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| Reviews Summary for casio wave ceptor atomic watch |
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Reviews: 15
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Average rating: 4.1/5
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MSRP: $49.99
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Description: large display, atomic watch, has button to show utc time
comfortable, back lit button for niight use. water resistant to 50m
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More info: http://
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KB5IAV
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Rating: 2/5
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May 3, 2008 18:27
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Great if you can get it at a throwaway price
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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When my last watch, a Pulsar, died in 2006 after 10 years, I found the Casio Waveceptor Ana-Digital, which has analog time for local time along with a digital readout which can show date, local time, or world time(including UTC). The Waveceptor comes in a variety of styles and I purchased one with a metal band, since I liked the look of it.
I ordered it from Amazon in April 2006 and it arrived shortly after. Since this watch uses radio and doesn't have much antenna, the user has to find a "sweet spot" where they can leave it so it can sync to the WWVB signal. I found such a spot and the watch synced up every night or any time I told it to manually. I often checked the time against WWV and it was always right on the money. The fact I could get UTC with one button push was a nice feature too. In other words, I was happy with it.
April 2008, nearly 2 years to the day, the watch quits working because the battery dies. I took the watch to a specialty watch repair shop I've used before for watch batteries and never had a problem, until now. They changed the battery, but because they didn't have the manual, they couldn't set it, which was OK with me because I wanted to configure the watch for my needs.
I got the watch home and pulled out the manual to start setting it up, and noticed the lower right hand button no longer worked, and the hands had not moved since I had left the shop a half hour before. Although the watch did sync up eventually on it's own, the hands never moved and I couldn't configure the display without the lower left button.
I thought the shop had destroyed my watch, but after reading some reviews on Amazon of other versions of the Waveceptor (basically the same watches with different bands), I found this watch has battery change issues. One user reported problems with the watch after a battery change and was told by Casio he had to send it back to them for a battery change. Another user said shops in his area, even a specialty watch shop, wouldn't change the battery on a Casio watch and the only way to get it changed was to send it to a Casio service center. To me it's insane to send it across the country and wait weeks just for a new battery.
If you can get a Waveceptor at a cheap enough price that you don't mind throwing it away every couple of years, I guess it's a good watch, but I don't think I should have to throw away a $65 watch after only 2 years.
I'm in the market for a new atomic watch and it won't be Casio. If I can't find an atomic watch in a brand other than Casio, I'll go back to a good quartz and just set it to WWV every so often like I used to do.
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WV1K
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 25, 2007 14:07
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Excellent before the battery change
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I enjoyed this watch before the local Wal-Mart(s) changed to the policy of refusing to change batteries bought there. A jeweler will laugh in your face.
I did it but didn't enjoy it.
I understand the story is the same both ways with the $90 or more watches.
The watch itself works fine way out on Cape Cod.
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AD5TD
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 25, 2007 13:55
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Best watch ever
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had mine for over two years now. It has prformed flawlessly. The only gripe I have about it is that if doesn't have a "countdown" timer. Very useful. I love the fact that when I want to know the time, if I see the "dish" symbol, I know that the time is correct within a second or less.
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WA4SCA
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 25, 2007 10:21
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Perfect time, confusing menus.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have had one for 3 years now, and have found it to be highly reliable. Much like the non-atomic 1985 vintage predecessor, it loses exactly 8 seconds a month if you don't update it. Battery life is much better than claimed, and it updates reliably as long as you are not in a metal building. I also find its menus completely opaque, so when I travel, unless I am going to be gone for a week or more, I just leave it on home time, and mentally convert. Or perhaps, it is just Oldtimers Disease setting in.
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KG8JF
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 25, 2007 09:14
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It is a pain
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Contrary to the previous reviewer's sentiment, I find the watch a joy to have. I am sure that everytime I look at my watch, it is the correct time. It is, literally, a pain in the butt to get the darn thing set up. It is the most unintuitive thing I have ever tried to deal with. I have also noticed that as I age I am having much more trouble with these high tech toys. It is very hard to set/reset but it is not junk
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WY4J
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Rating: 0/5
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Dec 25, 2007 07:26
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Garbage
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just received Casio watch from the XYL as an Xmas present. Biggest piece of junk in the world. Could not get it the time set to Easter Time it kept constantly wanting to set the time to Pacific Time and the hands just kept going around in circles. In order for this watch to reset itself it must receive a signal from WWV in FT Collins, I guess Florida is just too far. The buttons are tiny and after a while your fingers start to hurt from pressing. The instructions are no help since they must have been written by the fellow who designed it.
A watch just keeps time. This piece of junk with its atomic gimmick cannot even do that. So don't waste your money on this unless you enjoy the frustration of playing with something that does not work. I asked her to return it before I took a hammer to it.
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W6RQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 18, 2007 13:25
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great watch
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm a big fan of the Casio Wave Ceptor watches. I have had two over the last few years (one cost $30, the other $40), and both are still working fine. I recommend them very highly. It's great to have a highly accurate "radio-controlled" watch. Definitely tops on the nerd scale.
73, Curt W6RQ
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KE6PID
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 6, 2005 21:56
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Yeah!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It's a nerd's watch! I like it so I guess I am a certifiable nerd! It has that Casio coolness factor to it. Has nice large digits, it's easy to see and has great backlight for night use, I do need to set it by a window aiming in the right direction overnight for it to set though. Even if it doesn't set it's still an accurate watch. Mine is going on 3 years and still is going strong on the original battery. I think Casio has various cases they put the guts into, mine is all plastic and over time the "crystal" has become scratched, if they make it, and I don't know if they do, try to find one with a glass crystal.
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K7EDE
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 15, 2005 16:21
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not for arizona
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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It's fantastic except for one very irritating function--if you live in Arizona, you'll have to change your time zone from MST to UTC minus 8 during daylight savings time. Otherwise, every time your watch synchs (once a night for me) it will turn Daylight Savings Time back on, even though you manually turned it off! If you change time zones for the duration of DST, you'll have to change again when DST is over.
No problems with the watch picking up the signal on a pretty regular basis from my upstairs desk.
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AD6VU
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 28, 2003 22:14
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Works great in California....
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I have several WWV-synchronized clocks, but this was my first wristwatch. My Casio is Model 55H and came with a nice stainless band and is the dress watch style; altho it is water resistant to 25m. I got mine on sale at Big 5 for $19.95 and it's been advertized several times at this price. Contrary to the last review, it is somewhat smaller and resembles an ordinary digital dress watch; however, it is a bit thicker than most(15mm). It synched within minutes of its purchase and automatically adjusted itself for DST and back again on the first sync signal it received. I'm still on the original battery and I leave it on top of my computer next to an Oregon Scientific Atomic Alarm Clock, which, incidentally, did not receive the "Spring forward, Fall back" signal until I moved it to an east-facing window. I love this Casio and the hardest thing for me is to maintain enough will power to resist buying another one should it go on sale again. You can never have enough watches.... especially ones so darn accurate. Believe me, no one tells me my watch needs adjusting now!
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