I was in 5th grade when the LCD "alarm watch" craze hit my school. Over the course fo a few weeks, nearly every guy (and more than a few of the gals) in my class not only had a watch that beeped, but we all had them perfectly synchronized to the school bell. (The better to know when to break out Mattel Football II...)

In a fit of nostalgia, I've begun picking up a few of those vintage LCD's on eBay. It was through looking for older watches that I came across this modern, yet retro-inspired, watch.

So how does it compare to the vintage pieces in my collection? To be honest - not all that well. The most striking difference is the size and weight - the general heft of the watch. There's nothing to this Casio; it hardly weighs a thing. Some people might enjoy this and not look at it as a negative, and if it were only the weight that might be one thing, but the size is off as well. I wish the whole watch were about 30% bigger. And although the case is described here on Amazon as stainless steel, I'm having a really hard time believing that. It looks and feels just like plastic with a shiny chrome coat. The band feels so flimsy. Another reviewer mentioned that he thought this was a women's model when he opened the box - completely understandable with this watch. It would not look at all out of place or proportion on a ladies wrist. I like something with a little more bulk.

You've got to remove 4 tiny screws to take the back off to change the battery. I wonder how many people just throw them away at that point? The description says the crystal is mineral glass - but of course it also says the case is stainless steel, so we'll just have to see how that holds up.

The display itself, while too small, is very sharp. The alarm is nice and loud, operation and controlls are as I remember.