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Comment by DizzyDoo | Hacker News Reader

I got a Casio watch from Amazon about five years ago, there was a deal on and it was about CAD$20. A budgetary driven decision, for sure!

But it's been fascinating to see, over the years, how many times I've been approached (in a coffee shop or some other public place) by serious Casio enthusiasts, keen to ask about my watch and to show theirs. There's so many variations, colours, limited-runs editions... I seem to have accidentally stumbled into a niche with lots of passionate hobbyists - I'm sort of glad I had to replace the awful strap, which snapped, so I actually have something to contribute to the conversation. I had no idea Casio watches were such a big thing, but now I'm not at all surprised there are modding projects like this.

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Casio is such a staple in the watch community and because it's so affordable and there are tons of cheap mods to create, peoples creativity comes out. I remember talking to my team about how I had the Casio calculator as a kid and walked by Walmart the next day found it, bought it and next standup meeting we spent some time reminiscing about our childhood.

I got a couple of casio watches from Amazon years back. Then I brought one in a physical watch store and realized that all the watches purchased through Amazon were fakes. Especially the strap is so much better on the real thing.

I wouldn't have been surprised to find out my F-91W was counterfeit! But I just went and watched a "30 ways to tell if your Casio watch is fake" video on YouTube and it looks like my watch is legitimate. I probably wasn't careful enough with the strap, it just disintegrated at one of the connections to the face.

Is there any way you can link up the exact video? I'd like to examine my Casio.

Yes, it was this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNnkDyGgvGk

I don't have a video link handy, but this British mod dude has a very brief summary:

Guide.Zenn22.Shop (redirects to a steam site I think). He has many modded F91W's on eBay.

I have one "fake" F91W, it's actally SKMEI branded and keeps fine time. Not sure I believe his claim that the fakes are so inaccurate, but maybe.

How do you like SKMEI? Backlight must be way better than F91W.

I got $10 skmei 1278, casio w96 copy, for two years, backlight is great, countdown, water resistant enough for swimming, +10sec a month, screen could have better viewing angles, bought replacement strap from Ali.

> it just disintegrated at one of the connections to the face

That's a very common problem on the inexpensive Casios. When it happened to my watch I found that new watch cost less than a new strap.

I found the same, though I couldn't bring myself to buy another watch just because it was cheaper. So I bought some NATO straps and have been really happy with them. Perfect watch for me now.

nonsense. I've bought lots of Casio watches on Amazon and have never encountered a fake.

There are lots of third party sellers hawking fake Casios on many online marketplaces.

Any idea where a person in Canada could purchase one? Not having any luck other then amazon

Wow, for me finding this thread has been a revelation, I didn't know there were other people that liked the casio watches like I do. I had them as children, then as an adult I accidentally stumbled upon a green model at the Madrid flea market, I thought how amazing, this color is epic. Forgot about it for years, then was frustrated with smart watches and the time it would take to start a stopwatch, so I went on Amazon and bought a bunch of them so that I always have at least one that I can find at any time

I recently got a $20 Casio watch as well. Unlike the Garmin watches, I never have to charge it. It tells time and that's it. I never noticed how often I checked my phone just to check the time until I got this watch. I love it.

I've noticed how often I check the time on my phone. Tapping the screen isn't a big deal but I still feel like a flick of the wrist would be more convenient, and there are times when the phone isn't right next to me.. Also, digging a big phone out of the pocket and putting it back when I'm on a walk is worse, nevermind doing that while driving a car (the clock on the radio seems to be always wrong).

So I've been thinking about buying a watch for a couple years now. I finally did it last Saturday. Coincidentally, a Casio, and thanks to this thread I'm even more excited for it than before :) It hasn't been shipped out yet.

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