Casio DW-291H: A Compelling Alternative to G-Shock

Casio DW-291H: DW-291H-1AV DW-291H-1BV DW-291H-9AV

The recently launched Casio DW-291H series has been getting a lot of word of mouth exposure online and appears to be quite a popular model despite an under-the-radar release. It is a largish 200M water-resistant watch with many features that equal or surpass the G-Shock DW-5600.

The one glaring omission is the lack of G-Shock-level impact resistance, but the DW-291H does look much more rugged than the average Casio watch. It is an “HD” model meaning “Heavy Duty.” Unlike many of the very affordable Casio watches that have resin glass, the DW-291H has mineral glass like most G-Shocks. The series is a worldwide release with the DW-291H-1AV (left), DW-291H-1BV (middle), and DW-291H-9AV (right). In Europe, the watches have a list price of 44.90 EUR each. We’re not sure of the official list price in the U.S., but they have been selling for under $40.

Here are some reasons why one might choose the DW-291H over a G-Shock DW-5600.

• Size: 50.5 x 50.4 x 13.5 millimeters (versus 48.9 x 42.8 x 13.4 for the DW-5600). Those who find the 5600 series too small may prefer this larger size. The larger size of this watch also means larger digits on the display. The watch also has bigger buttons that are operable with gloves.

• Approximate 10-year battery (versus 2-year battery for the DW-5600): Of course, real world usage may vary, and it’s possible for the DW-5600 battery to last much longer than two years.

• Multi-time with 4 cities, and world time: The DW-5600 and some other basic G-Shock models lack world time.

• 5 alarms: The DW-5600 only has 1 alarm.

• Button operation tone on/off adjustment: Another feature that the basic DW-5600 lacks.

• Illuminator LED light: Though it doesn’t have the EL backlight of the DW-5600, the DW-291H is backlit by an LED light with an amber background, which some people would consider to be better than the EL backlight. The afterglow duration is adjustable to 1.5 or 3 seconds, unlike the fixed afterglow of the DW-5600.

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