Casio Hits The Hills With New PRO TREK Biomass PRG340

Casio is expanding their PRO TREK Biomass collection with a new Climber Series reference PRG340 featuring a suite of features focused on climbers and navigators. This isn’t a field style watch, or simply an outdoor themed watch, it’s quite literally a digital tool equipped with relevant and handy features for those that prefer traversing the wilds on foot. It’s a watch bristling with buttons and screens just begging to be taken advantage of (or at the very least, tested out of curiosity, perhaps on a walk home from work). It might look like a lot, but it’s actually rather intuitive thanks to a slew of well labeled buttons and large duplex LCD screen. It’s also made using bio-mass plastics.

The latest watch to don the PRO TREK name arrives in a trio of options, offering green, black, and titanium case and bracelet options. But the real star of the show here is the screen and surrounding real estate. The screen is constructed of multiple layers upon which to display information, from heading graphics and compass bearings, to more mundane stuff like the time and date. A dedicated area at the top can be used for a variety of user selected readouts depending on your activity. It’s a bit larger than the off-center screen found on the PRG240, and provides a more symmetrical screen design for better legibility.

The bezel can be rotated to set compass readings on the go, and if you need to reference a map in the process, the lugs articulate enough to lay flat so the watch can be placed on the surface directly as needed. This should also allow for easier storage when traveling. The arrow of buttons that flank the 3 o’clock side of the case will recall compass bearing, barometric pressure, temperature, and altitude with a press – all pretty handy depending on your potential surroundings. 

While this watch is clearly meant for folks exploring rural, even extreme places, I’d say the sensors on this watch offer a rather practical set of data regardless of your locale. The watch itself, measuring a stout 54.7 × 51.7 × 15.1mm is perhaps less practical, but the overall weight of just 54 grams should make this watch a pretty easy wear. So even if you’re not heading up the side of a mountain, don’t let the extreme capabilities of the watch turn you away, you might just find a rather handy walking-around-the-neighborhood type of gadget. 

The PRO TREK PRG340-1 (black) and PRG340-3 (green) are priced at $280, while the titanium clad PRG340T-7 will set you back $370. All three watches are available to pre-order right now directly from Casio.