Is Casio A God Tier Watch Brand?

I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying “Casio is a God tier watch” but are they really this good?  

(Shout out to Nico and his Youtbube Channel for bringing this phrase to the masses)

The simple answer is yes. You will be very hard pressed to find another company that can offer you the quality, reliability and durability that the unique designs of Casio can offer, while also being extremely affordable at the same time.

This is truly a combination that deserves praise and respect from any watch collector.     

Who Are Casio?

Casio are a Japanese company founded in 1946 and originally made rings that held cigarettes. After the war cigarettes where very expensive and these rings allowed the user to smoke right down to the nub of the cigarette, which you couldn’t do while holding it with your fingers.

The founders then changed the company direction when they seen an electric calculator at a business expo. By the late 50s they had changed the company name to Casio Computer Co and they became one of the biggest calculator and electronic companies in the market.

During the 1980s they started to introduce electronic musical keyboards and digital watches, which they still sell today along with their calculators.

Casio Has Instant Brand Recognition

When it comes to Casio, they are probably one of the most well known watch brands out there. I think if you asked any non-watch person to name some watch brands you would hear two answers repeated above all others …Rolex and Casio.

They may be on two different ends of the spectrum, but everyone knows these two brands make watches.  

Nostalgia

Not only does Casio have great brand recognition, but it also has a great sense of nostalgia. For a lot of people their first watch was a Casio or they at least had one during their childhood.

This nostalgia is probably helped by most people also coming into contact with their calculators and musical keyboards at some point during their youth. During the 80s and 90s it was very hard to escape Casio, they were everywhere.

Casio Have A Huge Range OF Watches

Casio has a huge range of watches. They are all quartz, which means battery operated but they also have a number of options that are solar powered.

They are known more for their digital watches, but also offer analogue dials and even a combination of the two.

Their watches come in various colours and styles and there should be a style to suit every one. Being mainly digital most watches will come with some basic functions such as waterproofing, the day and date function as well as a stopwatch, timers and alarms. Some models also have a world time feature allowing you to see multiple time zones.

The Casio range also goes from the extremely simple and affordable all the way up the more advanced technology that can be found in their G-shock range.

Personally I have 5 Casios in my collection, which I have all bought myself and you can read my reviews on: F-91W, W59, A168, The Casio Royale and a G-Shock Square.

(You can read more about why – Casio Watches Are Worth Collecting)

Casio Designs Are Unique

Although Casio have a huge range of watches, their designs are all unique.

You could even argue that they are the pioneers of digital watches. They set the benchmark and every other digital watch company takes inspiration from Casio.

Quality

On paper Casio sound like they should be useless. Most of their watches and even a lot of the straps are made from cheap plastic resins and the same goes for the crystals. They are also now often assembled in China, which can often come with questionably quality control.

However, When you get them in your hand they are actually really good quality. They are lightweight, well build and finished and they will last a long time. Although it’s not the same quality as a high end luxury watch, it’s certainly not cheap garage.

I have owned one of my Casios for over 10 years and while it looks a bit battered from my heavy use; its quality cannot be questioned. Even the crystal (or if you want to call it the display) is not really that scratched. Usually anything made from plastic is a nightmare for scratches, but Casio while not invincible, come pretty close.

Reliability

The excellent build quality along with using a quartz movement means your Casio will be one of the most reliable watches you own.  

A number of models come with batteries that last 10 years which is very impressive. When you start looking at the solar powered and the atomic watches that they offer the reliable goes up even more. They are pretty much never going to run out of power and are also always going to have very accurate time.

As much as we all love mechanical watches, they can’t really compete with this level of reliability. You leave a Casio alone for months only to pick it up again and it still be telling the time accurately.  

Durability

The durability of Casio’s is huge apart of why they are so popular. Even the low end models are just extremely robust. You can throw them around and nothing happens to them.

The excellence of their build quality really starts to shine when you realise how much abuse they can take. They can take knocks and bumps that would totally kill a mechanical watch and they are also way more waterproof than they claim to be.  

When someone wants a “beater” watch, which is a watch you can wear while doing pretty rough tasks, such as gardening or something where the watch might get a little beat up, Casio is the go to, as it will survive anything.

When you start looking at the G-shocks this durability goes into over drive. They are purposely built to withstand anything. They are specially designed to take the most extreme abuse and this is why they are popular with people who work in pretty bad environments, such as the military. These watches are almost indestructible.   

(You can read more about – How Durable Are Casio Watches?)

Price

Casio and affordability are two words you can certainly put together.

When you look at the high end models such as the G-shocks they are still very affordable. They usually sit just above £100 which is just insane when you think about what great quality they are.

When you look at the lower end watches, the pricing becomes even more crazy. The iconic F-91W can usually be found for under £10.

When you buy a watch this cheap you expect some total garbage, but you don’t get this with a Casio. You pay pretty much nothing and get extreme excellence in return.

Casio Modding

While the Casio modding scene isn’t huge, it certainly exists. Casios are cheap and fairly simple watches; this makes them great candidates for tinkers to play around with. 

Most of the mods revolve around changing the display colours and removing the printed text on the dials. The results can look really cool and since it’s so cheap to buy a Casio there is not really any risk if you mess it up.

Casio Gets Respect

As a whole, watch collectors really respect Casio. They may be some of the cheapest watches available on the market, but that does not mean they are scoffed at.

You will find that a Casio has managed to work its way into most watch collectors watch boxes, even if the rest of the watch is full of high end luxury pieces.

Their quality and reliability, along with how affordable they are make them a very respected watch brand.

Are There Any Downsides To Casio?

There is not really any downsides to Casio. You could argue that because they are not mechanical they can never be in the same tier as the big luxury watches. However, Casio isn’t going for that market.

They know they are cheap and simple and they have mastered this area of watch making. When you starting looking at the price and then the value that you get for what you pay, it is very hard to see any downsides to

(You can read more about – What Is The Best Casio Watch For Everyday Use?)

Conclusion

Casio’s are great and if you don’t own one, you should look to get one. They are extremely cheap and what you get for your money is incredible. They are just solid watches and always seem to bring a lot of enjoyment to anyone who wears one.

They may be very different from the other big luxury brands, but I think Casio has earned the right to rub shoulders with these brands. They fully deserve the title of a God tier watch. 

(You can read more about – Is The Casio G-Shock Square The Only Watch You Ever Need?)