date alarm: beeper sounds at preset time, month and date

I like the LCD as well. On the top right corner is a world map. The line will be displayed on the map to indicate the time zone you are in. The top left hand corner shows the year. The lower half displays the day, month, date and time. The time display is switchable between 12 hour and 24 hour display. The display is very clear (although the glass has many scratches) as the LCD has a clear background. I like the clarity of the display. However, one short coming is that the time display does not appear when the other functions are selected.

The world time function is good. It will show the time for the 24 time zones and half hour zones for THR (Tehran), KBL (Kabul), DEL (Delhi), RGN (Yangon) and ADL (Adelaide), a total of 29 cities. The city display follows the standard city codes as used by the aviation industry. Selecting the lower right hand button in normal time display, switches the display to the selected city.

The watch is small and it shows when I am wearing it. Although it is small, it is very comfortable. The tapering of the strap does not help. The lug size is an odd 19 mm. The strap is also made in Japan as is the buckle. The buckle is made of plastic. The strap is supple and elastic. Another unique point of this watch is that it has drill through spring bar holes. This makes changing the strap easier.

Overall I like this watch. It is one of two square watch in my collection. It may be small by today standards, but for what it can do, the functions that it has, makes it one of my favourite. The watch can be used as a daily beater and would never look out of place.