Casio WV-59DE-1AVEF Watch

It all started when the battery in my old Q&Q "cuckoo" watch began to run down. When I went to check what kind of battery it used, I noticed cracks had appeared in the case. In the end, a crack in the case of my old watch led me to buy a new one, which is what I’m going to tell you about today.


Anyway, I stopped by the market to see a friend and picked up a couple of batteries: one for the watch and another for the RD6006P converter. But when I opened the watch again to replace the battery, a piece of the case near the strap broke right off.
At that point it was clear that it was time for a new watch. The old one had served me for almost 20 years, since the fall of 2001. I bought it just as my daughter was starting first grade. It was reliable and kept very accurate time, but I guess its time had come...

I chose a new watch fairly quickly. First, I already had one model in mind, and second, I had a clear set of requirements:
1. Large digits, if possible.
2. Metal bracelet.
3. Date and month displayed at the same time.
4. Digital display.
5. Square or rectangular case.
6. A well-known brand.

It turned out that very few watches met these requirements, especially since Casio was by far the most common option among relatively affordable, good-quality brands.

I liked a few models, but overall there was still something “not quite right.” For example, in this case the middle-sized one was the best fit for my needs, and it also looked a lot like my old watch.


I even checked eBay. The selection was basically the same, only the prices “fluctuated,” and could end up being even higher than local prices.
On the other hand, I came across some interesting used watches there. Apparently, they even made models with sensors, and even in that condition they sold fairly quickly for as much as $130.


But in the end, my search led me to the model reviewed here. It also has a “twin brother,” by the way, with a different case shape.


The next question was where to buy it. I checked both local stores and eBay. Prices at local stores were mostly around 2120–2620 UAH ($75–93); I found it on eBay for about $77–79, which was more or less the same as here. Those prices were for models with a steel bracelet; cheaper versions with a rubber strap were available, but I didn’t consider them.
While searching, I came across a store selling it for 1900 UAH ($68), but the poor reviews put me off, and above all, they required 100% prepayment, which was completely unacceptable to me.

I was already thinking of buying it for 2160, with free shipping, when I happened to find a store on the Ukrainian marketplace prom.ua where it cost 1840 UAH. They didn’t require prepayment, so I placed the order through the marketplace’s shopping cart.
I placed the order at night. The manager called back just before nine in the morning. I double-checked that the bracelet was metal, he said yes, and I confirmed the order. 15–20 minutes later, I got an SMS with the shipment tracking number, but they didn’t send the parcel until that evening. It was in my hands the next day. The total, including cash on delivery and shipping, came to just under $70.

The packaging was standard Nova Poshta: a box inside, containing the watch and all the accompanying paperwork.


Inside were the manual, various papers, a completed warranty card, and the watch itself.


The manual is as thick as a decent-sized book. They also included various information leaflets, the warranty card, and so on. The warranty card lists the addresses of service centers.
Unfortunately, they didn't include Russian instructions, but I found them online. They may be very useful: there's an electronic version and an English version, which is noticeably more detailed and includes pictures.


And here’s the watch. I checked it carefully at the post office before paying to make sure there were no “scratches,” chips, etc., since I’d read somewhere that they sometimes ship display models.


The display is very sharp, and the font is easy to read. The lower section is a dot-matrix display, so it can show text in different languages. That means you can select Russian on the watch, although this applies only to the days of the week; everything else is in English.
On the right is the time synchronization indicator, which for some reason they call calibration, even though this function has nothing to do with calibration.
There are four buttons: a pair on the left for setting the time and other parameters, and buttons on the right for turning on the backlight and starting synchronization.


The bracelet is metal and is claimed to be stainless steel, although I don't know whether bracelets are made from regular steel.
The clasp is fairly standard and common, but I'm more used to bracelets that come apart—not so much because they're more comfortable to wear, but because a non-separating bracelet has a section that sticks out when you set the watch down, and you can accidentally catch it on something.


The “glass” is plastic and sticks out noticeably above the watch case. That's a downside, but I knew about it from the reviews and I'm fine with it, although of course a recessed crystal would be better.
The buttons are protected against accidental presses when you lay the watch on its side, though they're not very soft anyway, so they're hard to press accidentally.


The bracelet also has the Wave ceptor marking and the logo for this feature.
The watch case is made of several parts: the top and bottom are metal, while the middle section and the insert under the display are plastic. This is needed for the antenna to work properly. But attaching the bracelet to the plastic part is a downside, since there's a chance the “lugs” could break off just like they did on my old Q&Q watches.


And here are the “old-timers.” The new watch is a little larger, measuring 39x48x12mm, but the digits are slightly smaller than on the old one.


The new one also weighs a little more, although after shortening the bracelet it “slimmed down” a bit, and the difference dropped to 9 grams.


I couldn't resist trying the watch on right away. It looks pretty good.


The bracelet turned out to be too big, as expected, so the watch was literally hanging off my wrist.


Bracelet length is a very personal thing, and not just because of wrist size—it's also a matter of habit. Some people like their watch to dangle; I prefer a snug fit, which is one reason I don't like rubber or leather straps.
The bracelet has an interesting design. It's all fairly intuitive, but when I decided to look online for instructions on shortening this type of bracelet, just to be sure, I couldn't find anything.

