Casio Wave Ceptor Men's Watch LCW-M170TD
Casio Wave Ceptor Men's Watch LCW-M170TD
Waterproof up to 5 bar
Taking a shower or bath with this watch is not a problem. It has been tested for water resistance up to 5 bar/50 meters.
| Dimensions: | 4.6 x 3.9 x 0.9 cm; 80 Grams |
| Model: | LCW-M170TD-7AER |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | CASIO |
| Department: | Men's |
| Dimensions: | 4.6 x 3.9 x 0.9 cm; 80 Grams |
Two main things with this watch: Titanium and Technology
Titanium:
You’re paying more for this exotic metal. You can have the same watch in stainless steel which is cheaper (LCW-M170D-1AER = stainless / LCW-M170TD-1AER = titanium) so what’s the advantage you ask.
Weight saving, which translates to wrist comfort. Stainless steel 316L (common watch grade of stainless) is 8.0g per cm3. Whereas pure Titanium is 4.5g per cm3. Although the titanium in watches is usually an alloy as well. Titanium is between 30-45% lighter depending on what alloys you compare. This is my first Ti watch, and I have to say its noticeably lighter and more comfortable on my wrist. Although, this is subjective and some may even compare the weight and feel to a heavier watch and be disappointed. Weight = luxury.
Personally though I love the feel, look and lightness of the titanium. It has a dark grey hue and has a slightly more stain look to it over stainless steel (picture for comparison). The only downside I’ve read, which I’ve yet to find out with this watch is scratch resistance. Stainless steel doesn’t scratch nearly as easily as titanium. However, easily scratched usually means easier to polish out.
Technology:
Initial setup can be intimidating but also rewarding. Download the larger manual from the Casio website, big help. User manual 5161. Then its: 1. Setup the home city (manual section E-12). 2. Request atomic clock sync (E-25) and set to automatic daily sync (E-27). 3. Align the clock fingers (E-64) 4. Play with the other watch features (E-32 towards). There are a lot of features packed into this watch. Once you’ve got the sequence of menus in your memory it becomes easy. I’ve found I am using the features in my daily life. Need a reminder for the evening, set an alarm. Cooking pasta, set a countdown for 18 minutes. Whether this is the novelty of a ‘shiny new watch’ remains to be seen though.
Overall:
Pros:
* Well-made, self-charging, full titanium watch with decent features for just over 200 brand new. Amazing value compared to other watches, which cost more for less.
* Accuracy due to the radio atomic syncing. It’s on time all the time thanks to daily sync. You can go to the website ‘TIME.IS’ and compare. The watch is to the second, in sync, accurate. If you’re a bit OCD / love precision like me, when this brings such satisfaction.
* Elegant. It’s stylish and lovely to look at but it’s also secretly sophisticated due to the hidden features and unusual material. It doesn’t shout too loudly, but it does get attention and opens a conversation when someone asks you about it.
* One watch to rule them all. Yes, there are higher-value watch brands out there with similar features, but you’ll pay a lot more. This Casio packs in a lot more than ‘ordinary’ watches and leaves you wondering if you’ll ever need another watch at all.
* Titanium, yes, I’ve already used the word numerous times but when I think TI, I think 2,200 mph+ at 85,000 feet+. The SR-71 Blackbird aircraft is 85% Ti. That same stuff is on your wrist!
Cons:
* The illumination light is an orangey yellow. I was surprised it wasn’t a crisp white LED. Makes this premium watch feel a little less so. Could easily have been white which would have looked more modern and made reading the time by it, easier. Another issue is that the backlight only remains on for 2 seconds at a time. Also, the digital LCD display is not backlit. (picture for comparison).
* Strap adjustability requires a watch kit with a punch or pin remover. Fortunately, I already had the kit and experience with adjusting straps. However, Casio used something I hadn’t seen before. Pins with tiny collars that free float in barrels within each link. Be careful, as you can easily lose one of these tiny collars and thus the pin won’t hold when you put the strap back together.
* Fell foul of setting the home city to UTC. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) selection is not linked to an atomic clock frequency, even though UTC is UK time in Winter. I found if you specify UTC as the home city, the automatic atomic setting features won’t work. You need to set the watches home city to LON in the UK and then the atomic sync features will work.
* Battery indicator has low, medium, high. Most of the time I’ve seen it on medium. Once on high. A battery percentage indictor would have been useful as well as battery health.
* The stopwatch function doesn’t have a lap splitter. It’s just start, stop, resume, or hold to set back to zero.
This watch have Saphire top, all titanium body, titanium strap, solar battery, the hands can be aligned individually, so you make them hit those markers perfectly and it sets it’s own time. I know with it I don’t need another watch. I still bought few others mainly to use them when I do physical work, since I don’t want to worry about this watch been too damaged.
