Casio Tough Solar Watches Review: G-Shock, Protrek, Oceanus, Ocws

Casio Tough Solar movement makes the watches sustainable time measuring instruments – another step closer to the coveted perpetuum mobile. Technically, Tough Solar watches – nearly every collection, including Pathfinder, Waverceptor, and G-Shock offers models containing it – could last as long as the sun continues to shine, or civilization to produce artificial light. Casio's direct competitor in the department of solar propelled time keeping is Citizen Eco Drive.

To prove how much confidence Casio have in this technological development, the company incorporated into its daughter company Oceanus – a brand offering luxury automatic mechanical chronographs. Indeed, the solar battery system is powerful and big enough to sustain analog watches with conventional hands, be they luxury or not.

Within the digital electronic realm, G-Shock stands out as the collection that features most Tough Solar pieces. The complications and sensors, along with the standard backlights – notoriously energy intensive features – all draw their power from the sun.

Protrek is a Sports line of traveler's watches also known as the “triple sensor” – a reference to its capacity to measure altitude (up to ten thousand meters) and various weather data. Additional functions include a digital compass (bidirectional, northerly calibration), world time including 33 cities memory, and the (super cool) electro-luminescent backlight with afterglow.

Protrek is a close relative of the Mudman and similar G-Shock collections, and provides a bulkier alternative to the Pathfinder.

With Oceanus Casio aim to catch up (and outrun) Seiko's Spring Drive – not in terms of that particular Seiko movement, but in terms of general ability to go forward and develop new things. Oceanus, according to the official press release, is the world's first solar propelled, atomic calibrating, mechanical chronograph.

Employing metal instead of resin, encasing traditional calibers, and demonstrating uncharacteristically conservative dial design, this timepiece clearly raises the stakes for Casio: the company seeks to expand into the high-end spheres of the watch industry.