FEB 04, 2013 UPDATE:

Over the weekend I had to get my original watch exchanged due to what I thought to be a factory defect (a black spot on the lcd).

To my surprise the replacement watch I got is MUCH BETTER! The LCD Crystal is clearer and sharper (I don't think it is the same mineral crystal like before. Could it be Hardlex or Sapphire?) and the Backlight is now a bright Blue-green and not the dim Green like the original PAW1100T that I originally reviewed. I assume this is a changed or improved 2013 edition to the PAW1100T.

So I'm wondering if Casio updated the PAW1100T recently? I added a lot of hi-res pictures to the product gallery and you can clearly see that it is a different watch than the one I originally reviewed!

That said, I would have changed my 4.5 stars to 5 stars but I still have my issues with the atomic update feature and half the screen being empty space in the time keeping display mode. However most customers new to Casio Pathfinder or A B C watches will easily find te PAW1100T to be a 5 star watch

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ORIGINAL REVIEW:

If this PAW1100 will be your first Casio Protek Pathfinder then you will be very pleased with it since in my opinion it is the best looking, most useful and easiest to wear of all the current PAW/PRG Casio Protrek Pathfinders.

However this review will compare the PAW1100T against other Casio Protrek Pathfinders (mostly the PRG40T which this watch descended from) and we will see how it stacks up

I previously owned the PRG-40T since December 2002 that I sold last month Dec(2012) after 10 solid years of great service. I only got rid of it because I was tired of replacing the four very expensive pacemaker/hearing aid batteries ($40 with new seal) that my PRG40T was devouring every 2 to 3 years.

Coming from the PRG-40T, the PAW1100T seemed the best replacement in terms of appearance, functions and maintenance (free solar power and atomic updates).

Below is my take on the PAW1100T-7V:

1-Great Size, Fit and Superb Build Quality- The PAW1100T 'feels' smaller on my wrist than my old PRG40T even though on paper it is a bigger watch. The PAW1100 is sleeker due to the flat thin aerodynamic design and most of my jacket and shirt cuffs can fit over the face unlike the PRG40T. However, with this being solar powered watch, Casio recommends the watch is worn outside the cuff and NOT under it. I've found this watch to lose power very quickly if it does not get a daily dose of Vitamin D compared to my Citizen Eco Drive watches.

The buttons are all firm and solid on the PAW110T with no looseness or play in them. You push them in firmly and they do what they are assigned to do. By comparison my PRG40T and lesser watches the buttons around the bezel would have a little play in them. On the PAW1100T this is not an issue. Also the resin plastic on the body and crystal glass are very durable.

The only thing that seems to be susceptible to any type of scuffing is the shiny bezel ring-which is not a rotating ring but a fixed  frame around the glass display. However, this seems to be a replaceable thing on this watch.  Other than that everything is solid on this watch. I'm sure you can drop it off the top of a 5 story building onto concrete pavement and it will still work fine.
Casio used the titanium very well and the band runs all the way up to the bezel where it offers more protection around the face than the PRG40T.

The downside of this is the lugs are very stiff compared to the jointed and loose lugs of the PRG40T. For the first couple of days the knuckle on my wrist was sore from the stiff lug rubbing against it. It does `seem' loosen up overtime (or rather my wrist got use to it). If your wrists are smaller than 6.5 inch circumference then expect the lugs and watch body to over hang around your wrist. It is NOT a heavy watch and that makes all the difference. The paradox in this is the PAW1100T will be both the biggest/bulkiest watch and also the lightest watch in your collection!

2- No Demo Function on the PAW1100- One of my favorite features of the PRG40T was the Demo 'screen saver' Function that scrolls thru all the A, B and C displays while showing accurate readings of temperature and some static A and B readings in the screensaver. It also looked really cool with overlay of the compass sweep.

3- Issues with the Back-light on the PAW1100- First issue on this watch is when you attempt to look at the watch in the dark while taking one of the A B or C readings the effect of the back light turning ON stops the A B or C reading that you are taking. It not only stops your reading but you may have to start the reading all over again and wait until it is done reading before turning on the back light to see the screen in the dark. The back-light also stops the atomic time update as well. My PRG40T watch did not have this shortcoming and all the A B and C functions worked with the back light on.

Second issue with the PAW1100 back-light is I didn't realize how nicer and brighter the ice blue back-light of the PRG40T was until I got this PAW1100 (see pictures I put up in the gallery). The green back-light of the PAW1100 is dimmer and the effect looks like a $10 drugstore Timex. I don't too much care for it but most users new to the PAW1100 won't even notice or care. Former PRG40 owners brace yourselves because the green ain't pretty.

4- Lots of blank real estate on the display when watch is in basic Time Display Mode- My PRG40T used every square micrometer of its display to show all types of information in the Time Display Mode. In contrast, the PAW1100 has a lot of empty space on the display particularly the left side. I assume this space reserved for the 24 hour format and extra on screen characters for the A B and C modes. In Time Display Mode, which is what will be on the display 99% of the time for most of us, it just looks like empty space that could be better used to show BOTH the day of the week and the calendar date - month/day (even the year would fit). Currently the PAW1100 can ONLY show either the day of the week OR the calender date but not both.