I wanted an accurate watch with a lightweight titanium body and strap and tough sapphire glass. This one fitted the bill nicely. In my mind, not quite as aesthetically pleasing as some other Casio models, but they didn’t fit the above criteria. The titanium strap is not as hard wearing as stainless steel, so has developed a number of scuff marks already. I have decided not to wear it in situations where it may get rough treatment and will probably never use many of its extra functions but am happy with it so far.
I read very many of the reviews before purchase and having had and used this fabulous watch for about three months totally agree with all the very positive comments.
Love my WaveCeptor Lineage.
Never have to recharge;
Never have to reset;
Never have to take it off, even when swimming.
Simply the best watch.
This is the third Casio radio controlled watch that I own and they are very good for the price you pay. Very reliable and do not need batteries. Great watches.
I think I paid around 200 for this back in 2015.
That was only a little bit more than the repair cost quoted for my Junghans mega solar ceramic watch. The Junghans had failed once before, and the ‘repair’ involves replacing the whole movement. The Jungjans has a great design… great scratch-resistant case sapphire crystal… but it’s all no good if the movement goes every few years. Also, it could only pick up the atomic clock in Germany somewhere.
On to the Casio. I also ordered the one with the titanium armband. The armband is in the case, as I prefer these nylon straps. The Casio also has a sapphire crystal, so it has not scratched… not as far as I can see. The smearing you see in the photo is just fingerprints. The Casio will receive time updates from 6 atomic clocks worldwide, and I have had no issues with it.
So the Casio is waterproof, supports multiple time zones, has an alarm and even a night light.
I like the fact that the watch goes to ‘sleep’ to conserve energy, and like seeing it wake up if I pick it up from being face-down in the morning. I like the fact that it adjusts to daylight saving times with no fuss.
So what’s not to like… Firstly you will see that the time markers are not attached to the bezel, rather the are glued on to the back of the crystal. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but once you have noticed it, you cannot un-notice it. None of them have moved about, and I have dropped the watch and generally not been gentle with it.
The other thing is that the night light lights up the hands OK in the pitch dark, but I struggle to read the digital display.
So in summary: pretty nearly 7 years and it’s not missed a beat. Like other reviewers have said… the tech and features are good value for money from a premium manufacturer. I have gone back to this watch from using an apple watch for around 6 months, and I’m more than happy.
Never had a Casio watch before, I have a few really expensive watches, but this titanium model is very light and looks really classy. The second hand falls right on the middle of the indexes, a sign of a quality watch.
I’ve loved this watch so much that I purchased the same model but with a white dial.
For the price, a very good looking watch packed with features, and the automatic atomic clock radio update means it’s pretty accurate. The only feature I’m not mad about is the asymmetric & sunken nature of the digital display.
This was a Christmas present, and the recipient was very happy with the item. I should have bought one for me also
ALL THIS GOOD STUFF, TITANIUM, ATOMIC RADIO SYNC., SOLAR POWERED, SAPHIRE CRYSTAL, ANTI REFLECTIVE COATING, ANALOGUE & DIGITAL DISPLAY, WORLD TIME AND SO MUCH MORE.
AT THIS LOW LOW PRICE!!!!!!!
CASIO. JUST SET THE STANDARD. EASY TEN STARS. ##########
This is a “first impressions” review of LCW-M170TD-1AER (black/silver). Because I have only had the watch for a day, I cannot comment on how it ages and reliability.
The watch is packaged inside a tin which, in itself, is contained in a rather unremarkable cardboard box. There is a very thick instruction manual. It is comprehensive but that’s because it is in tiny print; the manual is so thick only because it is repeated in several languages. I recommend downloading the manual as a PDF so that you can zoom in and also so that you have a copy on your phone or in the cloud for wherever you are.
Adjusting the strap is difficult without the proper tool. To remove links, you have to push out pins, being careful not to lose a tiny, grommet-like insert that sits inside the end of the bore through each link. I strongly recommend buying the proper tool or taking the way h to a jewellers.
You need to tell the watch which time zone you’re in. This is so that it knows which time signal to try to receive and also how many hours to add or subtract from the time it receives. This, like other actions such as setting alarms is achieved by pressing each of up to the three buttons in sequence according to clear instructions. Once you understand the role of each of buttons A, B and C, navigating your way around the menu items is logical.
Each of the hands lines up perfectly with the minute marks as they sweep around the face. The face is uncluttered and easy to read. At the press of a button, the face can be briefly illuminated by a single orange LED. There is no evenness to the lighting; it really is simply an LED underneath the 6 o’clock mark on the face. It works OK but it isn’t aesthetic.
There is a fine white line on the face, running between the 9 and 3 o’clock position and from centre to 12 o’clock. It is of similar thickness and colour to the second hand. It looks nice but does slightly detract from clarity.
The watch feels so light that it might be mistaken for being plastic. However, the case is solid titanium alloy as is the strap. The watch has a premium but minimalist look. That, for me, is the biggest appeal. It is a solid, minimalist-looking watch yet it runs on nothing but sunlight and can set itself from time signals broadcast at low frequency from one of 6 stations around the world. That is pretty neat!
