Retro Casio A100 review – The Alien is back!

Tags: Review | Casio | Classic | Retro

12.10.2021 | 6 MIN

"Move Dallas. Get out." There is nowhere to run from this Alien. Casio introduced another retro model, and even though I don't want to play a prophet, I still think it is a total hit. Casio Vintage A100 is an interpretation of the F-100 model worn by Ripley in the Alien movie from 1979. And it really brings out the amazing futuristic retro feeling.

At the time, simple digital watches (not only) from Casio were chart-topping. Then, they disappeared from the viewfinder for a while, although Casio never stopped producing some models.

And nowadays – nowadays they serve as a nostalgic memory that is still perfectly functional, has a very low price tag, and can easily change into a collector artifact.

8.4.2021
Casio F-91W: A watch also worn by an American president

For the A100 model, Casio remade the watch marked as F-100, manufactured since 1978. It was an important milestone for Casio, as it was this model, that had a case made of resin, ie synthetic resin – nowadays a standard that we know mostly from the G-Shock series. But the F-100 was an opener that helped push the resin through.

However, it was the film industry that brought fame to the watch, as it was worn by Ripley, who was played by Sigourney Weaver in the first "Alien" movie. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there were more characters in the movie to wear the watch. However, it was Rip who became a famous fighter with almost indestructible Aliens. Not to mention that she was the only one who possessed a common sense on that ship…

The F-100s were nicknamed "Ripley", "Casio Ripley" or "the other Ripley watches" (with reference to the famous Seiko Ripley, which she wore in the Alien sequel).

But back to the retro-modern A100 version. Casio introduced three basic versions – silver (Casio Vintage A100WE-1AEF), gray, gunmetal shade (Casio Vintage A100WEGG-1AEF), and all gold design (Casio Vintage A100WEG-9AEF). The fourth version is a limited Pac-Man with a playful motif of a famous video game (Casio Vintage A100WEPC-1BER). But we'll talk about it later.

Now, let's talk design and parameters. So first of all, there was a long discussion about whether the case is made of steel or plastic.he case is actually made of resin with chrome plating, giving it a "metallic" look. The disadvantage is certainly the durability, which is certainly increased with steel, however, the watch maintains a low weight thanks to this.

The bracelet is made of steel, and as we are used to it in the Casio Vintage collection, made of simple links (don't look for any other type of links in the Vintage collection). I can already hear people complaining about the bracelet ripping your hair out, but we have tested it here in the editorial office, and it's not that bad. Here and there, a hair does get caught in it, but for example, in contrast to Timex Q Reissue, it is a fairy tale.

And the advantage is that the buckle is in the form of a slider, so you can easily adjust it without having to remove any links. All you have to do is lift the plate in the buckle, slide the buckle as much as your wrist needs it and click again. The fastening is also pretty easy, though there is no fuse.

The bracelet, as well as the case, has a surface treatment in the color versions. It is a type of ionic plating, ie a type of so-called PVD, where the particles of the substance are shot directly into the surface. It is an abrasion-resistant layer, but let's be real, some major scratches or when worn, for example, while working on a computer, where the buckle suffers, some imperfections will show up.

Now, finally, let's get to the most important thing – the design. For it is the design that is the main thing drawing people to the watch. Above all, the four buttons on the front of the watch and not on the side, as we are used to with most Vintage Casio collections, attract the most attention. In appearance, they rather associate with the no less famous calculator models.

The buttons set all functions in essentially the same way as with standard Casio digital watches. The lower left button serves as a switch between modes, the upper left as a stopwatch reset or for scrolling through values. The lower right button starts the stopwatch, or works as an arrow to change values. The upper right button is for illumination.

The digital display is relatively small, essentially has only one line, with additional data displayed in the upper part with small characters. But, for example, the date doesn't fit in there. Therefore, to view the date and day, you have to hold the lower right button, and the values are shown only for as long as you are holding the button. In the F-91 type digital watches the date can be seen in the second row, and the lower right button served as a switch between 12 and 24-hour time formats. That's missing here. You can tell it is afternoon by the "P" shown in the upper corner.

The 12/24 time format is missing here, but you can tell it is afternoon by the "P"

The setting and the control of the watch are easy, which pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting trouble with pressing the small smooth dots, but it was very comfortable even when on a wrist.

The buttons are not described (but there is a "legend" on the case back, explaining what each button does), but they are colored, which moved the watch by one fun level up. At the same time, it is not a random fairground traffic light, but a decent addition to the retro atmosphere.

The dimensions are then smaller than you would expect. And that's good. The watch is only 40.7 mm in size and has a thickness of 9.2 mm. It fits me as if it was tailor-made, but since this is retro where smaller equals correct, the watch should fit any other larger wrist. Men's and women's.

The Pac-Man edition goes even far when it comes to playfullness. The whole front side is covered with the motif of the famous arcade game. There are hungry gluttons and ghosts: Blinky and Clyde in the upper part, Pinky and Inky in the lower part. But the most interesting is the "tattoo" of the arcade motif on the bracelet. The edition with Pac-Man is limited.

I say limited, but as we are used to with Casio, it is not a numbered limited edition. Simply, after Casio feels like nobody is running after it, they stop the production. Or something like that. Either way, it is still an interesting collector's piece especially if you focus on things from the '80s, in which the game and the watch itself were popular.

If the promo videos made you think the watch can do some cool thing from the game, it, unfortunately, can't. There is no moving ghost, no hungry dot. The watch has the same features like the remaining three basic models. (Unlike a Timex watch with Pac-Man, for example, which play the song from the game.)

24.6.2021
TOP 6: Inexpensive retro watches that tell stories

Functions-wise, it is similar to all cheap Casio digital watches – stopwatch (with a 1/10 second accuracy, and a maximum capacity of one hour), alarm clock (one-time, repeated and you can set alerts for an entire hour), date (displays the day of the week, month and moon phase) and the already mentioned backlight, which is in the form of one LED bulb.

Backlight for variants with light display and dark numbers.

You will appreciate the backlight especially in the version with dark background and light numbers, which have a slightly worse contrast even in daylight. At night, the backlight is sufficient enough for you to read all the data. Of course, frequent lighting will reduce battery life, but Casio states 3-years for battery life, and we all know how economical Casio can be.

Backlight for variants with dark display and light numbers.

The final thoughts are in a completely positive manner. I just love the watch. It is clear to me that not everyone will like this funky style, but for retro lovers or collectors it is a bomb. I couldn't resist the limited Pac-Man version. And I didn't particularly succumb to that game. But the playfulness! The colors! And the Ripley style… a murderous combination! And to be honest, I might even add the silver classic to my collection.

However, all variants are great, albeit at a higher price than we are used to, for example, with the F-91, but at a similar price as is the A168. And from the point of view of the entire Vintage collection, this is a completely adequately set price. And most importantly – it's still very inexpensive. Especially when you consider the joy these little square digital can bring.