5-The Atomic Update Feature on this watch is more hassle than gimmick and more gimmick than useful- First surprise is the 3043 module booklet says for North America the signal updates are ONLY guaranteed within 600 miles of the signal source at Fort Collins, Colorado. Once outside the 600 mile radius from the source the watch is NOT guaranteed to receive a signal and 'may' only receive updates after midnight and before 5.00 am. Once you go beyond 2,000 miles from the signal source then the watch will NOT receive updates. This 600/2000 mile limit is also true for signal sources in Asia and Europe.

The watch will ONLY update outside the house or on a large open window sill. It will NOT update inside a car, inside a high rise office/apartment building, at the base of a mountain range, near power lines, if you have a cell phone nearby, if there is a turned on TV/Microwave oven/Computer in the same room or nearby anything metal. It will also not update in bad weather. That right there is about 90% of the daily environment for 99% of the population in the USA. I've had other radio watches that have way better receiving prowess. So if you are craving the PAW1100 thinking atomic updates are as simple as pushing a button anytime anywhere and it simply updates itself in seconds then you need to look elsewhere.

Second issue is the Atomic Auto Update turns itself OFF (without letting you know) when the time or time zone are manually set something we ALL do when we take it out of the box for the first time. This gets confusing because the watch will still show Auto Update is ON but it will NOT update and the receiving indicator bars will remain blank (meaning the radio is not receiving a signal). This is not explained well in the booklet but what is clear is the ONLY way to get the Auto Update to turn back ON and the receiving bars to reappear is to do a Manual Update. In my experience Manual Updates are tedious requiring many trials and errors before working. You MUST take the watch off and put it down on a window sill or put it down on the ground outside away from metal. Once your Manual Update is successful the bars come back and Auto Update turns ON. This mandatory process defeats the purpose of having an user adjust option for turning Auto Update OFF or ON.

A final note about Auto Updates, especially the first time you take it out the box, you will noticed the watch may have 10% to 50% power left or L to M on the power scale. If you fail to charge the watch fully during the first day of wearing it and the Auto Update attempts to update that night then there is a good chance it will drain the battery. When an Auto Update fails it reattempts the updates thru out the night. If you are like most people and forget to put it on the window sill then you will wake up to find a blank screen. That said, I set Auto Update to OFF and do a Manual Update once a month if need be.

The PAW1100T is a digital watch after all and daily Atomic Time Updates are way more useful for day/date analogue watches that usually lose or gain a month day (31st or 30th) at the end of each month. After the novelty wears off it is more of a hassle than something I need on this watch. There is the cheaper PRG80T which is the same watch as the PAW1100T sans the atomic radio feature.

6-The Solar Power Feature is Average- The first time taken out the box the power will be L to M. Even if the meter says H it will certainly be a low H. What I find is when not fully charged this watch will go from H to M quickly and M to L to 0% power in one night especially if an alarm is set and/or atomic update is turned ON but not receiving so it spends the night doing multiple reattempts. I think Casio says it takes a day of full exposure to sunlight for this watch to get a full H but in my experience it was more like a week of full days with this watch exposed to daylight to get a solid H.

7-Lifetime Longevity Expected - Without batteries to replace and daily automatic time updates (thru 1/1/2099) this watch is virtually a perpetual beast that will outlive your great great great Grand-kids.

8-A(altimeter) ,  B(barometer) and C(compass) Functions are actually Very Good!- It has been said that the Casio Pathfinders are not as accurate on the A and B as other watch brands but out of all the Pathfinders the PAW1100T/PRG80T is said to be the most accurate in the family. So far I've found the Compass, Barometer and Temperature to be all SPOT ON accurate.  The Compass does take about 3 to 5 seconds to show a reading (see my review videos). On my PRG40T watch, and from what I seen on many other Pathfinders, the compass starts displaying readings within 1-2 seconds.

Another gripe on the PAW1100 is the A B C functions all turn off after a minute and return to the Time Display Mode. My PRG40T did not do this and kept the A B C readings on screen until you decided to return to the Time Display Mode. This isn't bothering me as yet but I can see how it would be annoying during a long backpacking trip where keeping tabs on A and C  readings are important. That said, I don't usually use Altimeter or Barometer functions much. If I need to rely on those functions in a life or death situation then I bring a proper Garmin Trail GPS unit.

VERDICT: Overall this is STILL a great watch! But in retrospect most of us buying the PAW1100 could totally do without the Atomic Update Feature especially if you live outside the 600 mile radius of Fort Collins Colorado! The PRG80T which does not have the Atomic Update Feature is the identical lower priced version of the PAW1100T. So those of us outside the 600 mile radius of a signal source may find the PRG80T to be a much better value.