Cartier Men’s W2020008 Santos 100 Medium Watch
I think they stopped making these because the calendar programmed into it goes back to 1995. Nonetheless, I have never had a better watch/stopwatch/chronometer, etc. And it has the fade-out “indiglo” thing that is better than previous models. Best of all, when in stopwatch or countdown mode, a box at the top shows real time. No other watch I know of has this simple yet essential feature. Completely durable. Since the previous one of these I owned went 10+ years on the original battery, Cartier W2020008 and I do not know when this one was manufactured, I have no idea how long this one will last, but I know I will wish I had bought two. The price is right, and I got a $[...] rebate for signing up for an Amazon credit card. My only problem, at 50, is that sometimes my arms are not long enough to read it….nor any other watch smaller than big ben. A personal problem, I know.
My first exposure to a G-shock was in the engine room of a USN destroyer, on the wrist of a gas turbine technician while we were standing the midwatch. “That watch looks tough,” I said. “I don’t know…let’s find out,” he replied, then took it off, picked up a rubber mallet and started pounding it like a madman. It bounced around on the deck plates but never cracked or broke. I was sold.
This watch looks identical to that watch but is deficient in a few ways. The second time zone feature is gone, and perhaps as a result the functions of the buttons are rearranged in a way that feels screwy. New purchasers of the watch will probably like it just fine. Users who bought the old version for $25 twenty years ago from the commissary will have the unpleasant feeling of talking to a best friend who’s been lobotomized.
It’s still a solid product–excellent for all manner of outdoor activities (though too thick to fit inside a standard dress shirt sleeve cuff)–but I’m frustrated with Casio’s poor headwork in redesigning it backwards.
Over the years I have owned a great any timepieces. Everything from Rolexes and Omegas to cheapy no-name pieces of junk. In my work which involves a great deal of time on, in and under the water, there has only been one watch that has never let me down – the Casio G-Shock. It does the job, day in and day out. I’ve managed to wear out cases and straps on G-Shocks, but I’ve never flooded one or had it fail. I really don’t need fancy, I need dependable and the Casio is the most dependable timepiece I’ve ever found.
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