Casio AEQ-110: Almost a great beater watch

A tough, great looking ana-digi model from Casio that looks like a real bargain at $30, but the lack of an active light makes this a questionable buy. Read on to see if it’s good qualities can redeem it.

Casio AEQ-110 Review

A Tough Ana-Digi World Time Watch ($30)

The AEQ-110 starts off looking like a real winner with a style that’s nearly identical to many G-Shocks, and has a useful combination analog and digital display. The 100M of water resistance means that this watch is fine to take to the pool, surfing or snorkeling, in other words you worry about water. The 10-year battery life is another awesome feature, making this nearly as convenient as a solar watch while keeping the price low. But things quickly went off the rails when I tried out the feature set.

Analog and Digital Display

The combination of an analog and digital readout means that you can scroll through the robust selection of digital features on two LCD screens integrated into the bottom half of the dial, all while still being able to easily read the time with the analog handset.

The analog handset is easy to read with a luminescent white paint that contrasts well against the black dial. However the digital displays are tiny and legibility is further complicated with the use of negative LCD displays which have to be viewed at just the right angle to be seen. Still, the combination of a digital and analog display is particularly useful, especially when used in conjunction with the word time feature, as it allows you to display the time in a different city on the digital read out while also displaying your local time on the analog handset. In addition to the world timer you’re getting two more really useful features: a stop watch and a the ability to set three alarms. But the AEQ-110 has one other trick up the sleeve of it’s digital module, but the question is, why?

Telememo Feature… why??

One of the most unique features is also one of the most useless: the ability to program up to 30 telephone numbers in the watch. You’re able to label each record with alphabetic characters, but the phone number field can only contain numbers and a few symbols, meaning it really is only good for storing phone numbers, or maybe pin numbers (not a good idea given that there’s no password on the watch). Annoyingly, this has to be done entirely by scrolling through letters and numbers using the two buttons on the right side, making an already questionable feature very time consuming. For anyone who has a cell phone there’s not really any incentive to use this feature. In the end the only thing I could think to do was program in me and my wife’s phone numbers and label them “Dad” and “Mom,” thinking I could give the watch to one of my kids in case they ever get lost.

Inexcusable lack of Backlight

But the real thing that kills this one for me is the complete lack of any kind of a light. A light is one of the main reasons I reach for a digital watch, so the lack of one here is a deal breaker for me. The lack of a light also makes the negative display even more of a problem. The watch does feature glow in the dark hands, but that’s it. Once they fade (and they don’t last long) you’re not going to be able to see anything.

Comfort and Build Quality

At 49 grams in weight the AEQ-110 is slightly lighter than an entry level G-Shock, but on the wrist feels pretty similar. The connection point between the strap and the case is stiff and re-enforced, meaning that the strap cannot lay flat but rather is always in a curved position. This adds a lot of durability to the watch and helps to keep the strap attached securely, but on smaller wrists the strap may bulge out beyond the edge of your wrist. However due to the light-weight the watch remains comfortable, and fit my 7.5 inch wrist well.

The resin material used in the case and strap has a soft matte texture and is not lacking in thickness. In terms of quality and durability is a big step up from what’s offered on Casio’s most basic models like the F-91w and should last a long time before wearing out. However it is noticeably stiffer and less supple than the resin used in Casio’s G-Shock models.

Conclusion

This may be one Casio’s best looking, most rugged and most affordable analog/digital watches, but the feature set is hit and miss. It offers both great features like 3 alarms and world time, as well as features that few will find useful like the telephone number storage. But the real deal breaker for me is the lack of backlight, which makes this watch almost unusable in dark or dim lighting. If only Casio had included a light in place of the Telememo feature this would be an easy recommendation.

As it stands a better option in my opinion is the slightly older Casio AEQ-200, which is essentially a round Casio Royale with an ana-digi display. It doesn look quite as cool, but has a backlight and drops the telememo feature for a cool little map that makes using the world time function a little easier. If you’re OK going with a digital only watch, the Casio AE-1400 has a similar look and feature set and includes a decent backlight. Of course the smartest option might be to just stick with the cheaper Casio Royale, the AE-1200, which is arguably the best watch in the world.

Casio AEQ-200 on Amazon

Casio AE-1400 on Amazon