The Casio Pro Trek watch (+/- 320 CAD) reflects design choices that will appeal to those who want useful navigational features, are concerned about privacy, and do not want to worry about longevity. It is a mid-priced watch that offers the best of « unconnected » technologies. Two years and an Atlantic crossing later, I can attest that despite a few imperfections, it is well worth its price.
The Market of Intermediate Watches
A watch can be distinguished as a jewel, becoming more of a status symbol, or by its intrinsic quality as a timekeeping tool, where precision and functionality matters. The Casio Pro Trek is not a status watch, but it does offer the best in terms of functionality in the electro-mechanical watch market. In particular, it offers useful navigation functions. Its nearest rival is the Timex North Tide (+/- 360 CAD).
Functionalities
Autonomy
The watch is self-sufficient in two ways. Firstly, it is energy self-sufficient. Its solar collectors, behind the screen, are more than enough to keep it charged. In two years, I have never had to think about it.
Secondly, this is not a smart watch, dependent on a power-hungry Bluetooth connection and a second device. All functionalities are always available, calculated right on your wrist. For those who do not want to share their biometric data with third-party companies, it has no sensors and no such digital transmission features. It does not spy on you.
Navigation Features
In terms of distinctive navigation features, it includes a magnetic compass reliable enough to serve as a substitute for an on-board compass, a barometer reliable enough to see fronts coming, a long-frequency radio receiver to self-correct any deviations from Coordinated Universal Time, and a time-zone management system that simultaneously keeps local time and home meridian time.
Its compass is accurate to within plus or minus five degrees. This deviation can be reduced if you take the trouble to calculate its deviation. The graphic display of atmospheric pressure allows you to see fronts coming, and is fairly reliable.
The radio receiver used to correct deviations from Universal Time operates within a radius of 3,000 kilometers of the transmitting stations. Those are scattered around the world, with the North American station in Colorado. Any place east of Quebec City, towards the Maritime provinces, is outside the reception radius. However, if you ever get through Montreal or head further south, the watch automatically adjusts for any difference of a few seconds with Coordinated Universal Time.
The appeal of this feature therefore depends on where you live… or on your travel habits. The watch keeps a record of when it has self-corrected, so you can see when the last correction was made. Personally, I have traveled enough that I have never had to worry about major deviations. Of course, time can be adjusted manually.
Other Functionalities
Like many other electro-mechanical watches, it includes a chronometer, alarms, a countdown timer and various display options (24h vs 12h, kpa vs mm of mercury, etc.). It also includes an altimeter and thermometer. It is backlit, waterproof up to 100 meters, and sufficiently robust.
Temperature and altitude readers are less reliable. You have to remove the watch from your wrist to get a reliable ambient temperature reading (otherwise, you get a reliable reading of… your body temperature). The altimeter is unreliable.
In terms of sturdiness, you can wear it without worrying about damaging it while working on the deck. Its glass is scratch-resistant. Similarly, its promise of water-resistance is well-founded. It withstands morning swims in both fresh and salt water!
The default strap is made of the plastic typical of sports watches. I personally opted for a nylon braided strap. Otherwise, it takes a little time to get used to the buttons used to configure its functions.
Conclusion
The watch is useful for navigation. Its basic functions, especially the stopwatch, have come in handy on more than one occasion when I have had to steer out of port. Its advanced functions, such as the compass, have fortunately never served me, but I have tested them enough to know that they are fairly reliable substitutes in case of a glitch.
It is a watch that, on the whole, is built to be reliable and forgettable. It will do what is expected of it without requiring any special attention. In the marine environment, where attention must be paid to the condition of a multitude of instruments, a reliable watch that can serve as a substitute and requires virtually no attention is an asset.
