CasioMen's Pro Trek PRG-270-1 Tough Solar Triple Sensor Multifunction Digital Sport Watch

I have owned similar models going back to 1994 with each sensor version. I am both a weather fanatic as well as a tech geek. I had moved away from the Casio lines in favor of my Citizen Eco-Drive Skyhawk AT last year but now that I have received this watch a few weeks ago I find I am wearing this more than 50% of the time. I still love my Eco-Drive and it remains my favorite of my well over 25 watch collection mainly due to its true "all-occasion" appearance (anything from beach to formal wear). This PRG-270 has now taken place as my general wear go-to watch and living in the southeastern U.S. I find having the weather related features to be valuable as we head further into spring.I previously had the v.2 PAW-1300 ABC Pathfinder version which had been a favorite for several years until the solar rechargeable battery started to lose a bit of its storage capability after about 6 years of regular wear. It wasn't abused or subjected to rough usage but it did get its share of bumps and bangs that occur during everyday use. I frequently used it for swimming in both the ocean and in pools and it also was exposed to water from hand washing and occasional watch cleaning (either thorough fresh water rinses or washing using mild dish detergent and water) and I never had any problems with water or moisture getting inside the case. Even living in a very humid region and exposure to harsh sun intensity didn't seem to affect the watch. Prior to that I had one of the first v.1 models that I wore for several years without any problems until the battery finally died (that model was not solar like my PAW-1300 and the current PRG-270).What makes this watch such a bargain is the fact that it includes the highly acclaimed v.3 sensor while keeping the ABC + thermo features as well as the Tough Solar option (I will only buy either solar digitals or automatic analogs because opening the case back either compromises the water resistance or requires an expensive battery replacement that also requires a replacement of the gasket/ring that creates the seal.). What makes this watch even better in addition to the improved sensor is the ability to manually set your home location (lat/long coordinates) which makes the sunrise/sunset data accurate. The only thing this watch is really missing is atomic time synchronization. For the price of this watch I can live without it and wouldn't expect that it would be included given all of the other features included. I synchronized the time on my PRG-270 to my Eco-Drive which does have atomic synchronization and after about three weeks it's still within about two seconds so this watch so far appears to keep very accurate time (with the exception of very specific specialized usage I would think that is more than accurate enough for almost all users and is more accurate than even high-end automatic analogs like Rolex and Breitling). This watch is on the large size for its case size but not excessively so that most wearers would not find it awkward or goofy looking. It is also fairly light for a watch of its size and the band size & length are appropriate for its size and the average person.If atomic synchronization is a must then look at the ProTrek 3000 line and be prepared to spend about $100 more. If you can live without that feature then this is the watch you want if looking for an ABC watch with current sensor technology and solar power. Casio has a well established track record manufacturing these types of watches and a history of reliability and durability as well as continually developing and implementing improved technology over time. I would not hesitate to recommend this watch to anyone.Just a side note - Most of the negative reviews I have read for this watch and similar other models appeared to be related to that user either not reading the manual and performing the initial setup properly or having unrealistic expectations from this watch. Please do not let them influence your decision to buy or not buy this model. If you do buy then be prepared to spend about 30 minutes or so to properly setup and calibrate the watch using accurate data for your location. Calibrate the temperature with the watch off your wrist at least 20-30 minutes to a known local and accurate thermometer. Do the same with the barometric pressure to a current accurate local reading. Location coordinates and altitude can be obtained easily from a GPS device or online sources (Wikipedia will work for those without access to GPS data or do not know where to obtain that information online.). Once you have accurate information entered I think you will find this watch to be valuable and enjoyable. If using the altitude feature for hiking/climbing you will need to calibrate the altimeter to a known reference at the beginning of your trek and if the weather/barometric pressure is volatile at the time then additional calibration to known reference points may be needed if on an extended trek. That would apply to even the most expensive ABC models so that is not a deficiency of this particular model.

My review is for the watch face and not the band, because I absolutely cannot stand the polymer wristbands on modern watches, this watch being no exception. Replaced with a canvas band and it's now the best and most comfortable watch I've ever owned.I needed a watch that was waterproof, shock resistant, and that had solar charging. This is the best watch I could find that has those features that was relatively affordable. The additional functions just seemed interesting and were a bonus to me. This review may not stand up for someone who uses this watch for adventuring, and personally I wouldn't want all those functions in a watch vs a dedicated tool if I was trying to accurately judge the weather, altitude, navigation, etc.The functions, as far as I can tell, are accurate. Barometer seems to line up with the weather patterns in my area though I'm not an expert on it and only have some light reading as reference as to what the readings actually mean. I don't climb enough mountains to say if the altimeter works, though it is accurate to the elevation of my home. Compass seems consistent and accurate, which is one of the only functions I actually use regularly, and granted I'm not doing land NAV so I only need a general sense of NSWE. I don't know if I would trust a digital compass for navigation unless it was getting location data from GPS or something but it's accurate enough to find your way back to a main road if you got turned around in the woods.More importantly to me, the time is very accurate. I've had it for several months and it is still accurate down to the second when I initially set it (compared to my phone's clock which gets updated daily). The solar charging works great. I haven't had to leave it exposed to sunlight to charge it like many people online recommend to do; it gets plenty of charge just from me wearing it and whatever ambient light is inside my house. I haven't gone more than a week without having it on outside so your mileage may vary, but I expect even sitting on a dresser is enough to keep it charged. Also something I didn't realize I needed but that comes in extremely handy is the automatic light mode. You just lift the watch to eye level and the light comes on. Working early morning shifts before the sun comes up it's really nice to see the time without having to press the button, which is especially difficult if you're wearing gloves.My only complaint is the learning curve of the buttons on this thing. The 3 buttons on the right side are labeled and the left 2 buttons are not. The left side is what gets me mixed up as it controls additional timer/stopwatch/alarm settings and cycles various data displays on the other modes. With some practice the left side buttons become easier to use but without referring to the manual I struggled for the first week or so remembering how to use half the timing functions on this watch. I still sometimes hold down the wrong button to get back to standard time mode and end up going into the programming mode. Not a big deal because you can just press it again to get out of it but when you're just trying to see the time it can be a little irritating. I think it also reverts back to the time mode after 30-60 seconds for whatever mode you're in so if you REALLY can't figure it out, it will eventually do it for you. If I used the other functions more often I'm sure I would get better with it so I think this is a use case for me, and not necessarily a typical user.