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Casio Vintage A168WA-3AYES Bracelet Watch - W59123
Ref. A168WA-3AYES
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Stepping up in Casio's range
The A168 is the watch Casio has been making, in one form or another, since the early 1980s, and the green-dialled A168WA-3A is one of the more distinctive colourways in the current Vintage lineup — the tinted border gives the otherwise familiar silver-and-steel package just enough character to read as a considered choice rather than a default one. At 9.6mm thick and 50 grams, it disappears on the wrist in a way that most watches cannot manage. The bracelet adjusts by sliding rather than by removing links — lift the tab, reposition, close — which sounds like a small thing until you have spent time sizing a conventional bracelet with a pin and a cloth. The backlight here is electroluminescent rather than lume on hands, which means a button press floods the whole display in blue-green. Seven years from a single coin cell is the rated battery life, which is the kind of number that means you will likely forget the watch needs a battery at all.
- Reference
- A168WA-3AYES
- Brand
- Casio
- Collection
- Vintage
- Case size
- 36.3mm
- Case thickness
- 9.6mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Square
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Acrylic
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- 3298
- Functions
- Chronograph, Day-date
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 38.6mm
Learn more about Casio
Tadao Kashio founded Kashio Seisakujo in Tokyo in 1946 as a machine shop. The company's first success was a finger ring that held a cigarette, and its second was the 14-A of 1957 — the world's first all-electric compact calculator, which used solenoids rather than gears.
Casio entered watchmaking in 1974 with the Casiotron, a digital watch with an automatic calendar that knew the varying lengths of months. The company approached watches as an electronics manufacturer rather than a horological one, and that difference produced the G-Shock.
The G-Shock came from a single engineer, Kikuo Ibe, who broke a watch his father had given him and set out to build one that could not break. The specification was three tens: survive a ten-metre drop, ten bars of water pressure, and ten years of battery life. It took over two hundred prototypes, and the solution was suspending the module inside the case on a cushioned internal structure rather than mounting it rigidly. The DW-5000C shipped in 1983.
It became one of the most durable product designs in any category, adopted by militaries, emergency services, and skateboarders alike, and Casio has since added solar charging, radio and GPS timekeeping, Bluetooth, and full-metal and carbon variants.
Casio also produces the Edifice, Pro Trek, and Oceanus lines, and remains an independent Japanese public company.
- 1946
- Tadao Kashio founds the company in Tokyo.
- 1974
- The Casiotron is Casio's first digital watch.
- 1983
- The G-Shock DW-5000C survives Kikuo Ibe's three-tens brief.
- 1994
- The Frogman extends G-Shock to ISO dive certification.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Casio Vintage range (55), Back in Stock (3,992), Stainless Steel Watches (2,678), Watches Under 37mm (1,409), Chronograph Watches (996), Watches Under £100 (440) and Rectangular & Square Watches (383).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
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What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 36.3mm suits most wrists
- 38.6mm lug-to-lug keeps the 36.3mm case wearable
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Sits in the lower half of Casio's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
- Acrylic crystal marks easily, though it polishes out
Casio Vintage A168WA-3AYES Bracelet alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | A168WA-3AYES | 30249 | RJ647AX9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £35 | £35 | £35 |
| Case size | 36.3mm | 38mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 30m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Yes, but it polishes out. Acrylic marks easily and a scratch can be buffed away at home, which is why vintage-style watches still use it.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWill it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 38.6mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 36.3mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both F.Hinds and Goldsmiths list it at £35, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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