pritch
August 10th, 2006, 16:43
To most collectors, Pro-Treks are G-Shocks in all but name. They're big, tough, and full of features. In fact all they lack is the extra rubber shielding that makes a G a G.
But as with Gs, not all Pro-Treks are made equal. The Pro-Trek range begins with some rather cheaply-made plastic watches that aren't really very nice at all. The PRG-60T is not one of them.
This watch was bought for me for my 21st birthday and when you first hold it in your hand it has all the quality you could hope for in a product marking such a milestone. It looks and feels fantastic.
This, you see, is Casio's attempt at a sexy Pro-Trek, in the same way that we've been treated to sexy G's in recent years. All the advanced triple-sensor functions are here - thermometer, alti/barometer/graph and digital compass. But there is also a titanium strap as light as it is pretty and an all-alloy face with smooth buttons integrated seemlessly into its perfectly-rounded case. There's a tough solar circle with luminous hour markers surrounding the digital part of the display and in the middle there are, most importantly, big red and black analogue hands. Nice.
So, is this the dream package; the perfect marriage of style and functionality?
No.
There are one or two problems. Yes, you get your triple sensor functionality, but don't expect it to be as useful as in an all-digital model like the PRG-40. In the compass mode there is no twincept display to show you your bearing - you have to peer at hard-to-see dots around the edge of the display. And in the barometer and altimeter modes you do not get a dot matrix dispay in the top window - it may look like it, but it is in fact an oridinary LCD panel. This means the barograph function is very weak. Whereas other models plot dots on the graph for every rise and fall of 1mb this display represents changes in pressure via a series of dashes, and shows only a higher or lower dash if the pressure changes by 3mb or more each hour. That doesn't happen very often and so you end up with a series of dashes, which is more or less useless. You also have to press B to show the temperature rather than the graph. In the altimeter mode, there is no graph at all, the temperature and current altitude are displayed. This means no progress graph, and no target altitude. There are 50 altitude records and a 24 hour stopwatch, but just one daily alarm and no countdown timer.
There is also an issue with the materials used on the case. I could not understand how a tough outdoors watch with such a strong strap could have its case made out of such weak alloy. It looks great, but you have only to brush it against something and it will scratch and chip the fine rim that surrounds the display. If you want to keep those looks then you can't possibly wear it in the rough. Finally the corner buttons are a bit tricky to press and I've noticed Mode has deterioated with age.
In many ways then this is an example of aesthetics being given priority over function. It's like one of those big swanky SUVs that can't actually go off-road. It's a bit useless.
And yet... I love it.
It just looks so good on the wrist, and so much classier and modern than all of the other Pro-Trek designs. You feel you could wear this driving an expensive sports car to a trendy party. It's light on the wrist for such a big watch and comfortable thanks to that clean design with no lumps protuding from it.
That little LCD window at the top may be rubbish but the digits look like they've come off a Breitling and that's... just fantastic.
This then is a seriously cool Casio and it's why, in spite of its irritating flaws, I will not be getting rid of mine.
Just make sure you also get a resin PRG-80 for the mucky stuff.
But as with Gs, not all Pro-Treks are made equal. The Pro-Trek range begins with some rather cheaply-made plastic watches that aren't really very nice at all. The PRG-60T is not one of them.
This watch was bought for me for my 21st birthday and when you first hold it in your hand it has all the quality you could hope for in a product marking such a milestone. It looks and feels fantastic.
This, you see, is Casio's attempt at a sexy Pro-Trek, in the same way that we've been treated to sexy G's in recent years. All the advanced triple-sensor functions are here - thermometer, alti/barometer/graph and digital compass. But there is also a titanium strap as light as it is pretty and an all-alloy face with smooth buttons integrated seemlessly into its perfectly-rounded case. There's a tough solar circle with luminous hour markers surrounding the digital part of the display and in the middle there are, most importantly, big red and black analogue hands. Nice.
So, is this the dream package; the perfect marriage of style and functionality?
No.
There are one or two problems. Yes, you get your triple sensor functionality, but don't expect it to be as useful as in an all-digital model like the PRG-40. In the compass mode there is no twincept display to show you your bearing - you have to peer at hard-to-see dots around the edge of the display. And in the barometer and altimeter modes you do not get a dot matrix dispay in the top window - it may look like it, but it is in fact an oridinary LCD panel. This means the barograph function is very weak. Whereas other models plot dots on the graph for every rise and fall of 1mb this display represents changes in pressure via a series of dashes, and shows only a higher or lower dash if the pressure changes by 3mb or more each hour. That doesn't happen very often and so you end up with a series of dashes, which is more or less useless. You also have to press B to show the temperature rather than the graph. In the altimeter mode, there is no graph at all, the temperature and current altitude are displayed. This means no progress graph, and no target altitude. There are 50 altitude records and a 24 hour stopwatch, but just one daily alarm and no countdown timer.
There is also an issue with the materials used on the case. I could not understand how a tough outdoors watch with such a strong strap could have its case made out of such weak alloy. It looks great, but you have only to brush it against something and it will scratch and chip the fine rim that surrounds the display. If you want to keep those looks then you can't possibly wear it in the rough. Finally the corner buttons are a bit tricky to press and I've noticed Mode has deterioated with age.
In many ways then this is an example of aesthetics being given priority over function. It's like one of those big swanky SUVs that can't actually go off-road. It's a bit useless.
And yet... I love it.
It just looks so good on the wrist, and so much classier and modern than all of the other Pro-Trek designs. You feel you could wear this driving an expensive sports car to a trendy party. It's light on the wrist for such a big watch and comfortable thanks to that clean design with no lumps protuding from it.
That little LCD window at the top may be rubbish but the digits look like they've come off a Breitling and that's... just fantastic.
This then is a seriously cool Casio and it's why, in spite of its irritating flaws, I will not be getting rid of mine.
Just make sure you also get a resin PRG-80 for the mucky stuff.