There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I owned the all black Casio F-91W back in the day, it was replaced quickly with my first G-Shock. But I always wanted the dress version of the F-91W - well I finally picked one up. Casio started re-manufacturing this classic a few years ago (2015 I think) in both gold and stainless steel.
My new Casio A168WA-1 has a great retro look being both sleek and stylish yet maintaining a no-nonsense appeal….yes, all of the is possible. The bracelet feels great with no squeaky noises, binding or pinching. The time and date on the display is crisp, sharp, with plenty of contrast - makes it very easy to read at a glance. I may consider swapping out the 18mm bracelet for a nato strap if I can find one that complements the LCD screen surrounded by black, gold, red, and blue - might be a challenge.
The word on the street is that the F-91W guts is pretty accurate with Casio claiming +/-30sec a month - but actual owners reporting a loss of only 3-5sec per month. It is said that some have used this watch as a means to set the time on their other watches - I’ll have to keep an eye on the accuracy.
Online retailers are selling these retro Casio’s for over $60 but you can buy this one (Casio A168WA-1) on Amazon for under $18.
Make: Casio Model: A168WA-1
Movement: Japanese Quartz
Complication: Hourly Chime, Alarm, Day, Date, Stopwatch, 12/24hr format
Power Reserve: 7-Year Battery
Case: 32mm Plastic
Case Thickness: 7mm
Case Back: Steel Screw-Down
Crystal: Mineral
Dial: Digital LCD
Dial: Backlit Blue Electro Luminescence
Crown: Push-Button
Lugs: 18mm Band: Stainless Steel / Fold-Over Clasp
WR: 3ATM / 30-Meter