Illuminator AE1500WH Series | 10-Year Battery | LED Backlight | 5-Alarms | 1/100 Sec Stopwatch | Men's Digital Watch

I have used my cell phone instead of a watch since about 2001. Decided to start wearing cheap, quartz watches again because I often find myself without my cell phone within reach at rehearsals, recording sessions, lawn-mowing, or work from home situations. Picked up a few Timexes and Casios around the same time. So far, I like this model the best for general use. The size of the time display is so easy to read that I have already started preferring it to comparable analog models. I will mostly be looking to buy digital watches like this with big, simple displays from now on. I’m not James Bond, in spite of what you may have heard. I don’t want an expensive watch on my wrist that might make me a potential target for theft/robbery downtown or on a subway. If I get some paint on this one or it breaks while I’m trying to remove an oil filter, it would be no great loss. Use is fairly intuitive and it hasn’t lost or gained time in the few weeks I’ve owned it, unlike a Timex expedition analog model I got at the same time. After only a couple of weeks, the analog Timex expedition has lost about ten seconds already, which I admit I was surprised by. The only complaint I could possibly make about this watch is that the two LED’s are quite poor in comparison to Timex’s indiglo or the backlight used on much more expensive G-Shock models. But for how cheap and functional this model is, that is a completely unfair comparison. The lights work perfectly fine for me to see if I wake up in the middle of the night but can’t roll/reach over to check my phone due to a sleeping dog contorting my legs at the foot of the bed. Or if I fall asleep on the couch. I have mostly avoided getting it wet up until now, but I did accidentally leave it in the bathroom with the shower running a couple of times and no condensation formed on the inside of the face at all even though there was plenty of water vapor in the room. I also leave it on when washing my hands with no ill-effects. I’m very impressed by how simple and functional this watch is. These cheap, digitals are light years ahead of the Timex Ironman I owned as a kid. But it should be said- that $25-$35 Ironman I bought sometime around 1995 went body boarding, surfing, in the pool with me, and I showered with it on. That thing was basically water-PROOF and never had an issue in water less than 20ft. deep. I swam in Atlantic/East-Coast hurricanes with that thing and it even got tossed around in the salty surf with me. Also used it to time lap-swimming in Olympic-sized pools. I do not have the same confidence in this model, though I have no real rationale for that. The rubber strap was very uncomfortable on the old Ironman models and used to cause some really annoying, visible, skin irritation. I found G-shock straps of that era to be almost just as bad. That is not the case with these modern Casio polymer straps. I also despise those weird circles Casio, Armitron, etc. put on watch faces and take up a quarter of the face of the watch. This watch has NONE of that BS going on. The info on the watch face is SO bold and easy to read that I would definitely prefer it to all the G-shocks with those damned, senseless circles taking up so much of the display. PV cells excluded because they actually do serve a purpose. But here’s my view on all that: if the watch battery lasts even close to ten years, it will already outlast the battery/operation of the solar-powered, $150 G-Shock I once owned by a factor of YEARS. So I would still prefer this because legibility is far more important to me than photovoltaics. After a few weeks getting used to wearing a watch again for the first time in twenty years, I’ve really appreciated not having to dig my cell phone out of my pocket just to check the time/date. A weirdly subtle difference I would never have thought would matter. But it does. I’m starting to really like Casios! I also like the hourly chime because otherwise I get lost and completely lose track of time while recording/producing. That could only backfire if the chime goes off in the vocal booth and ruins a take. Hasn’t happened yet, though. I’m also glad they make it in the desert-sand/beige color because I’m fair skinned so it doesn’t look like a giant thing on my wrist. At some point or other I will wake up exhausted and forget to take it off before I get in the shower. At that point I will update this review if water penetrates the buttons/gaskets/seals. Again, I am in disbelief at how excellent this watch is for the price. I hope they never discontinue this model until an identical “20 Year Battery” model is available. But by then we’ll no doubt have flying cars, rocket-skates, jet packs, and digital, tattooed watches with veinous, indiglo epidermis. Or more than the current, standard-issue, two to three computer chips implanted into in our visual cortex at birth. Just pick the color you like and buy the damned thing!

I have been very satisfied with this watch. While this is not a G-Shock, it has still been very durable for me. As a firefighter, it has held up to a good share of abuse at work and worked flawlessly. As a slightly larger than average man, the size is a happy medium for me. It is not too heavy or overly light and cheap feeling. It comes with all the important features you are generally looking for in a non-smart watch. I especially liked have the option to use 2 different time zones as I am constantly crossing time-zones on a weekly basis. As I said before, this is not a G-Shock, so not quite as scratch resistant as those have been for me. I have yet to have any issues reading any of the information on it's face. That said, the face material was the most noticeable difference between this and the more expensive G-Shock. My G-Shock strap has broken 2 times over the 8 years I have owned it, and replacing the strap is almost as expensive just replacing it with one of these instead. This model is basically 1/5 of the price of the G-Shock, but almost as good of quality, with all the same features. Amazing bang for you buck if you are looking for a budget friendly option, or for a cheap way to match an outfit/look.

