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: | 20 x 7 x 4 cm; 80 Grams |
| Model: | LCW-M170TD-1AER |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included) |
| Manufacture: | CASIO |
| Department: | Men's |
| Dimensions: | 20 x 7 x 4 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.
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.
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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.