In my search for an inexpensive sporty timepiece with a digital-analog display, I have recently stumbled over this Casio Sea Pathfinder SPF-60D-7AVER. Now I feel compelled to share my impressions about this feather-light titanium beater with you in this brief hands-on review article.
A Brief Introduction First
Casio introduced the Sea Pathfinder collection back in 2009.
Equipped with Casio‘s own quartz module with an LCD display, the watch arrived in a bulky titanium case with soft-to-touch rubber inserts. Sporting a unidirectional rotating bezel, the Casio Sea Pathfinder leaves an impression of a simple diving computer for beginners.
Perhaps, that is the reason why the watch is officially rated for depths no more than 100 meters. It may be good for some basic snorkeling, but you really don’t want to dive in it.
The Impressive Functionality
The list of functions that this ugly swan possesses includes is longer than a typical Walmart receipt.
It has an altimeter, a barometer, a depth gauge, a water temperature sensor. There is also a stopwatch, a countdown timer, a simple logbook, and a low battery warning. Of course, you also get whole five independent daily alarms.
A typical owner would probably never use even a half of these functions. However, people living a water-related active lifestyle would find them very useful.
The Bulky Case
Frankly, I didn’t have the necessary tools to properly measure the watch at the time of writing this review. Still, official specs put it as almost 57 mm long, 49 mm wide, and just a little less than 18 mm thick. As you can see in these photos, it looks huge on my 18.5 cm (7.3 in) wrist
However, despite all this bulkiness, the watch has a somewhat plastic feel about it.
Part of the blame goes to the feather-light titanium alloy that was used to craft the Sea Pathfinder‘s body and the bracelet. I mean, the watch tips the scale at just over 107 grams, which isn’t that light, but the actual weight doesn’t really match the impressive size of the Sea Pathfinder.
The other reason is, of course, the presence of numerous plastic pushers used to operate the watch. With their glossy textures and not particularly satisfying tactile feedback, they make the watch feel even cheaper than it actually is.
On the other hand, I must admit that the parts do their job well. The shape and size of the pushers also make the watch comfortable to operate.
It is not that good with the unidirectional rotating bezel. I have the impression that it will be too damn slippery to move when wet: there are just not enough notches on the bezel for a firm grasp.
The Titanium Bracelet
The titanium bracelet, too, is comfortable enough. At least, it didn’t try to depilate my hairy wrist. My only great complaint here is about the safety clasp that holds in place the folding buckle: every time I tried to open it, I had a feeling that I will break my nail. Well, I hope that it will get better with time.
The Dial
An analog-digital watch is a strange product. It can be a great tool if you are willing to pay for it the price of a Breitling. However, cheaper timekeepers are usually not as impressive both in terms of usability and legibility.
In normal conditions the pair of open-worked hour and minute hands looks somewhat superfluous here. The LCD display offers all the necessary information in an easy-to-grasp, logical way.
The numbers are highly legible so that even persons with poor eyesight can easily read current time and other necessary information, such as water temperature and barometric pressure.
For dark places, there is an electro-luminescent backlight that illuminates the dial for a couple of seconds after you push the button at 6 o’clock.
I would prefer it to glow just a couple of seconds longer. However, the main limitation here is the CR1620-type battery. It usually lasts no more than two years even if you are not excessively enthusiastic about the backlighting feature.
The piece’s mineral glass, predictably, comes without any anti-reflective treatment. Still, I don’t think that this is a problem for a more than affordable tool watch.
The Verdict
The watch looks cheap, but does its job well. It is definitely worth every penny the Japanese brand asks for it.
See also: Casio Pathfinder PAG240-1, PAG240B-2 and PAG240T-7 models introduced
Photos: WorldWatchReview.com / Evgueni Matoussevitch
Casio Sea Pathfinder Titanium SPF-60D-7AV-ER specification
Price: $120-$130
Movement: Quartz, Made in Japan
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date with auto-calendar to the year 2039, five alarms, altimeter, barometer, depth gauge, water temperature, logbook, thermometer, submerged time, 1/100-sec stopwatch, countdown timer, low battery warning
Power reserve: 2 years (CR1620 battery)
Case: Titanium and plastic
Case shape: Oval
Bezel shape: Round
Dimensions: 56.60 x 49.10 mm
Case height: 17.80 mm
Crystal: Acrylic
Back: Solid
Dial: LCD
Numerals: Arabic
Hour markers: Luminous
Hands: Open-worked
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Titanium bracelet with folding buckle and safety clasp