Casio AQ-S810W-1A2
Tough Solar at Its Simple Best
I have a bit of a weakness for Casio Tough Solar watches.
Actually, that's probably understating it.
Give me a practical Casio that can charge itself from light, run for months without seeing daylight and doesn't need me opening the case every few years for a battery change, and I'm already interested.
So when I spotted the Casio AQ-S810W-1A2 on sale at Argos, there was a problem.
I also had an Argos voucher that needed using.
At that point, I think we can all agree the decision had effectively been made for me.
Did I desperately need another Casio?
Probably not.
Was it on sale?
Yes.
Did I have a voucher?
Also yes.
Case closed.
Why I Love Tough Solar
Tough Solar is one of those Casio technologies that just makes sense to me.
There's no charging cable.
There's no charging dock.
There's no routine of remembering to plug the watch in overnight.
The solar cell converts light into electrical energy and stores it in the watch's rechargeable battery.
Wear it normally, let it see daylight and for the most part you can simply forget about the power source.
Casio rates the AQ-S810W for approximately 10 months of normal operation from a full charge without any further exposure to light.
With Power Saving enabled and the watch stored in complete darkness, that increases to approximately 23 months.
That's bordering on ridiculous.
And I love it.
A Proper Everyday Ana-Digi
The AQ-S810W is an analogue-digital watch, which is another combination I've always liked.
You get two traditional hands for immediately reading the hour and minute, while the LCD at six o'clockhandles the additional information and functions.
It's a good layout.
The analogue display keeps the watch feeling like a conventional sports watch, while the digital sectiongives you the functionality you'd normally expect from a feature-packed Casio.
And there is quite a lot packed into this one.
Module 5208
The AQ-S810W uses module 5208.
The analogue section consists of hour and minute hands, with the minute hand moving every 20 seconds.
The digital display provides the seconds along with the month, date and day of the week.
You can also choose the day display from six languages – English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Germanand Italian.
It's one of those little features that isn't essential but demonstrates just how much Casio manages tosqueeze into an inexpensive module.
World Time Done Properly
The AQ-S810W is also a useful travel watch.
World Time covers 31 time zones and 48 cities plus UTC, with daylight-saving settings and the ability to swap your Home City and World Time City.
For most people, that's more than enough coverage.
Again, there's no phone involved.
No app.
No Bluetooth.
You tell the watch where you are and it gets on with it.
Two Countdown Timers
One of the more interesting functions is the timer.
You don't just get one.
You get two countdown timers, designed so they can alternate between two different intervals.
Casio specifically describes them as useful for interval training where you're switching between twodifferent paces. They can be set between five seconds and 99 minutes 55 seconds, with between one andten repeats.
That's actually a genuinely useful sports feature rather than something included simply to make thespecifications list longer.
Stopwatch and Five Alarms
There's also the expected 1/100-second stopwatch, with elapsed, lap and split-time measurement and a capacity of 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds.
Then Casio gives you five daily alarms plus the hourly time signal.
Will everybody use five alarms?
Probably not.
But I'd rather have five available and use one than need several and only have one.
Classic Casio thinking.
100 Metres of Water Resistance
Another thing I really like about the AQ-S810W is its 100-metre water resistance.
That suits the rest of the watch perfectly.
This looks like something designed to be worn without worrying about it.
The resin case and strap are practical, the solar system removes regular battery changes from the equationand100 metresof water resistance makes it a genuinely capable everyday sports watch.
Obviously, water resistance on any watch depends on the condition of its seals as it ages.
But as an original specification, 100 metres is exactly what I want to see on this sort of Casio.
Big Watch, Almost No Weight
The AQ-S810W isn't a small watch.
The case measures 52.2 × 48.3 × 13.7 mm.
Yet it weighs only 40 grams.
That's one of the great things about Casio's larger resin watches.
You can have something with plenty of wrist presence without carrying a lump of stainless steel around allday.
It looks substantial.
It doesn't feel particularly substantial.
For an everyday watch, that's a very good combination.
Power Saving
The Power Saving function is another little detail I appreciate.
Leave the watch in darkness for a prolonged period and the LCD can switch off to conserve energy. Thetimekeeping continues internally, and normal operation resumes when the watch is returned to light.
There's also a battery-power indicator, so you're not left guessing about the state of charge.
Again, none of this requires any intervention during normal use.
Put it on.
Wear it.
Let it see some light.
The watch largely looks after itself.
