G’day everyone. You know, when I was at a Christmas party last year I saw another guy wearing a neat-looking and inexpensive Casio with a bracelet (from memory it was an A171) and I thought to myself “Yeah I need a vintage-looking watch on a bracelet that won’t cost a bomb”. And while I was searching online for it I stumbled on a random social media post from another watch enthusiast sporting their Casio A168. Once I saw that I said to myself “Casio A17-what?”, did my research on the A168, laid down a cool $50AUD onto eBay (plus a bit extra for Express Post) and after almost a week of waiting I got this neat little piece on my wrist.
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So let’s go over specs. real quick:
Case Diameter: 36.3mm
Lug to lug: 38.6mm
Lug width: 18mm
Case height: 9.6mm
Weight: 48 grams
Water resistance: Not rated (water resistant)
Crystal: Mineral
I should note that with exception of weight, I pulled the other dimensions from the Casio official website as my digital calipers ran out of battery.
PROS
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MIXED BAG
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CONS
VERDICT
One of the best things about the Casio A168, as I mentioned earlier, it its cheap price. If you’re looking for a cheap, casual, reliable timepiece and/or want something with some retro digital vibes (or are just curious and want to experiment with the look, like me) this will fit the bill nicely. But it is that retro appearance that will make you decide if this is your watch and whether it’ll still be in your collection after a few months. And if you fall out of love, at least you won’t lose much money on it (even less if you flip it). Just be aware that this isn’t a G-Shock or (my favorite Casio) an AE1200 World Time so you might want to look in those directions if sturdiness, water resistance or more functions are what you’re after.
![Image]()
So let’s go over specs. real quick:
Case Diameter: 36.3mm
Lug to lug: 38.6mm
Lug width: 18mm
Case height: 9.6mm
Weight: 48 grams
Water resistance: Not rated (water resistant)
Crystal: Mineral
I should note that with exception of weight, I pulled the other dimensions from the Casio official website as my digital calipers ran out of battery.
PROS
- Cheap, cheap, cheap! You can pick one of these up online for about $50 AUD. And the watch you get for the price you pay is fairly substantial, which I’ll mention below.
- The dimensions and weight of this watch make it very comfortable to wear. Sometimes you’ll forget that you’re wearing it. Great for those with smaller wrists or if you just want something more light and compact to wear. This also helps prevent it from looking too loud or obnoxious.
- Retro aesthetic of the watch is nicely done. A cool choice for those wanting to rock the 80s vibe.
- SuperIlluminator!!! The backlight on this thing has a cool, crisp appearance. It provides excellent legibility in dark conditions, and easily one of the best I’ve seen in the Casio range.
- Besides telling time and date, it includes some additional functions to be expected on a digital watch, including stopwatch and alarm.
- The 7-year battery life ensures that this Casio will keep ticking along for a long while until you need to change the battery (although this time can vary depending how much you use the backlight and other functions).
- The presence of only three buttons on the side of the case helps to simplify the process of remembering which buttons to press to activate or adjust additional features.
- Bracelet size adjustment is extremely easy, as you just need to slide a small screwdriver under the clasp to release a lever to move it, then snap it back into place again. No need to remove links.
MIXED BAG
- The bracelet wears pretty comfortably on the wrist but it leans more towards the cheap side, and you will feel the odd pull if you’ve got hairy wrists. It’s still wearable though (and I have worn far worse bracelets than this).
- For a Casio this is more a fashion watch and less a tool watch. If you’re looking for a digital watch with more functions or sturdier construction there are more choices out there.
- The side buttons stand out just enough to be easy to find and not risk bumping into objects but they are rather small so if you have fat fingers like me you’ll need to be a bit more precise in your pushing technique to engage them properly.
CONS
- With the exception of the case back and bracelet, the watch case itself is made out of a light resin material. Great to keep it light but I would not recommend wearing it for any activity where knocks and bumps occur.
- Same advice as above if you’re going anywhere near water. It still worked fine after being exposed to a bit of rain but I wouldn’t even wash dishes while wearing this.
- The branding around the watch dial is pretty intense, with Electroluminescence, Illuminator and Water WR Resist standing out loud and proud like a billboard. But at least the colour tones help give it a lively appearance.
VERDICT
One of the best things about the Casio A168, as I mentioned earlier, it its cheap price. If you’re looking for a cheap, casual, reliable timepiece and/or want something with some retro digital vibes (or are just curious and want to experiment with the look, like me) this will fit the bill nicely. But it is that retro appearance that will make you decide if this is your watch and whether it’ll still be in your collection after a few months. And if you fall out of love, at least you won’t lose much money on it (even less if you flip it). Just be aware that this isn’t a G-Shock or (my favorite Casio) an AE1200 World Time so you might want to look in those directions if sturdiness, water resistance or more functions are what you’re after.