If you want an uncluttered but attractive watch that will probably last well yet, despite its simple appearance, contains some cutting edge technology…this is the watch for you. There are cheaper wave ceptor models but they don’t have sapphire crystal faces and titanium cases.
Solar panel, so never needs a battery
Titanium, so extremely strong yet very light.
I personally think it’s stunning to look at and definitely highly recommend it.
A very nice looking watch which is easy to read and elegant. Perfect for formal wear without being over the top. Worked right from the box. The only thing which l needed to do was set the home city for the signal. The instructions were clear and available on-line in a better print size than the fat instruction book.
Nicely packed and quickly supplied.
Then we have manufacturers like Casio who have been around for a very long time and have invested in their own factories and innovation and exist to make watches, rather than invent fashion brands that will be here today and gone tomorrow. Casio may not be some trendy start-up company plastered all over Instagram, but they still do some really nice watches, and for those who don’t care what is in vogue at the moment and are confident enough to be different, Casio do some cracking watches and designs.
So to this watch (reviewing the black LCW-M170TD model) for not much more than some fashion watches and often for less, this Casio watch is made from premium materials such as titanium along with a titanium strap, this makes it much lighter in weight and is much more skin friendly than other metals, plastic or leather, a reason why titanium is often used inside the body. The crystal is sapphire, this makes it extremely resistant to scratching being 9 on the MOHL scale (diamond is 10, and a typical smart phone screen is around 7), this means the watch will continue looking good over the years.
This watch isn’t using a 1.00 quartz movement like many expensive quartz fashion watches, but is using a movement made only by Casio in their factory in Japan. The movement is a wonder of miniaturisation, it not only contains a quartz movement (2 miniature motors are used to move the hands independently) but also contains an LCD display, a radio receiver to receive the atomic time, and a solar panel and charge circuit, this means it should go for a decade or more before it needs a battery replacement, even with the extra demands of the radio receiver. It is truly amazing all this fits into what is a pretty standard sized case that has just enough thickness and size to feel like a man’s watch without being too large for smaller wrists and what you pay goes into the watch, rather than just paying for a name to be silk screened on to the dial.
I would suggest doing a YouTube search for this watches model number (LCW-M170TD) to see reviewers move it about in different lighting to see what it truly looks like, as the stock image seems to suggest it has a grey inner ring, but in reality, that is a sloping bezel that reflects the light differently and looks much better in the flesh. The indices float above the watch face and the second-hand sweeps just below the crystal, so it’s fairly 3 dimensional.
As is usual for Casio, extra care is made to ensure the second hand hits the indices correctly, and it is somehow quite pleasing when the second hand is at the 3 or 9 o’clock position and lines up precisely with the cross hairs on the dial.
The LCD display can show the time in digital format, a different time zone or the day and date, and it gives a bit of a retro look and tells you this watch is different from most others.
The best bit about the watch is the atomic time updates. Okay, let’s be honest about it, there are probably few occasions where we need the time on our wrists to be spot on to the second, maybe useful for the start of a 2-minute silence or a New Year’s Eve count down, but if the technology can do it why not? After all time keeping through the centuries has always been about getting better and better accuracy. Also, we have twice a year where the clocks change, and this watch will do that automatically, and so it becomes the trusted time piece to which you compare and adjust all your other clocks and watches. Because it updates every day, then it doesn’t slowly drift off, and so it looks after itself, and no messing about getting the date correct on shorter months.
So some tips and tricks:
I would recommend before purchase searching the internet for Casio manual 5161, this will give you links to download the instruction manual to become familiar with it, for some people it may all be a bit daunting as it has many features and set up options, but actually in practice you don’t necessarily need to do much to set up, and once done, it’s done.
Out of the box these watches are typically set to Paris as the time zone and city, and as soon as the watch wakes up out the box the hands race around to the correct time, and this can mean it appears an hour out. Follow the instructions to set the home city to London (or as required) and the time will correct itself, however it will not be accurate to the second until it has received the atomic time signal, this happens overnight, but you can try triggering it manually.
Make sure overnight the watch isn’t close to any electrical items, such as a mobile phone or phone charger as these devices swamp the time signal with interference and it may fail to resync each night.
Being solar powered doesn’t mean you have to have it tracking the sun 8 hours a day, it doesn’t need direct sunlight at all. When you first receive it, it would benefit from some daylight to top up the battery after it has been sat in the box, and any nice and bright windowsill will do, just leave it there for a few hours over a couple of days. I would avoid sitting it in direct sunlight as that will only cause it to get hot and UV light benefits few things and simply isn’t required. If you are wearing the watch out and about straight away and it’s not covered under a sleeve then that simply will be enough. Once charged the battery can keep it powered for months and months, so generally just being worn the watch gets enough light to be quite happy. In general use you don’t need to worry about charging it.
