Casio AE1200, the only digital watch you’ll need

If you’ve been following along I’m taking a step back from the Apple Watch, something I’m not ready to go into just yet but it’s let me get back into watches. I’ve always been fascinated by watches and have a nostalgic love for Casio so I picked up the AE1200 for £24.

It’s retro look reminds of something that might see in films such as Aliens and Blade Runner and I love it. At less than £25 it’s also a bargain. I’ve been wearing the F-91w a lot but still find it a little small sometimes, especially with my ageing eyes.

I mean it when I say it’s the only digital watch you’ll need though. It has a good backlight, has nice large numerics, a timer and stop watch. The main selling point is as a world timer but I work for the UK arm of the company and the majority of my friends are UK based so have little use for it to be honest. Having this though doesn’t add any complication to using it day to day, it doesn’t get in the way.

You’ll see from looking at it (especially side on) that it bears some resemblance to a G-Shock but aside from water resistance it won’t be as durable. This is where my two negatives come into play. The screen is plastic (what else would I expect at less than £30) so it’s scratched up. Secondly the buttons aren’t recessed so they get hit accidentally, quite a lot. If you wear any sort of bracelet alongside then you’ll be changing time zones multiple times a day.

I’d love to see a new model with recessed buttons and a bit of a tougher screen, I’d happily pay double for it. A white version would look great too, some free tips for you there Casio.

For less than a video game you get yourself a great daily wear watch that has a lot of functionality that you’ll use throughout your day. It’s resin strap is comfortable as most Casio are and the light is outstanding.

If you’re after a digital then this is the place to start looking.

Lee Peterson @LJPUK