Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF Review & Complete Guide
It’s no secret that Casio makes affordable watches. But at the same time, they are not cheap. And there’s a big difference here.
Casio has established itself as one of the most popular watch brands in the world due to its high quality and durability in relation to the affordable prices that the brand offers.
Because of its huge popularity, Casio’s collection of timepieces has grown a lot. Today, there is certainly a Casio watch for everyone. Dive watches, sports watches, dress watches, and everything in between.
Watch enthusiasts particularly have an appreciation for dive and sports watches. Perhaps it is because of their iconic and historical importance, or perhaps it is because of the practicality they offer.
Regardless, because dive, dive-inspired, and sports watches have become amongst the most popular watch type in the world, there are a ton of different models and styles to choose from. You have everything from luxury dive watches such as Patek Philippe Nautilus, and then you have affordable alternatives like the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF, and this is the watch we are going to look closer at in this article.
Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF Review
The Casio Oceanus collection is, in Casio’s own words:
”Oceanus, CASIO’s premium brand integrating advanced electronic technology with sophisticated styling.”
The watch has, at its core a rather classic and timeless sports watch design. The Oceanus name gives the impression that this will be a full-on diver’s watch, but that is actually not the case. This is quickly revealed by the fact that it does not have a unidirectional rotating bezel.
Released in 2012, the OCW-S100-1AJF remains just as relevant today. There is certainly a thing like timeless designs, and this could be one of them.
What Casio means by ”advanced electronic technology” is that the Casio Oceanus is actually a solar watch. In other words, it charges its battery via solar and ambient light, but more on this further on.
And this is an interesting concept of the Oceanus. It combines modern and advanced technology with a classic design. With that said, its look definitely not gives the impression of being a highly advanced technological timepiece, and that is a very intriguing concept.
What we can say is that we have not heard from one owner of this timepiece who is not happy with it. Interestingly enough, its case and bracelet are produced in the same factory as Grand Seiko.
Now, in this article, we are reviewing the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF to see if it is actually as good as people say.
Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF case
The watch is presented with a 39mm titanium case which makes it extremely light. In addition to this, it is also one of Casio’s smaller watches, which is otherwise known to be on the larger side. To make the case even more durable, it has a titanium carbide coating which makes it much more scratch-resistant.
With a thickness of just 10.7mm, including the domed crystal, it will slide under a cuff without any issues. Its relatively small size, together with its low weight, you may even at times forget that you are wearing it.
The case has a very interesting and distinct design. It has very aggressive angled lugs with a satin-brushed finish at the top. As a nice feature, it has polished bevels, and then again, the sides of the case are satin-brushed too. With that said there are only the bevels that provide a contrast against the brushed surface. And of course, also the bezel which is polished too. The edges where the polishing meets the polished parts are executed extremely well and are super well-defined and sharp.
Something that has been a bit of a complaint is that the case of this watch has proprietary lugs. This gives it a distinct and sporty look, but at the same time, it means that changing straps is expensive and difficult. Most owners, therefore, don’t attempt to switch straps.
Below the pusher of the crown, you’ll find a push button. This button is used to check if the radio time sync was successful.
Sitting on top of the case, we have a sapphire crystal. This is actually the first Casio to have a double-domed sapphire crystal. In addition, the crystal is slightly tinted.
The case has small crown guards that extend from the case to keep the crown protected.
In addition, the watch offers 10 ATM/100meters of water resistance, making it suitable for showering or swimming, but not suitable for deep diving or scuba diving.
Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF dial
This watch is presented with a black dial with a semi-polished finish. Around the outer edge of the dial, we have an angled chapter ring on which abbreviations of different cities are printed. These are used for the time zones that the watch is capable of displaying. Changing the time zones is super easy. All you need to do is pull out the crown and point the seconds hand to the new time zone on the dial.
As mentioned, this is a solar watch, which also means that it is a quartz watch. However, with that said, it is not like ordinary quartz watches due to the fact that it has removed the need for replacing the battery. This is good both for the environment and you.
A very clever feature about this timepiece is that it has a power save function where it stops the hands at 12. When the light then hits the dial, the hands move to their correct position displaying the time again.
Positioned at 3 o’clock, we have a date display with a white background and the date printed in white. The window has a blued metal frame around it. In addition, the window is quite big which makes it easy to read. Plus, seeing that most people will wear this as an everyday watch, it will come in quite handy.
The dial has applied metal hour markers with bevelings and luminescent material applied to them. The metal hour markers are also blued which is a nice and appealing touch. With that said, they match the color of the seconds hand well too.
The hour and minute hands are sword-shaped with polished metal frames around them and luminescent material. They are quite big and provide good legibility.
Casio OCW-S100-1AJF movement
As Casio described this watch – ”advanced electronic technology”, it actually lives up to what they promise.
Firstly, this watch offers extremely accurate timekeeping via atomic radio signals and updates its time every day in order to keep its accuracy. Furthermore, you can also change time zones easily. Thanks to the auto-calendar and time sync, you won’t have to adjust the watch, which is a really impressive thing.
Furthermore, this is also a solar timepiece. What it means is that the watch is charged via solar and ambient light which removes the need for replacing the batteries.
As is printed onto the dial, the watch has a shock-resistant ”Tough Movement” that should be able to handle most hardships you put it through.
Casio Oceanus bracelet
Just like the case, the bracelet is made of titanium, making it very light. It is a satin-finished three-link bracelet that goes very well with the sporty look of the case. The bracelet is completely satin-finished.
As mentioned, the bracelet is integrated into the case, so it makes it complicated to change the straps. But since the bracelet looks good and is well made, it’s not a big problem.
Specifications
- Diameter: 39mm
- Diameter including crown: 43mm
- Thickness: 10.7mm
- Lug-to-lug: 45mm
- Lug width: 21mm
- Weight including bracelet: 84 g
- Water resistance: 10 ATM/100M/330 feet
- Crystal: Double-domed with inner anti-reflective coating
Conclusion
With all of this said, the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF offer, at its price point, great bang for the buck.
This watch is extremely versatile and works just for just about any occasion. It is tough, sporty, and built to last. And with its solar technology, it will only continue to tick for years and years.
It’s a really impressive balance that Casio has executed, with a seemingly classic and clean design, whilst packing it with clever and modern technology.
Yes, the watch is a bit more expensive than many other Casio watches, but if you consider the technology, the build quality, and the finish, it’s very evident that it offers great value for money.
The Casio Oceanus OCW-S100-1AJF is available to order on Amazon.
