Through Muck and Time

A couple of months ago, my beloved watch of two years was fed up with the torture I had put it through and stopped holding on. Well holding onto my arm at least.

With buying a new band out of the picture, I scoured the web for the next best watch.

I wanted a watch that offered reliable Barometer and Altimeter measurements while having the more subtle functions that a watch should have, such as a clock and timer. Not to mention one at a reasonable price for a broke college student.


After browsing REI's mens watches, I narrowed it down to two, which are essentially the same: the Casio SGW300-1AV and Casio SGW300-3AV multifunction watches.

Basically, the only differences in the two are in the color and band type of the watch.

After reading the reviews of each, I learned of their flaws and weighed those with why I liked each one.

I liked the 3AV for it's green-colored face and band, but found that the nylon watchband was less durable than the 1AV's resin band, and several reviewers complained about condensation building up inside the watch face. These were essentially the deal breakers for the 3AV.

The 1AV had good reviews, besides a couple people saying the Altimeter was not accurate. I figured this was due to not calibrating it correctly, or at all, as respondents to these reviews pointed out.

So after taking a liking to what the watch had to offer and its aesthetics, I bought it for a reasonable $65 (it is $60 now), and have not been disappointed yet.

I was eager to try out the Altimeter and Barometer functions, and got my chance to do so during a two-nighter in the Blue Ridge Mountains a few weeks ago.

I knew the altitude of one of the peaks we would traverse, so I decided to calibrate the watch then by manually inputing the altitude (it was very easy to do).

Once at the top of the peak, I switched over to Altimeter mode, and much to my surprise the watch read 5720 ft. The altitude of the peak I stood on was 5735 according to my map. Yes, it was a little off, but 15 ft. is not a big difference when you are at almost 6000 feet above sea-level.

I was thoroughly proud of Casio to say the least.

Since I bought the SGW300-1AV, I have really put it to the test and have yet to take it off.

It has been in lakes, creeks, rivers, and the shower, along with being showered by various liquids (beer, coffee and soda so far), with no problems.

The most recent, if not the toughest, test was yesterday's Tough Mudder in Aonia, Georgia. I was covered in mud (if you have done a TM you know what covered is), shocked by 10,000 volts, submerged in a pool of ice, and soaked by various consistencies of dirt/mud-water, with my Casio enduring the same obstacles.

At the end of the day, the only difference in my watch from its condition at the beginning of the day, was that I had to wipe some of the dried mud from the screen to see my race time.

If you haven't gotten the picture yet, this is a great watch that can take a good beating.

With many more challenges ahead, I look forward to, and trust, my watch to go where I go as well as tell me what I want to know. So if your lifestyle is similar to mine, or a little more wet and dirty, you should look into this watch, you will not be disappointed.