This is a very functional watch.  The instant countdown timer on the watch can be set by just pressing a button on the watch.  For 1 min, press once, 5 min press twice, etc etc.  There is not many watch on the market with this type of function.  The instant countdown timer is quick and handy which you can set while in motion - for example when jogging or walking, you can activate the instant timer and do not have to stop to set the timer. This feature is the only reason I've purchased this watch.  The watch itself is very plain looking, and in the past I've owned 5 of these watches over the past 15 years.  This is the first one I've purchased with a metal band.  One thing though, the metal watch band is ridiculously long. My wrist is an average size.  The metal watch band is not one which can be easily shorten by yourself.  Moving the catch on one side of the band can easily shorten one side of the watch band, but to shorten the other side by trying to remove the metal link is puzzling. I've emailed Casio tech support for instruction but the instruction they emailed back to me seem to apply to other different type of watch bands which was not helpful. Because the metal link on the watch band can not be easily remove like other watch bands, I give them 4 stars rating instead of 5 stars.  It'll be a trip for me to a watch shop and then I have to spend $10 to $15 to shorten the watch band. The watch itself is a very good simple watch.  I just wished it came with instruction on shortening the watch band and wished it had a built in light within it.

Oct 15 2010  UPDATE:

Update: I love the concept of this watch since I have owned 5 other in the plastic version of the same watch. (I kept losing them or sometimes after repeated battery replacement, there a problem with the battery contact to watch and the watch is no good). Unfortunately, this silver metal watch comes with a problem and I'm surprised no one did an update on their review of it.  Unfortunately , not the pins but the bracket which holds the pin to the watch has sharp corners (4 sharp corners) and it has been the cause of bad rashes on my wrist where the watch sits.  At first I thought it was an allergy to detergent or chemicals so I kept putting medicine on it.  I usually wear my watch to sleep but one morning I woke up and my watch was not on my wrist. The watch had disappeared for several months AND the rashes on my arms disappeared completely.  I did not relate the two together until I found my watch under the bed several months later.  I washed the dust off started wearing the watch.  On day two of wearing the watch again, I developed 20 little bumps on my wrist!  I realized that it was the sharp corner of the pin housing (not the pin) on the watch which was repeatably digging into my skin and irritating my skin.  Its not a sharp painful pinching on the skin but enough of it to cause skin problems.  I think the quality control being made in China instead of being produce in Japan makes a difference.  I have another different metal watch with a different watch band but I do not have problem with it.  I wish they would improve and refine the quality of their manufacture since I would buy it again if they do so, for right now, its too painful to wear this watch since changing the watch band will not help the problem since its the pin housing on the watch .  I have to lower my rating from 4 star to 2 star since it is not a wearable watch for me.