Sleep mode: this can’t be disabled on these models of watch so if this could be a problem don’t buy this one. After 10pm, if the watch doesn’t see any light, then after a while it goes to sleep. This sleep mode sees the second hand stop at the 12 o’clock position and the LCD display goes off, the hour and minute hands still continue to tell the correct time however. As soon as the watch sees some light, or a button is pressed, it wakes up again.
If you are adjusting the strap then it uses a pin and collar system, search YouTube for some tips on doing it yourself, example “Casio Titanium Bracelet Adjustment Greg Anderson”, even if you are taking it to a Jeweller to do, it’s worth watching the video so you can advise the Jeweller as it catches some of them out as well.
Above all, enjoy the watch.
The watch crystal is very scratch resistant. I have now owned this for 7 months and worn it daily. There is not a single mark in the glass, not even a hairline mark. Whilst talking about scratches I have seen negative reviews about the titanium scratching. One thing to note, titanium is easier to scratch than stainless steel, so it does mark, particularly on the clasp if like me you’re sat at a desk a lot. Other marks I’ve had on the bezel have been easy to polish out. The brush look on the band can be restored with tools as well (not included) if you’re so inclined. As this is my daily, I expect it to pick up marks.
The face is easy to read the analogue time, the fingers and numeral markers fluoresce when going from strong light to dark light. For complete darkness there is an LED light which lets you see the analogue face in complete darkness, the digital face, is a little bit harder to see as it isn’t an illuminator watch.
Buttons are easy to press and 7 months in of daily wear, they haven’t seized up.
Features wise it’s as the specs say, everything works as it does. I have the digital face set to world time for Sydney Australia as I often contact that area. Slight criticism is sometimes this display will default back to uk time.
Power wise it holds power well. After a good charge in a sunny window the level went to high and has stayed there with daily use. If the watch is in complete darkness for a length of time, it actually shuts down to save power. Once it senses enough light, or there’s a button press, it will automatically adjust itself to the correct time in under a second.
Being titanium the watch is very lightweight, it’s slim and just the right proportions for a male wrist so it doesn’t look too small or oversized.
Strap is easy to adjust if you have the right tools, if you haven’t or don’t want to tackle it, watch shops can adjust it quickly.
All in all I am really happy with it. It has attracted attention from people for its design and they’ve been taken aback it’s a casio. For a similar watch in Seiko, Citizen etc this would cost a lot more than what I paid for it.
I already have a steel black version of this watch and reviewed it on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M9ZDTEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That watch has been near perfect and although it’s not my every day time piece had a couple of stutters where the second hand stopped (other hands working perfect) when stored in good light, the hand calibration restored everything well following the instructions. Although it happened a few times it has been perfect for the last few years, Odd.
I came across this titanium version by accident and given my good experience with the black steel version now around 5 years old and still functioning perfectly I decided to make the purchase.
It feels a lot lighter on my wrist than my steel version but is easier to read the digital display part as it’s positive LCD. I went for the light face version as like I mentioned in my review of my steel watch I wanted the digital area to blend in with the overall watch face design and not scream out loud “I do lots of digital stuff as well”. It had to be understated but functional which it is. Few people even realised my steels version had a sub display. The same is likely for this watch although it is more noticeable on this one.
All the functions are the same as the steel version.
An initial summary:
– Super light
– Sunburst dial looks fantastic
– very easy to read both analogue and digital information
– Known movement reliability compared to my other watch
– Good back light for displaying the time
Top job Casio once again.
This watch seems to have everything: Sapphire glass, Solar charging, World time, Radio timesetting, Day and date in a perpetual calendar, Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch. The titanium build is the icing on the cake and makes a significant difference in weight, giving a slightly grey appearance compared to stainless steel, with a plain but dressy dial in just the right dimensions.
A single button press switches to the day and date in a relatively large but unobtrusive digital panel, another button switches the display between the other modes, and the third button is mainly for the light so controls have been optimised and the black on grey LCD is clear and readable.
In UK the automatic radio timesetting is reliable, although it is easiest to do in the day for the first time out of doors. If there is no local transmitter, the time and perpetual calendar can be set up in the normal Casio way.
I have a different 7 year old model which has the same ‘module’/movement and it still works like new, so this should be terrific value too.
The watch comes with a longer wristband than someCasios and I needed to remove three of them, which just requires the usual tool but is best done professionally if you are not used to doing it.
The same watch is available in stainless steel but I believe titanium is definitely worth the extra.
This is just about the best combination of form and function out there. Titanium, solar powered, radio synch and (should you want them) useful functions from the quartz module. Can dress up or down and is as happy worn with a suit as casually.
My last watch kept losing time and I was late for work a couple of times so this watch is perfect for me. It looks great even though it isn’t a ladies watch.