That's exactly what I want from solar.
The Light Isn't Quite As Impressive
There is one slightly odd compromise.
The LED illuminates the LCD section only, rather than flooding the entire dial with light.
The hands and hour markers do have Neobrite luminous treatment, which helps with analogue readability in darkness, but I'd still have liked a full-dial illumination system.
It's not a deal-breaker.
Far from it, it’s better than no backlight like on some other models.
But on such a capable watch, it's one area where you can see where Casio kept things relatively simple.
A Watch I Can Forget About
That's ultimately what I like about the AQ-S810W.
Not that I forget I'm wearing it.
I forget about maintaining it.
That's different.
A normal quartz Casio isn't exactly demanding in the first place, but eventually the battery dies.
With Tough Solar, even that occasional job largely disappears.
And because opening a watch unnecessarily also means disturbing the caseback seal, reducing the number of times it needs opening is something I appreciate on a 100-metre water-resistant watch.
Give it light and let it work.
Simple.
The Argos Voucher Made Me Do It
Do I have an elaborate story about hunting down this particular colourway?
No.
It was on sale at Argos.
I already liked the AQ-S810W.
I love Tough Solar.
And I had a voucher sitting there waiting to be spent.
Sometimes the universe sends you signs.
Sometimes those signs say:
“You've got an Argos voucher. Buy another Casio.”
Who am I to argue?
Tough Solar Without the G-Shock Price
I also think the AQ-S810W demonstrates that you don't necessarily need to buy a G-Shock to get a verycapable solar Casio.
Obviously, this isn't a G-Shock.
It doesn't claim the same shock-resistant construction.
But if what you actually want is a rugged-looking everyday watch with solar charging, 100-metre waterresistance, World Time, alarms, timers and a stopwatch, there's a lot here.
And because the whole thing weighs only 40 grams, it's exceptionally easy to live with.
That's the sort of Casio I appreciate.
Lots of useful functionality.
Very little fuss.
The Casio Collector Verdict
The Casio AQ-S810W-1A2 is exactly the sort of watch that reminds me why I'm such a fan of Tough Solar.
It isn't complicated for the sake of being complicated.
It simply takes a good, practical ana-digi sports watch and removes one of the few bits of maintenance anormal quartz watch requires.
Regular battery changes.
Keep it exposed to light and module 5208 takes care of the rest.
Then you've got 100-metre water resistance, World Time covering 31 time zones, dual interval timers, a 1/100-second stopwatch, five alarms, Power Saving and a battery-level indicator.
All of that comes in a watch weighing only 40 grams.
I didn't buy mine because I'd spent months searching for one.
I bought it because I love Tough Solar, Argos had it on sale and I had a voucher that needed using.
That's more than enough justification as far as I'm concerned.
Would I have eventually bought another Tough Solar anyway?
Almost certainly.
The voucher just accelerated the inevitable.
And years from now, when it's still sitting there happily charging itself from daylight, I'll probably consider that voucher very well spent.
Charge it. Wear it. Forget about the battery.
That's Tough Solar at its best.
Specifications
Model: Casio AQ-S810W-1A2
Module: 5208
Movement: Quartz ana-digi
Power: Tough Solar rechargeable system
Analogue display: Hour and minute hands
Digital display: Hour, minute, seconds, month, date and day
Case/bezel: Resin
Band: Resin
Glass: Resin
Case dimensions: 52.2 × 48.3 × 13.7 mm
Weight: 40 g
Water resistance: 100 metres
Lume: Neobrite
World Time: 31 time zones, 48 cities plus UTC
Home/World Time swapping: Yes
Stopwatch: 1/100 second
Stopwatch capacity: 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds
Countdown timers: Two interval timers
Timer range: 5 seconds to 99 minutes 55 seconds
Timer repeats: 1–10
Alarms: 5 daily alarms
Hourly time signal: Yes
Light: Amber LED for LCD section with afterglow
Illumination duration: Approximately 1.5 or 3 seconds
Calendar: Full auto-calendar to 2099
Day languages: 6 day of the week languages
Power Saving: Yes
Battery-level indicator: Yes
Approximate run time without light: 10 months from full charge during normal operation
Approximate run time with Power Saving: 23 months from full charge in total darkness
Accuracy: ±30 seconds per month
Time format: 12/24 hour
Condition when purchased: New
Reason for purchase: Tough Solar + Argos sale + voucher = inevitable
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