I’m awaiting the arrival of my Casio World Timer.
As a collector of fine mechanical watches, it might seem odd that such a watch should find its way into my collection.
But I like it, because it takes me back so many years – all the way to my childhood, when I first discovered my fascination with watches.
That was in the early ‘80s, and Casio watches were all the rage. I was in my final year of primary school.
I still remember the first Casio I saw. It was on the wrist of a new boy in class. His name was Mark, and his father, an army officer, had brought him to school on his first day. I had never seen a Casio watch before. More than that, a watch that simply displayed the time, without you having to work the time out yourself. (Not that I had any trouble telling the time; I just found it fascinating to see a watch that simply just displayed the time, and no fuss about it.)
For the next few months, I harangued my parents for a digital watch. I was very specific about that. It had to be that way; modern, digital, eye-catching.
Finally, several months later, my father came home with one. I put it on excitedly. As far as my main requirement (digital display), it ticked the box emphatically. However, there was one thing missing – it wasn’t big, black, and bulky like the Casio I’d first seen. It was slim, girly, and elegant. Absolutely fitting for a little girl, but missing the iconic character of a Casio. (It wasn’t a Casio, to be sure. It was a pretty watch, but not a Casio.)
Still, I liked it. I wore it for the longest time. I think it even accompanied me when I went off to boarding school later that year. In the meantime, I acquired other slimline, elegant, girly watches. I liked them all; I’ve liked every watch I’ve ever owned.
But I’d never owned a Casio. And now, almost 40 years on, I’ve decided to pull the trigger on one. Sure, they’re not the most dainty, most beautiful pieces out there. And they are powered by quartz movements, something I would not normally go for. But the Casio is iconic. Quite apart from being a horological marvel (for example, look how many functions are crammed into the World Timer), they hark back to a glorious age (for me) of simplicity, wide-eyed innocence, and fascination with things. It marked the beginning of my enchantment with watches.
And so here comes my Casio World Timer. I fancy I will have as much fun wearing it as I do my other watches. As someone who travels a fair bit, the World Timer function will come in handy – you can tell the time in all the time zones of the world. Normally when I travel, I take along a watch with a second time zone function (often called a ‘GMT’ function), so I can keep track of both local time and home time. The Casio can perform this function when I travel to countries that are not that safe, and where I would hesitate to take along a more expensive watch. The Casio is hardly going to draw attention – or at least, if it draws attention, it will not be of the unwelcome kind.
I’ll post a wrist shot when I get my hands on the watch. That should be any day now.
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