[VIDEO] Five Fun Casios Under $50

One look into the catalog of Casio and you’ll notice no shortage of fun and functional digital watches (and also digital pianos, calculators, and medical devices if that’s your thing). Besides maybe the dermatological imaging devices, Casio’s catalog has a lot of different products and the main theme running throughout is their playful nature and quirky features. I appreciate the fact that Casio looks to solve problems (like knowing when to fish, what the tides are, and what time it is in other locales) with interesting and unique displays. Sure, a lot of this can be done by wearing an Apple Watch, but to me, these purpose-built devices just have so much more character than the now ubiquitous Apple Watch. Another cool thing about them is the focus on value and affordability that make adding a Casio (or five) to your collection a great way to bring some fun back into watches. 

Today, we’re taking a look at five watches from Casio, each with their own fun feature sets that clock in at under fifty bucks a piece. Sure, they might not have the catchiest model names, but either way — let’s dig in.

Casio Pop LF20W-8A

Standout Features: Fun animations in a bio-based resin case.

Casio’s Pop LF20W-8A features a bio-based resin case and plenty of features. Between the renewable case material and multi-year battery life, this economical and ecological watch is perfect for slapping on your wrist with minimal impact to the earth and your wrist (since it’s so light). I really like the digital analog display in the upper left and the fun animations inside the circle on the top right. The date is shown along with the day in its own window, with the time and timer/alarm/world time features taking up the bottom portion of the display. An amber-colored LED can light up the dial at night, ensuring that you can tell the time even in the dark. 

WS1500H-5AV Fishing Indicator

Standout Features: Lets you know when to fish!

I will never argue with anyone or anything that tells me to go fishing, and the WS1500H-5AV does just that. Taking the moon phase and moon position into account based on your location, the Casio relies on a mix of this data to indicate four different fishing levels with an approximation of what kind of success you may experience while out on the water. The manual does state that these are based on real data, they are in no way a guarantee of your success while fishing. Don’t go chasing after the folks at Casio if you get skunked, but I myself do take the moon phase and rise/set times into account when I’m figuring out my next trip. Of course you don’t need to be a hardcore fisherman to appreciate the chunky, yet lightweight case of the watch, along with multiple alarm functionality, stopwatch, countdown timer, LED backlight and moon phase display. 

LA20WH-1C “Grandbaby G-SHOCK”

Standout Features: general cuteness and ultra compact size.

A not-so-distant cousin of the (in)famous F-91W, the LA20WH is more G-SHOCK in appearance than it is Casio. What I’m calling the grandbaby G (if the Baby G had a baby) is a tiny little watch that’s barely there on your wrist. While my 6.75” wrist makes this thing feel miniscule, those with smaller wrists or looking to pick up a gift for a child should consider this as a gateway into the world of wearing a watch. It has very basic functionality, but you don’t really need much more than a stopwatch, alarm, calendar, and LED backlight. 

LW204-1B “Integrated”

Standout Feature: sleek look and slim on the wrist.

Sleek, comfortable, and light, the LW204 looks almost like an integrated bracelet sports watch, but much more…resin. Featuring a black resin case and reverse LCD display, this watch is nearly fully blacked out. Like the other watches featured here, there’s an LED backlight, countdown timer, alarm with flashing display, calendar, and stopwatch. It’s simple, but that’s the point. 

WS1300H-8AV Tide Display

Standout Feature: Displays the tide (if you can figure out the lunitidal interval).

Finally, we have the WS1300H with a tide and moon phase display. If you find yourself in the ocean a lot, knowing what the tide is doing can be vital for optimal swimming, fishing, surfing, and boating activities. If your local tide station has an easy to determine lunitidal interval (mine unfortunately does not), you plug that in along with your longitude and the watch displays the current tide for your area. The back of the instruction manual has a ton of popular locations so you can program it to somewhere close by. The chunky grey resin case is comfortable on the wrist and the buttons are large and easy to press. The 10-year battery life is about as close as you can get to set it and forget it without going solar, and the strong feature set makes this an ideal watch to grab and go. 

There you have it, some of my personal favorite Casio watches that won’t break the bank and are certain to add some playfulness to your collection. Sure, many of us have moved past the cheap digital watch phase of our enthusiasm journey, so any of these will also make a great gift for someone who’s not in the know. Let us know in the comments what your favorite affordable digital watches are, we look forward to hearing all about them!