This is what I would describe as the Poor Man's, Rangeman 9500. The display is huge on this piece and has a nice wrist presence as well. I was so impressed that I bought the blue and tan resin colors. My plan is to upgrade the plastic, resin strap on both and install NATO straps. It has all your basic functions; Timer, Stopwatch and 5 Alarms. It lacks the Worldtime feature found on most G-Shocks, but does have a secondary time feature you can set for any timezone of your choice. I chose UTC for mine. It has two amber LEDs that light up the dial face very well in low light conditions. Overall its a nice timepiece for a good price. This watch punches way above it's price point. One drawback I noted on it is it's acrylic crystal. Mineral glass would've been nice, but at this price not a deal breaker because you still get a lot of watch for less than $25.00. I opted to purchase a screen protector for mine, but the raised bezel offers protection to the acrylic crystal as well. If you do manage to scratch it, a little Poly Watch should take care of it. All in and as a Casio/G-Shock fanatic, I'm pleased with my purchase. I also opted for the AE1600 square version of this model. I recommend these for those of us getting long in the tooth and who's eyesight isn't what it used to be. These watches with their huge displays make them very easy to read. Keep on Casio rockin' & G-Shock'n.

You all know what these watches are, they are the rave on YouTube reviews even by well esteemed watch reviewers. I got 20 plus G-Shocks from the affordable up to the Master of G Mudmasters like the GWG-1000/2000 and even the recent GW-9500 Mudman. But this $20 Casio AE-1500 is just awesome. The look, the feel, and the features are just classic. The star of the show are the large numbers which are just so useful to have plus they have an excellent degree of contrast that is easy to read in low light conditions. I opted for the extra long band because I like the double clasps on the band, I don’t have a large wrist and the extra length does not bother me. I did not take it off for a week and it is going to be difficult to get my G Shocks back in rotation. I had originally wanted the tan/beige color but was sold out. After a week with this black extra long band, I saw the tan one at a local retailer for the same price so why not. First day I put the tan one on and my wife immediately noticed it and loved it. She said it was better looking than any of the expensive Master of G watches I have, so that says a lot about how great a $20 watch is. Just totally awesome, you got to get one if you’re a watch aficionado. Even if you have no justification to get another watch when you may have so many. If you’re like me, I have blown $20 bucks here or there on nothing worth remembering. This is the best way to spend $20 and get some joy for a long time to come. If you’re buying a Casio for the first time, don’t hesitate, you cannot do any better than this watch, do it! UPDATE: I bought here on Amazon a screen protector that fits this watch perfectly, it is the VRWOX [3-Pcs] TPU Screen Protector For AE-1500. This product definitely makes up for the plastic screen the watch comes with and now I have no worries about getting it scratched. Will definitely extend the serviceability of this Casio. I have had the screen protector on all three AE-1500s. Oh by the way I ended buying the dark gray strap with the negative display and so far the best negative display that Casio makes, better than any Master of G or other regular G-Shocks that I own. Still have not worn any of my G-Shocks since buying these AE-1500s.

I really love this watch. Nice, big face, and keeps excellent time and date, and very pretty (I am a woman who appreciates a “non-girlie look“ watch. However, beware the white option with the black face. I don’t know if it’s just an error with mine, but the date is super hard to read. In the night time, you can use the back light to read the face easier, but in the daylight, the numbers look almost grayish, orange, and very difficult to read. This is not a problem with the time because the numbers are so large, but reading the smaller numbers of the month and day Are challenging, if not impossible. As stated, I love the look and large numbers for the time, but it can be a little frustrating trying to read the day as the numbers are smaller. If you just want it for the time, it is the perfect watch. It is, indeed, waterproof. I am not one of those people who ever takes my watch off, including when I bathe or shower.

This is not a small watch by any means. I have a 7.5" wrist and it fits just fine. The biggest benefit of this watch is the legibility of the digits, they are huge! This makes glancing at the time extremely easy to do. As with most Casio watches, they are very accurate quartz movements, which according to Casio is +/- 30 seconds a month. I've personally seen less than this in my own experience, but that all depends on the cut of the crystal, the temperature of the room it's being stored in, and how often you wear the watch (because body temperature makes a difference, too). This a great beater watch and to wear everyday. You can confidently wear this watch if you jump in for a swim in the pool or even if you're just washing your hands, no need to worry about any issues with water as it has 100 meters of water resistance. The one negative for this watch, if you'd even call it a negative, is that it uses resin for the display, which means that it is very easily scratched. On the positive side, you can use something like Polywatch to remove small scratches, but it would've been nice if Casio offered a mineral crystal instead. But, as inexpensive as this watch is, if you scratch it up too much after a couple of years, you could get a new one. Granted, if you're prone to scratching up your watches, you might want to consider a G-Shock as many of them have mineral crystal, which is less prone to scratching. I would definitely recommend this watch.

