Make the White F-91 Your Summer Vacation Watch
This $~20 beater is the best of all of the F-91 variants.... trust me.
I am a collector of Casios, and especially on trips. This was well before I even knew what a “JDM” was or that Europe and Asia get different references before and sometimes exclusively.
Before I got back into watches, I definitely owned an F-91 or two. I wasn’t counting. When my twins were born, I bought one that barely fit my wrist to keep tracking bottle warmings since my trusty Timex Weekender wasn’t something I wanted to trust with the task at the wee hours.
The F-91s fit better now, as, well, I am more fit, and their number has grown to quite a few colorways.
The new all white one, however, kept staring at me at my local Walmart, almost begging for it to be purchased. For a year, I resisted.
That is, until I needed (read: wanted) an all-white watch to fit my 4th of July attire. So for $21.92, in the cart it went. F-91WB-7A here we come.
My worries about this reference were a few:
I am not completely sold on the bio-resin just yet. I have the LF-20 and LF-30 and like them, but tried and true is tried and true.
The F-91WB-7A is made in China and I’ve yet to have one from there.
It’s all white, so, you know, scuffs and what not.
Put your fears to rest, Casio collectors: this one is the best one I’ve bought so far.
The bioresin? It actually looks and feels like an improvement. It wears well.
The oft-hated green single LED light? Intentionally or not, is inherently more readable than th
e previous F-91 forebears. Why? It’s not that they’ve improved the LED light, which still is weak.
But now, at least in the F-91WB-7A, the all white faceplate catches the light and improves nighttime visibility.
The monochrome and minimalist design of the face, which features grey letters and less in the way of overall business helps, too. That’s why I wanted it for the 4th.
Should you buy it? If you love this reference as I do, absolutely. But you can walk, you don’t have to run to buy it. It’s available online at CASIO, Amazon, Walmart (bot
h online and in store), among other places.
And for under $25? You can’t really talk yourself out of it, either.
One last benefit: sunscreen. Of course, you should avoid getting bug spray anywhere near a resin watch. But on the islands of Hawaii, where I just wrapped up a trip, you'll find yourself using mineral sunscreen to protect the reefs.
While I was careful when applying it, waiting for it to bake into a salt-like patina on my forearms before putting my watch back on. I left my black CASIOs at home for one simple reason: I didn't want to spend every evening scrubbing sunscreen residue out of the resin with a toothbrush.
—Casual Time #16 by Jim Swift
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