Casio Turns Its Cult-Favorite Tactical Watch into a Retro Charmer

I use the alarm on my Casio Databank (DBC-611G) on a daily basis, but it always goes off at the worst times.

Not the easiest thing to set, especially compared to my phone’s alarm, the wristwatch has beeped everywhere from work meetings to funerals, and it’s not quiet.

There’s a reason why vibration alarms are a thing, especially with the tactical crowd. If you’re hunting or, you know, spying on enemies, you probably don’t want to give away your location with loud chiming. But I’m of the mindset that most people would prefer a noticeable vibration over beeps, no matter what your proclivity.

Casio

Casio has been dabbling in vibration alarms since the late ‘90s with the Vivcel, a proto-smartwatch that buzzed when you got a call or text, or an alarm went off. However, in recent years, the tech has been applied more to tactical watches than anything else. Now, that’s about to change.

Casio

Be alarmed

When Casio debuted the W-735H over a decade ago, it wasn’t a new concept, but watch enthusiasts had yet to see a vibration alarm this affordable; the poor-man’s G-Shock 6900 still sports a $55 price tag today. It was also somewhat of an anomaly because you got an impressive-for-the-price 100m of water resistance, 10 years of battery life and a suite of useful features, including a full auto-calendar, a stopwatch and dual-time capability.

Casio

The Japanese watchmaker followed this up a few years later with the W-736H, revising the LCD with a cleaner, much larger digital display. Around the same time, we got the W-737H, which gave the watch a more squared case, but removed the vibration feature and actually increased the tactical look of the series.

Casio

With the new W-738H models, the watch leans away from its roots, becoming something altogether different. In fact, it’s one of the most impressive G-Shock 5600 dupes we’ve ever seen, or at the very least like a more utilitarian F91W.

Tactical no more

Carrying over the 100-meter depth rating, 10-year battery and feature set, the W-738H is available in black and olive green resin cases with matching resin straps. Gone are the bulkier elements of the previous models, giving this a decidedly more old-school, streetwear-friendly design.

Casio

There are two black models here: one with a standard LCD display surrounded by a silver bezel and one that’s completely blacked out with a black bezel and reverse LCD (i.e., a black background with gray letters). The olive green case sports a black bezel as well.

The band also looks much more suitable for casual wear with its flatter links and an overall less chunky appearance. G-Central has pointed out that the band compatibility is actually similar to that of the DW-5600 models.

Casio

Activated with a front-side button, the backlight is a 2-second LED, which illuminates the dials in an orange glow that’s easy on the eyes. For the reverse-LCD, that means the numerals glow instead of the background.

Rounding out the specs, the timepiece measures 42.8mm across with a 47mm lug-to-lug and 13.5mm thickness. Like previous models, you can also use the vibration setting for an hourly notification on your wrist.

Availability and pricing

The Casio W-738H will be available soon in some overseas markets like the UK and Japan. The watch is expected to land in North America in the coming weeks with a price tag of $55. Keep your eyes peeled.

Casio

Casio W-738H Digital Watch

• $55 at Casio

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