I love this watch. I mean really love it but….. although the second hand is beautifully synchronised with the time signal, the minute hand appears to be very slightly out of adjustment . Eg at 12 oclock precisely the second hand ticks into exact position on 12 but the minute hand appears to indicate about half a minute before 12. Minor problem on what is the most excellent watch that i have ever owned. I could have given five stars but feel i should point out this aspect of my watch
A vast improvement in quality to my previous WaveCeptor watch – much lighter and leaner with the flat watch face glass. Going to 3 buttons from the previous 4 buttons not an issue. As only a recent purchase it is too early to tell how the quality of the watch and metal wrist strap fare with use. Maybe a review update in a year.
Cons : None, really. I haven’t rated it for water resistance only because I’ve never taken it in the water, so I’ve no idea how good it is at that kind of thing.
I’ve been looking for something that fits this “bill” for ages. 17 years ago I bought an early “wave ceptor” solar, radio updating watch. It is STILL going strong, and has NEVER had a replacement battery. Sadly it has a scratch on the glass, and I fancied a new model. I was also looking for something more traditional and classy, and this one is perfect. Solar powered (I’ve never had one go ‘flat’), Radio updates from six sources worldwide, Date (no month, but most of us could remember that bit!), World time (I travel for work. This is priceless!). Multiple Alarms, Countdown timer and Stopwatch (that I don’t use personally). This isn’t cheap, but for me it’s well worth it.
One piece of advice…do read the manual to set it up, as that is critical to it performing the way you would want!
This is my second Casio Waveceptor. First one used for over 20 years. Sent for repair of minor annoyance and was told it was too old to repair. Bought this one and am delighted with it. Meanwhile old on returned in working order (no charge). These watches have the accuracy of chronometers and I frequently used my original Casio while taking Celestial sights as Deck Officer in MN.
This is a lovely watch, soundly built in titanium with a substantial matching titanium strap. And, as expected it keeps perfect time in UK (and many other) time zone(s).
The bracelet is easily adjusted with care, using the adjustment tool (sold separately). But do take care, the centre piece of each link in the bracelet has a very small sleeve insert, which is all too easily lost if you are not aware it is there. This is what holds the fixing pin in place and must be replaced as found. Do the job over a piece of cloth to catch it.
All in all, an excellent purchase and delivered sooner than expected.
I have several watches that are solar powered and use the accurate time signal. I already have a couple of Casio Waveceptor, Gshock watches. These are really good watches but are more for use in tough environments, work or sport etc. This one is all metal titanium, solar powered and picks up the time signal so it’s always accurate. Most importantly it looks great. I wear mine as an everyday watch but it can be worn for any occasion, smart, casual or for work. I prefer the anadigi type watches. The digital display is minimal but has all the usual functions, chrono, World timer, date, time 24hr/12hr. You need to familiarise yourself with the manual though. I am fussy regarding the hands on a watch and these are precise with no deviation. In other words they point to seconds, minutes and hours precisely. You can even adjust them if they are slightly out of alignment. All in all one of my favourite watches……
Bought to replace another Casio watch. Watch looks good, keeps perfect time and you never need to replace a battery. What’s not to like.
Only slight downside is that new 3 button controls make changing time zones more difficult than the old 4 button system.
However very pleased with the watch.
This is my second Casio watch,the other is an Edifice model solar and radio controlled,been perfect for nearly 10 years, I just wanted a different model ,, this one has a larger dial wahich suits me better as l,m getting older this is a great model as well solar and radio controlled the very east to set up i,m very pleased with il
My husband is absolutely delighted with his new watch. Delivery was quick and packing excellent. The date and month are clear and easy to read, the watch itself is light in weight, and the quality is very good. excellent value for money!!
This is a truly amazing watch.With a titanium case (Make sure it has a “T” in the product number to get this exact model) and titanium wristband is really lightweight (80g) Atomic movement…100% acurate. Solar powered for worry free concerns about replacing batteries. Automatic half shutdown at night for reserving power consumption. Lots of additional features…automatically adjusts for Daylight Saving Time…Stopwatch, World Time, 12/24 Hour Digital readout options, and a very clear digital screen with the time syncronized perfectly with the analogue hands. The wristband has a secure clasp with an easy release clip..very neat. The only thing about this watch I don’t like is the “quiet” but still audible alarm signal. A small problem for such a brilliant time piece and at such a very reasonable price. Well done Casio for such a great inovated product.
Had a Junghans solar / radio controlled watch for 10 years. This watch is superb and superior to the Junghans model with a very clear display. Only the body is tungsten, while the bezel and strap are stainless steel. All in all an excellent watch.
Very elegant watch, works well Slightly simplified functionality over my previous waveceptor watch, but easier to use because of it. Only down side is that the low level of contrast between the hands and the background can make it difficult to read – even when the “backlight” is on.
