It’s spring time, and you know what that means. April showers, May flowers, and all that. It also means – usually – an explosion of color. While that’s often found in nature, not nearly as much on our wrists (well, only if you don’t count strap changes). Casio wants to help you out with their newest versions of the Casio ProTrek PRG330.
You see, they’ve tossed some new colors on the bezels – blue, orange, and yellow. Past that, it’s actually quite the same watch that Jeff reviewed here and I reviewed over at ABTW. That said, this is an amazing bit of kit for your outdoors adventures. Sure, you could argue some sort of fitness tracker may be desired, but when you’re conserving power, something like that maybe just doesn’t make sense. And hey, camping is something I view as vacation, so if I don’t have all my activity recorded, that’s ok too.
Why conserve power? Well, the Casio ProTrek PRG330 is solar-powered. When you figure in that it’s a full ABC (altimeter-barometer-compass) watch (aka, the Casio “Triple Sensor) watch. That’s on top of all the normal things (time and date, alarms, secondary time zones, stop watches, etc) that a complex digital watch brings to the mix. Oh, yes, and there’s also an LED backlight, but it’s the old school sort, where you’ve got some LEDs at the edge. In short, that’s the most underwhelming part of the watch, and could certainly do with some improvement.
It is also worth noting that the Casio ProTrek PRG330 lineup is smaller than you might expect for an ABC watch. Sure, at 47.1mm, it’s not dainty, but that’s a very compact size for the sensor tech packed in there. In my time with the watch ([https://www.ablogtowatch.com/casio-protrek-prg330-outdoor-smartwatch-review/) I found it wear smaller than you might expect. Doesn’t hurt that the sizing keeps the display nice and legible, either. These new colors (plus, presumably, the original) should be available this month, all for a quite-reasonable price (Again, for all the tech you’re getting) of just $200. If you’re looking for a timing companion for your hikes – and don’t need an up-to-the-minute HR monitor – give this one a look. ProTrek.casio.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Casio ProTrek PRG330.
- Price: $200
- Who’s it for? You find yourself torn between wanting an “under-the-radar” outdoors watch and a splash of color
- Would I wear it? Yes – I still maintain that this is a solid camping watch
- What I’d change: The LED backlight really could use improvement. Past that, why not user-swappable bezels?
- The best thing about it: The sheer amount of capability built into the watch
Tech Specs from Casio
- Casio’s Triple Sensor Version 3 Technology
- Provides outdoor enthusiasts with fast, precise data readings to help navigate through any adventure.
- Direction sensor for compass readings
- Pressure sensor for altimeter/barometer readings
- Thermo sensor for temperature readings
- Tough Solar Power technology: users can charge the timepiece in low or fluorescent light,
- Water resistance up to 100 meters
- Low temperature resistance
- Sunrise and sunset data
- World time (48 + UTC)
- Full auto LED (Super Illuminator) backlight w/ afterglow
- Four daily alarms and one snooze alarm
- 1/10-second stopwatch
- Countdown timer
- Power saving function
- Designed with a soft resin band and aluminum panel bezel