It is a watch suitable for all types of terrain because it has a great design, it is economical and its performance is all you need on your day. I think it's a great watch, its quality is more than obvious, it's well assembled, the parts are perfectly well adjusted in their place, you can feel a good feedback when pressing its 4 buttons because they are firm and fast-acting, the back cover is made of steel stainless steel is fixed by four screws, the overall construction of the watch (case/strap and buckle) is made of a soft and resistant resin, the fit on your wrist is perfect since the weight of the watch is absurd, you don't even notice its presence, the acrylic glass commonly used in digital watches but from my perspective it is a tug of war because although it is very easy to scratch (just cleaning it roughly 😂) it is also resistant to impacts because it has greater flexibility and that Helps reduce breakage with a heavy accidental bump, at the end of the day scratches on glass are inherent and speak of rough use than a bit of glass polishing paste (the one that e is your preference) and a cloth will remove most of the scratches The design of the dial is quite clean and extremely clear, because it shows you enough, a quick glance and that's it. The information is displayed in digital format, all with good balance, in the upper left part the day is written in abbreviated form, then the month and finally the date, in the central part is the time in large Arabic numerals marked and solid ( for an excellent reading) it has the option of 24-hour format for what military time usually uses and finally at the bottom the seconds which in turn have a kind of excellent animation on the right side of the clock I like the detail for to be honest . The watch is large, robust, too masculine and clearly resistant (IT'S A CASIO!!) It is made to be a tool in its entirety, its functions are the most basic, such as a stopwatch, 5 alarms and a double time zone, not to mention that brings with it a battery that feeds a simple low-consumption module that has a 10-year battery life, it is easier for you to buy another watch over time than to run out of battery 😅 Personally, since I unpacked it and adjusted it on my wrist, I haven't removed it at all (except taking a shower of course 😂) Well, its useful life begins as a tool in my day-to-day life due to its strength and its great versatility. I don't have to worry about any accidental bumps or scratches (I dedicate myself to engineering, so you can imagine...😄😅) It has a noticeable and substantial resistance. It is a simple watch with enough testosterone to withstand your work. Its tactical and robust design gives you the message that it can withstand everything that you put it in the way, something to highlight is the hermetic resistance of 10 bars (I can have a dip in the lake and it will not drown, I am more than sure of that 😅😉) it is more than enough for the use that I can give it. Until now, in my personal opinion, I consider (you should understand this carefully....because I don't have much experience in the matter, I'm just a guy who wears a Longines watch with a mechanical movement most of the time, that until today I timed my life 😅) I have the perception that my Casio watch is very precise, the manufacturer mentions an accuracy of -+30 Seconds per month, I consider that from time to time I will have to visit an atomic clock on the internet and reset the seconds and minutes on my watch, so I will have the exact march again. I think that for a simple watch that Casio factory has a good design in terms of versatility because for its large size it looks good, sometimes I have to wear a sports jacket for the occasion and Casio continues to give Rock & Roll to my inexperienced eyes looks very masculine and sober I chose the negative version for a couple of reasons, one of them is that it gives it a more minimalist and conservative touch, the large and robust design of the watch already captures attention, I don't want to give it more unnecessary decorations, something that surprised me a lot It was the fact that in daylight the reading is so clear and forceful without a doubt CASIO did a good job on the screen. In short , it is a watch that every working man should wear in his day to day due to its design , strength , precision and its affordable price .

I purchased the Casio Illuminator AE1500WH (blue) two years ago for dedicated use as a "cockpit watch" on my sailboat. While I prefer an analog face for the limited times I wear a wristwatch while ashore (usually a MRW200H), I really appreciate the big digital display on this timepiece, the "Illuminator" feature, and to a limited extent the additional features such as stopwatch, and its five(!) programmable alarms. (I mainly use a larger digital stopwatch on a neck lanyard for real-time navigation tasks.) Accurate and easily-read timekeeping down to seconds is the AE1500WH's main job aboard, for referencing tide changes, ETAs, and simple elapsed time. I don't need a day/date feature, since I'm always well-aware of that when underway. The AE1500WH has acceptable accuracy for me; I check and adjust minimally as needed twice each year. The watch looks great and the blue color helps identify me as a mariner when I'm at the shoreside pub for a post-sail beverage. I've never been let down by Casio, and for my use the AE1500WH hits a sweet spot for utility, no-brainer price, durability, and its rugged, puposeful appearance.