This is my second Waveceptor. My first is about 10 years old and still works perfectly however it’s case is part plastic and the nightly time correction only functions in Europe. This one is solid titanium and the finish is superb with a very clear face and LCD screen which can show day/date or digital time or other city time. Adjusting the watch’s functions is much easier on this model – only 3 buttons – compared with the 4 my old one. You never have to change battery or set the watch which is reliably correct to the second. I also have an Omega Speedmaster (Moonwatch) but I never wear it because I forget to wind it and it cannot compete with the the Waveceptor’s constantly reliable accuracy.
Worked straight from the box. Looked attractive and so far the solar battery charge is easily achieved and the radio signal is also no problem (I live in Kent) As others found, the instructions are hard to read, But can be downloaded from Casio to any size yoiu want on a PDF file The accuracy is very satisfying.
This is a very nice watch, it looks beautiful and it is very light. The bracelet is a bit long, I had to remove 4 pieces out of it to make it fit my hand. The radio signal couldn’t be received where I live, but I think that’s a small issue, time will tell how precise the watch is without using the radio synchronization.
Purchased 2015. Now minute hand 2 minutes slow and seconds 4 seconds slow. This could be a progressive fault but I have not yet been able to find a communication channel to report this and query best course of action. Before this fault developed I was delighted with watch and would like to have it rectified.
December 2017. Happy to add I now have better news. The relevant section in the manual was not clear to me but I now have understood it and everything is fine. Watch is everything I wished for.
This is my third Casio Waveceptor watch.
My first was a Casio WVA 430td, which despite being excellent in most ways, eventually lost the colour on the resin part of the strap.
I replaced it with a Casio LCW-M300D-1AER, which again was an excellent watch, incredibly easy to use and with a plethora of features. This watch had a solid stainless steel case and strap, which made it heavier than my previous watch. I found after about 2 years that the stainless steel case was irritating my wrist and causing a rash (I must add that this was not the fault of the watch, just mu sensitive disposition!)
This brought me to purchasing this watch, the Casio LCW m170td-aer. The case and strap are pure titanium, so I don’t suffer any reaction to it, the watch is incredibly light and it should (it has so far) maintain it’s finish for much longer.
I do miss some of the features of the LCW-M300D: most namely the ease of switching between local and world time (just press two buttons); the four buttons, this watch only has three, which makes some of the adjustments more tricky (e.g. you have to scroll all the way through a list rather than being able to go up and down to your required city or number); the size of the buttons – these are much smaller making it them harder to press.
I will re-iterate, this is a lovely watch, it is easy to operate (despite my misgivings above) and very clear to read in both daylight and using the light.
How could Casio improve this watch -> an extra, small dial showing the home/world time or alarm time depending on the mode; the ability to switch between home and world time using a the same two button press as LCW-300D; an extra and larger buttons to make selections easier. Keep it the same size and weight. There’s a challenge!
There are a couple of minor annoyances, one of which is the difficulty of removing links from the bracelet, which took me about an hour. This has been discussed in other reviews.
The other thing is that the downside of such a smart white dial is that it is harder to read in poor light. However, making the hands or the dial darker would reduce the smartness and style. Of course Casio do make a similar watch with a black dial, but I prefer the looks of this one.
The luminous hands are reasonably bright at night, the dial light is a bit dim, and uses up battery charge rather fast, which is not good because the recharging only takes place in good light.
Overall, I am very pleased with it. It does what it says on the tin. You put it on, never need to adjust it or charge it, and only need to remove it for security checks (maybe) and deep water. In return it tells you the time exactly.
I already have a similar Casio in slate grey (same module), but this one just looks classier!
Only issue is that it’s difficult to see the hands in the dark. They do glow at night, so it could be just an alcohol issue…!
However, from the beginning, despite radio-control, the analogue display is about 35 seconds slow and the minute and second hands are not co-ordinated – the minute hand does not line up on the minute markers till the second hand is 10 seconds past the 12 position; the digital display however in the small window is spot on time, both minutes and seconds, and the minute display changes exactly at 00 seconds.
Is this anomaly of the analogue display correctible?
I would make the observation that my two (relatively inexpensive) radio-controlled analogue-display wall clocks are totally accurate to the second.
Why waste your money on pretentious high cost designer watches when you can own this one at a fraction of the price.
I now have two of these watches, the first one which has a white face which I have owned for two years with total reliability. I am never going to look at any other watches again since I am so delighted with these purchases.
A lovely watch. Easy to set up and to read. The auto correct from the time signal seems to work whether or not it is placed by a window overnight (as suggested in the very small user guide). Even for titanium, it is surprisingly light.
I would have docked 1 star for the user guide being printed in such a small font, but as you can download it anyway, it would have been overly harsh.
Extremely nice watch. I already have the model with the resin case and dark face, but this one is much nicer. Easy to setup and always show the correct time. Quite brilliant.
Oct 2019. Still perfect. No scuffs or scratches. Keeps absolutely perfect time.
Definately my favourite watch. Love it.
