The Best Watch for Travel: Casio Sport Watch W800H-1AV Review

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I bought the Casio Sport Watch W800H-1AV on Amazon in 2011 just before my first backpacking trip abroad. I knew I needed a reliable watch to keep track of time for train and bus schedules while I was traveling in Europe. Since then, I have worn this watch in almost 60 countries on 6 continents. Needless to say, I’m really happy with it. Here’s my full review.

This watch is excellent for travelers. Features include:

Dual time- You can know the time at home with the press of a button. I love this feature because I no longer have to count hours to know what time it is back home so I don’t call in the middle of the night.
Alarm- I mostly use my smartphone for this now, but if I absolutely must wake up at a certain time, like to catch a flight, for example, I will set the alarm on my watch as a backup.
Rugged- I have worn this watch for 7 years and traveled to 56 countries with it and it still functions perfectly.
Water resistance- I have dived to 30 meters with this watch. I have also showered and washed my hands countless times while wearing this Casio. It is water resistant to 100 meters.
Long battery life- According to Casio, the battery lasts for 10 years. I have never changed mine. So far it’s going still going strong after 7 years of use.
Back-light- Great for checking the time in the dark of the night in my tent or hostel room. I don’t need to be blinded by my phone screen at 3 am.
12 and 24 hour time settings- Depending on where you are traveling, one system may be more useful. Many transportation schedules work on 24 hour time. I also prefer 24 hour time for setting alarms because you don’t have to worry about am or pm.
Date and day of the week indication- Sometimes when traveling, you lose track of the days. It is really handy to be able to just look at your wrist for the date when applying for visas.
It’s not flashy- This watch will not be a target for pickpockets or thieves. There is no flashy gold band or anything fancy.
It’s cheap- If you break it, lose it, or it gets stolen, you’re not out too much money. It can easily be replaced.

What I don’t like about the Casio Sport Watch W800H-1AV

My only complaint about this watch is that the face is a bit too thick for my liking. I prefer smaller watches. After accidentally bashing the face on various objects dozens of times, it still looks and functions fine, but it is kind of annoying. I also have thinner than average wrists so a small watches look better on me. With that being said, I will continue to use my Casio until it dies and after that, I will replace it with the exact same watch.