Casio ABX23-8BV Databank Watch (Upgraded Shipping) ABX238BV

Amazing value and functionality

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Apr 26, 2006

Pros: Price, brand, features-- especially multiple time zones

Cons: Stock band is cheap, lack of PC interface, battery is a bear to replace

After three years of heavy, hard use, I still love my Casio Databank just as much as the day I first saw it. What do I like the best? The multiple time zones. I keep one set for my local time, one for my in-laws (who don't switch to daylight savi...ngs time, which is still confusing after 12 years), and one time zone I keep on GMT (and use daily, believe it or not.) Setting the watch is intuitive to the point of easy. (I set it the first time without even opening the instructions.) The backlight wonderfully illuminates the face. (It's bright enough to let you see things around you in a dark room.) The stopwatch function is modern-basic (start-stop-split). The databank? To be honest, I never use it. It's good only for phone numbers, and is a pain in the fingertips to enter more than a few entries. If I could interface the watch with a PC or PDA, I'd probably fill the thing-- because i would be so easy to do. After putting in a couple of numbers, I realized that I was duplicating my cell phone's directory-- and if the number was important enough to want to have with me when my cell phone was not near me, I had already memorized the number. Then I asked myself, "When is your cell phone not with you?" Replacing the battery is grade-A tough. Don't let the friendly screws on the back lure you into a false sense of security. Even an experienced jeweller will find it hard-- there's a little catch firmly (and I mean firmly) holding the battery in place. It almost feels like you're breaking something when you finally get it free. (Plus, there's a tiny little spring you need to keep in place, or the watch will stop making beeps and alarms.) The alarm is just right, but be warned-- my experience is that it's also a battery killer. If you use it every day, expect your battery life to be shortened. Would I buy it again? Yes. Would I consider buying a new one instead of replacing the battery? Yeah, probably-- especially if you don't like messing with tiny things. Would I recommend the watch? Definitely. If you like the features, this is one great watch for the price. Read more Less