It was a close decision to buy this or one of the new analogue smart watches which are starting to flood the market in late 2016. The smartwatches are all much thicker and higher maintenance in terms of battery replacement/recharge. Thick watches obstruct shirtsleeves and are a hazard to catch on things. This Casio watch is under 10mm thick. Smartwatches will eventually come in thinner packages, but this is some years off yet.
Obviously I don’t know what Casio are working on, but there are some things they can do to refresh this product. The yellow LED illumination can be changed for a white LED – these are more efficient than yellow and would look better. The basic dot matrix LCD also looks dated compared to all the smartwatches, though it does have a payoff with lower battery consumption.
So a good watch, but Casio need to update this soon as it competes with a large number of newcomers at this price point.
Great watch, looks wonderful. It replaces my Seiko Chronograph.
My only complain: Adjusting the time (Digital & Analog) is quite a challenge!!
I am an experienced Hi-tech R&D Engineer and a quiz solver as hobby, so be ready for the challenge.
Since I am an Apple product geek, it surprised me how complicate you can do the most important function in watch (after looking for time).
Somebody in Casio should really look into it
Joel
They’d still work perfectly fine, but look a bit tatty.
I decided to take the plunge with this titanium model to see if this might cure that issue as I could see no plastic areas.
It’s very nice to look at and if ,like I was, you are used to thicker heavier stainless steel models – you can feel like you haven’t got it on your arm initially
It does not rear illuminate the LCD (date, and other functions in the dark) – just the analog hands and rim hour markers; from behind the 6 position with an amber LED. Light travels from the LED across the entire face but not from behind it.
I should mention I’ve had no problem with signal and accuracy.
Very lightweight with a large face & very reflective bezel/synthetic material as glass (tapping it does not sound like plastic)
Engraved info at rear is deeper than on the ordinary waveceptors.
Incredibly easy to see in daylight, (other people can read the hands on it upside down from across where you sit from them !
One 6 hour charge at a high light level from the sun ( not direct – it would get too hot) , can last up to 4-6 months. Low intensity light in the darker months keeps mine it at mid charge in the winter, as long as you wear it just below any sleeve line for an hour or so a day.
Not yet seen it lose charge completely in nearly a year.
3 Year warranty ( check with your supplier, as if purchased outside UK, this could change)
Just bear in mind that titanium does not mean scratch proof, it does indicate it’s going to be strong though.
It is very low profile, so easier to read from angles some watches would not allow.
I managed to remove pins myself to resize the bracelet with a small phone screwdriver, but I made sure, by working on a bright yellow surface and pointing the arrows on the bracelet down that I’d not have anything fly away. Keep any extra segments, as they have useful pins inside.
Other customers on here gave me a hand with how to remove blemishes using Jewellers rouge – there are a set of 6 types on amazon and the white block is the one that seems best for mine.
I’m not unhappy with this ,but I might go for one with a numbered dial ( ideally blue ) in the future , if a waveceptor without the plastic areas at top and bottom of face pops up on here, as I didn’t anticipate how used to this combo my eyes had become.
I bought it from Hertel u. Graz OHG of Bad Langensalza, Germany who trade on Amazon as ‘german watches’. They dispatched so promptly that it arrived a day before the earliest Amazon estimated delivery date. It was brand new with tags, manufacturer’s packaging and literature exactly as they said it was. I would buy from them again without hesitation.
However, to be considered the ideal watch, as some reviewers have suggested, would require a redesign of the following points:
1) Hands can be difficult to read, especially annoying indoors and in other areas with less than bright daylight: lack of contrast between luminous/silver hands and light grey dial face; the silly black cross hairs which confuse with seconds hand; a multitude of reflections in the uncoated glass window. The black faced variant Casio Men’s Watch LCW-M170TD-1AER would be OK and I should have got that model – my other watches are black faced and are very easy to read. So if you want to read the time easily get the black face variant.
2) Should be 100m water resist and therefore safe to swim with, until the button seals wear after about 2 years of average wear.
3) The LED night illumination is a bonus but not very helpful – pathetic when compared with the Timex Indiglo system.
4) The wrist band has insufficient fine adjust holes in the clasp, with only two positions, which can make it difficult to achieve a good fit – either too loose or too tight. Also, the clasp is very long and awkward, frequently catches on clothing and things, and scratches very easily.
+++ I think it looks boss. A bit more elegant than the M100 that I’ve got. I’d slightly prefer a smaller face, but it’s less cluttered than the M100. Though I think the M100 looks good too, especially on a matt wire mesh band.
+ the second hand lines up precisely with the markers
+ it’s solar and has synchronised time
+ it’s light
+ sapphire glass
– the face is very dark brown, not black
I’ve put a black leather strap on it, though the finish of the strap that comes with it is good.
It is also about a twentieth of the price of a Rolex titanium and i think it looks better too.
