Casio Men’s PAW1300T-7V Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch Review
I got this watch for Christmas a year ago. I spent a lot of time researching which watch I wanted and this brand and model that had everything I wanted. While I wanted the related one with the resin band (easier to resize when wearing over flight gloves), the titanium band has stood the test of time (pun intended) and the additional ruggedness was a welcome surprise.
Altimeter: I am a military aviator and the altimeter function has given me advanced notice when our aircraft was not properly pressurizing…BEFORE the rest of the crew was aware there was even a problem. Other people have commented that it doesn’t work in an airplane and that is not entirely correct; this watch will give you the PRESSURE altitude (which is based on the pressure of the air), not the aircraft’s altitude. If you are in a standard passenger airplane, the watch will read 3000-5000 feet depending on the make/model of aircraft and conditions/company policies/etc. Don’t expect it to normally do otherwise unless the airplane depressurizes (in which case the screaming, sudden slipstream, and instant fog will likely be better indicators that there is a problem). Yes, it only does it in increments of 20 feet, but then again, aircraft analog altimeters are generally have tick marks only every 20 feet (at best) too; with a pressure altitude reading, you’re going to have some error in it and the results merely round it to the nearest answer; still quite useful.
Compass: I recently went through military survival training and used this watch while navigating through the mountains of Washington state. While you need to take magnetic deviation into account (this device takes readings based on Magnetic North, not True North), I found it nearly as accurate as a handheld compass, but easier to read.
Thermometer: Pretty accurate, but you basically have to not wear it to make it so. Otherwise, your body temperature seems to throw it off 5-10 degrees. When out in the woods in survival training, I found the woods to be about 45-50 degrees and it was useful for that.
Solar Powered: Rocks! No complaints whatsoever. Works like a champ.
Atomic Clock: 4 out of 5 because I am concerned about what happens in the Western Pacific. Here in the states it doesn’t seem to have many problems. I’ve heard that similar watches have problems with the Japanese version, so we’ll see. You pick a time zone and it automatically syncs with the time. On top of that, and this is a big bonus for an aviator, you can set it to military time and display two times at once (Zulu and Local time!).
Watchband: Don’t take it to Wal-Mart to get the band sized; take it to an experienced jeweler. Major downside is that the parts are ALL custom-made. My watch had a pin break in the band (seems to be a relatively common occurrence) and it has taken some time to get a replacement part. You CANNOT substitute another band for the one it comes with and the pin is non standard. It something breaks, expect to send it in and wait 4-6 weeks for repair. I’ve had two experienced jewelers try to fix it and the replacement pin broke/fell apart mere hours later on both occasions.
Other: The times are also displayed quite large and are easy to read. When you tilt the watch to look at the time (and it is dark), it automatically senses that movement and turns on the backlight. The downside for military folks is that this feature cannot be disabled. This could be problematic in combat/low-light situations. The only other major complaint I have is that the buttons can be a little too easily pressed. This is basically true for just about any digital watch with side buttons, but I still wish they could make it a little less sensitive. I also noted that someone was worried about dust and dirt getting under the glass. Don’t worry. Like any watch, you can get grime where the face and watch meet, but it stops there and is easily cleaned with a Q-tip and water or just a washcloth.
Overall: 4 out of 5 (takes a major hit for the broken pin and replacement time)
Casio Men’s PAW1300T-7V Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch Feature
- Quartz movement
- 24 hr. countdown timer, 1/100 Sec. stopwatch, five 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 to 330 feet (100 M)
Casio Men’s PAW1300T-7V Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Silver Watch Overview
Featuring tough solar power, multi-band atomic timekeeping, and a digital compass, they don’t call this watch the Pathfinder for nothing. This slim silver and black men’s watch from Casio features resin construction and a 47-millimeter titanium case, bezel, and band. The light green-gray dial has a digital time display and a day and date calendar. Powered by digital quartz, the Pathfinder is also water resistant to 330 feet.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jul 13, 2010 06:20:21
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