The principle is very simple: use something thin (preferably blunt) to push out the metal insert. There's one on each half of the bracelet, marked with arrows.


Then use pliers to pull the insert out of the bracelet. After that, bend the links 90 degrees toward the inside of the bracelet and disengage the middle section through a special slot. When bending it, you might think you're about to break something, but don't worry—the design is just quite stiff.
I shortened the bracelet evenly on both sides and had a rough idea of how much to take off, so I first removed two links from one side.

While I was at it, I measured the maximum circumference: about 22cm.


Since I'd taken the bracelet apart, I took a couple of extra photos.
The back cover is attached to the plastic part of the case with four self-tapping screws. I also noticed some numbers on the bracelet, but didn't look into what they mean.


The internals aren't very interesting, except perhaps for the antenna at the bottom.


After removing the extra links, reconnect the two halves of the bracelet and try it on. I initially removed two links from one side, then one from the other, but it still felt too loose, so I removed one more. It’s best to put the spare links somewhere safe, for example back in the original box. After all, you don’t buy a watch for just a year or two, so there’s a chance you may need to lengthen the bracelet.


And a little about the functions.
Pressing the lower-left button switches between operating modes. There’s a confirmation beep, and when you return to the main screen, the beep is different from the ones in the other modes.
1. Main screen: shows the full date, time, day of the week, and modes such as DST (daylight saving time) and SIG (hourly time signal).
2. World time: your current time zone is shown at the top, and another selected time zone in the middle. Select the time zone with the lower-right button.
3. Countdown timer.
4. Stopwatch.
5. Alarm.
6. Here, pressing the lower-right button lets you change the operating mode: off, alarm, hourly time signal, or alarm + hourly time signal.


Press and hold the upper-left button to enter the settings mode.
1. Select the main time zone. This is important because it can affect whether the time synchronizes correctly.
2. Daylight saving time (DST): on, off, or auto. I couldn’t figure out whether, for example, you can have DST applied to the main time but not to world time.
3. 12/24-hour display format.
4. Set the time and date.
5. Select the language for the days of the week. I chose Russian straight away.
6. A very handy feature: choose whether to display the date as month/day or day/month.


And, of course, the main “feature” of this watch is radio time synchronization. Oddly enough, that’s not why I bought it.
I like my watches to keep accurate time, but the exact time itself isn’t critical to me. I’m used to setting my watch a few minutes ahead, but I want it to stay consistently that many minutes fast.
Besides, Kharkiv is on the edge of the 2,000 km coverage zone, and signal reception is very unreliable. I’m also unlikely to leave the watch on a windowsill somewhere just for this; it’s easier to set it manually.

Still, the feature is there, and it may come in handy for someone.
1. Pressing the lower-right button displays the time and date of the last successful synchronization. Since the watch traveled within the same city, you can see that it managed to synchronize—and that was the day before it was shipped.
2. There’s automatic synchronization, but you can also start it manually by pressing and holding the same button for a few seconds. The watch will enter synchronization mode.
3. Unfortunately, mine won’t do it at home. Maybe I need to try at a different time or in different weather.


But this is a watch, after all, and you want it to keep accurate time. This brings to mind my old “Montana” and “Saturn” watches, which seemed good at the time but in reality couldn’t match the accuracy of the Soviet-made “Elektronika,” especially the models with rate adjustment.

I was wondering how to check the accuracy, then remembered that the watch had synchronized two days earlier. So I opened a website showing the exact time on my smartphone and checked. It turned out to be running slightly slow, by about 0.1–0.15 seconds by eye. That’s why, in some photos, the seconds were just switching on the watch after they had already changed on the smartphone.
Given the stated maximum drift of 15 seconds per month, or 0.5 seconds per day, even 0.1 seconds is pretty good. That works out to about 30–35 seconds slow over a year. Keep in mind, though, that accuracy depends on temperature; I tested it at room temperature.


And here’s how the watch looks on my wrist after adjusting the bracelet. I like it, and I’ve already taken it out for a “walk”—I’m more than happy with it. I can barely feel it on my wrist.


Before wrapping up, I should answer the question: why wear a watch when everyone has one on their smartphone? I’m simply used to it, and when my old watch broke, I felt like I was “without a watch, like without underwear.” In practice, I use a watch to check the time, since raising my wrist—especially in winter—is much easier than reaching into my pocket for my phone.

And now for the verdict.
I won’t sing its praises, because the watch does have a number of drawbacks:
The glass protrudes beyond the case.
A plastic insert where the bracelet attaches.
The bracelet is a one-piece design. That’s not always convenient, although it’s very easy to fasten and unfasten.
The overall construction feels a bit flimsy. More plastic, but that’s because it has radio synchronization.

It has its advantages, too.
Keeps accurate time.
Fairly large digits.
Hourly time signal—I really missed that on my Q&Q.
Russian language and date display in day/month format.
Automatic daylight saving time adjustment and, of course, leap-year support.

And then there’s the look. I simply like it. What more do you really need from a watch besides accurate timekeeping?

That’s all for today. I hope you found this useful. I can say that I like both the watch and the store’s service, and I recommend them.