This Casio is one of only a few watches that does all that not too expensively. It also has chronograph, alarm and international time features without these cluttering it in normal use. I have used it for maybe a couple of years now and it has been ideal. A few times it has picked up minor scratches to the titanium that were easily polished out using fine abrasive. It has a brushed finish that permits this The glass has stayed perfect. My only slight criticism is that clasp is a bit basic and its ends stick out a bit at least on a thinnish wris
Having swum in the sea with this to approximately 5 metres, the waterproofing is good also. Contrary to another review, the light is bright but isn’t backlight (it’s a green LED at 6 o’clock) which shines up to 12 o’clock).
All in all, you can’t get a better watch nor a thinner waveceptor that I’m aware of. It’s also a fully metallic body unlike some other waveceptor which have plastic bodies.
I can’t imagine wearing another watch now that I’m used to the lightness and accuracy of this watch.
But whatever you think about how it looks, I can’t imagine there being a better watch on the planet. Thanks to the radio control of the watch, the date and time it shows is always exactly right, absolutely to the second. The solar face charges the battery, no winding or battery changing. It is built like a tank, waterproof, shockproof. It has an auto calender and automatically adjusts to British Summer time, leap years etc etc. Oh, and also world time, stopwatch, timer, alarm clock, and a button to press to illuminate the face in the dark. If you like the look of the watch, you will be delighted with it, as I am with mine.
However, I wish Casio had stuck to using four, rather than three, buttons. For example, if you want to adjust the time of an alarm, you can no longer go backwards. So if you want to set an alarm one hour earlier, you have to move to forward 23 hours. With the older four-button watches it took just one, rather than 23, button pushes.
oo early to evaluate the watch,but if it’s as good as my last Casio I’ll not complain. It cost me about 38 pounds 10 or so years ago, still working with no problems on the same battery. Due to years of neglect and abuse it now looks a bit scruffy which is the only reason I’ve bought a new one. The new casio certainly has the look of quality and the instruction booklet was easy to understand,heres hoping it’s as good as itlooks and as good as the last one.
The Casio watch is exactly what I’d expected and looked even more stunning once out of the tin presentation case it came in. After setting my home city as per the instructions, it fired into life setting to the correct time and date for the UK.
Having owned a waveceptor watch prior to this one I have no worries this Casio Lineage watch will perform as well or even better than my first one. The titanium strap will need adjustment and I recommend taking it to a jeweller to be adjusted. Hope to get many years of use out of this watch.
Update Feb 2016 – Travelled to the USA. The watch did not self adjust in the USA like I’d expected. I had to move the home city to the New York setting. Time signal picked up and worked well. Reset home city back to UK when home. I did expect this to be automatic without the need for changing my home city.
The digital display is easy to manipulate with intuitive three-button controls and all the usual features.
The watch is reasonably thin and the titanium case and band quite elegant and unobtrusive.
Best to read instruction book to set it up properly before use. The instruction book could be laid out better to indicate must do’s when first received. i.e.
Set it to your local city time before you do anything.
For auto time setting at night, ensure digital time is showing too, place watch on window sill with its 12 O’clock side facing the window.
Otherwise you have to read and collate a lot of unnecessary information in different sections.
The watch is ber accurate, looks very smart, and light as a feather. One of the great benefits for me is that it can show the day and date clearly even for my ailing eyesight. Waterproof to 50 meters (5 bar) but don’t press any buttons in water.
When you have the bracelet shortened be careful to choose an experienced watch dealer / jeweller as the pins are of a special type held in with collets. Amateur fitting of them will cause them to slip out really easily. Even better if you have a Casio dealer nearby. If you have any doubts order one from Amazon and take a look. You can return it if you don’t like it, but I bet you fall in love with it too.
It does everything it says… solar powered, radio controlled time keeping and featherlight titantium.
It looks awesome too.
I have an outdoors solar titanium (barometer, altitude, compass etc) and a solar powered steel dress watch seiko… this complements both of those as my daily wear.
One important note to any buyers… as it says in the small print,… when you receive it, reset it and search for the signal to set the time. Also, I needed this as mine looked right time, but it came from Europe with daylight saving hours used to replicate UK time, which falls down. You should do that anyway, and to check it works and signal is ok.
As its titanium its light – hardly feel wearing it.
Synchs with Atomic clock in UK every night at about 2am (I’m in very far South West Ireland).
Keeps perfect time.
Lume is great – can read it well into night – so I sometimes wear it asleep.
Watch face is clear, large (for those with poor eyesight – for me I need reading glasses, but can read this without glasses)
Contrast between hands and face colour is good and clear.
Seconds hand lines up exactly on seconds mark.
This watch could be worn for formal events, while not perhaps a “dress watch” it is very elegant.
Its not too large or have multiple dials which are of limited value and clutter face.
Love this watch.
My only comment is Water Resistant to 5 bar so probably OK to use in wet weather or perhaps if your hand gets submersed on the odd time – but probably not suitable for prolonged swimming. It would be better if it had 10bar (100 meter) Water resistance but I cant complain.