Leader of Watch Tech: Casio Oceanus
When you look at most famous watchmakers, you see histories and stories that date back more than a century. Casio, however, is a name that is relatively newer to the picture and the Casio Oceanus is even newer. What neither of them isn’t though is lesser than the top brands and watches currently present in the global watchmaking industry. Casio is a Japanese company that came into being in 1946 and its foundation is in the name of a famous engineer named Tadao Kashio. With its headquarters in Tokyo, the company has created some of the most pioneering electronic products like the very first completely electronic calculator. However, by now, the world is largely aware of Casio’s prowess as an electronics manufacturer and watchmaker, and given their drive for innovation, the Casio Oceanus shows perfectly how amazing the company’s performance is in watchmaking.
Oceanus vs G-Shock vs Waveceptor
We cannot really say that any of the series in Casio watches collections are in competition with each other. Yes, there are some overlapping functions, but each series has its own identity and if you are familiar with Casio watches, you will know that there are two types of watches in Casio’s arsenal. On one hand, there’s G-Shock which is all sporty and utilitarian with a range of functions and fun designs. And on the other hand, is the Waveceptor that does little in the looks department. However, Waveceptor is the series where Casio introduced a lot of new timekeeping technologies like automatic time updating/adjustment, etc. As for Oceanus, it is basically a hybrid of both these series as it takes the functional aspects of the G-Shock and the technology of the Waveceptor to create a product that is both elegant and functional at the same time.
Physical Attributes
The Casio Oceanus is a legendary watch in its own right, just as the G-Shock is. However, when you take a first look at this watch, you hardly see anything that resembles the expected bold sportiness. Unlike typical Casio watches, the Casio Oceanus is a much more classic-looking watch. The specific model in question is the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF that has a 39mm case which is just the right size to fit both small and big wrists. The thickness is 10.7mm and the dial is protected with a domed sapphire crystal. However, don’t think of it as a typical steel watch because the body is completely made out of titanium. There is a coating of titanium carbide as well to avoid scratching and the watch has a brushed finish with a chrome finish on the bezel. The crown is not screwed in but has a push and pull mechanism.
Movement
The watch proudly boasts the Tough Movement badge on the dial, a technology that is revolutionary in many ways. There are four components that make up the Tough Movement. The first is Multiband 6 which is a radio technology that allows the watch to receive signals from key locations which helps adjust the time showing on the watch according to the location. The second is Tough Solar, a revolutionary technology that allows the watch to charge batteries using solar panels below the dial. The third part is the hybrid design which changed the game in many ways. Casio uses resin and solid metal-based cushioning to increase the durability and shock resistance of the watch. This technology is present in almost all of Casio watches now. Last but not least is the automatic pointer calibration. This is a function that performs hourly time checks to remove magnetism-based changes.
Dial Functions
The Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF is a fairly simple watch in terms of the dial functionality it offers. Since the movement is quartz and not chronograph, you also don’t see any chronograph functions. The watch only has a date function located at the 3 AM position. The dial itself looks black when you look at it from any angle. However, it has the transparency that isn’t visible to the naked eye but present for the solar charging to work. The hour markers are in the shape of bars, all of which have luminous properties. The hands are also luminous and the performance in the dark is quite impressive. The border of the dial is slanted with time zone names written over the minute markers. The text is big enough to be legible but small enough to not be distractive. For a classic-looking watch, it’s the perfect combination of design elements.
Different variants
The Casio Oceanus is one of the finest collections of Casio watches and for good reason too. Apart from the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF, there are other variants as well with even more functions. The most popular of all are the variants of Casio OCW-G1000 watch models. These watches not only have hybrid time now but also support built-in GPS. This extra layer of added functionality makes them both secure and a lot more accurate. These watches along with the G-Shock GPW-1000 models are supposed to be rivals to the Astron Solar GPS series by Seiko. There are simpler and more budget-friendly options are well like the OCW-T600 which doesn’t have any bells and whistles. It is a simple watch that has 100-meter water resistance and multiple time zones. It does, however, have multiple sub-dials and feels a lot closer to a G-Shock.
Future prospects
The company is working quite hard to ensure that they are continuously delivering good Casio Oceanus watches. The level of innovation that these watches have brought is a light of hope for both consumers and the company. Keeping close tabs on technological advancements is important nowadays if you are a fan of high-tech watches. One thing that you can always be sure about is that Casio will continuously bring new features to enhance its watches. The question that remains is quite simple — can you keep up with this blazing fast watch tech journey?
