Timex or Casio: Which Is Better?

A full-size analog dive-style watch with 200 meters of water resistance, a rotating bezel and a screw-down crown.

The pick that settles the waterproof half of this question. The MDV-106 Duro is a full-size analog dive-style watch with 200 meters of water resistance, a rotating bezel and a screw-down crown, and 200 meters means swimming, showering and washing up with no thought at all — the crown screws shut, which is the detail that separates a real water watch from one with a number printed on the back. It also looks considerably more expensive than it is, which is the compliment owners repeat most often and a genuinely useful property in a gift. It takes a strap swap well, so it can be smartened up later for very little. Two honest points. The stock rubber strap is the weakest part of it and many owners replace it within the first year — budget for that or buy a strap at the same time. And a 42mm case is too big for a genuinely small wrist.

A rugged field watch with a 24-hour inner track, Indiglo backlight and 50 meters of water resistance.

Timex's strongest all-round model and the one that shows where the brand actually wins. The Expedition Scout is a rugged field watch with a 24-hour inner track, Indiglo backlight and 50 meters of water resistance, and it is built for outdoor use without being a plastic sports watch — which is a narrow gap that Casio's catalog does not really cover at this money. It is legible at a glance, which sounds trivial until you are the person squinting at a cluttered dial, and it handles rain, lakes and washing up without being precious about it. Indiglo lights the whole dial rather than a side panel, and it is the single feature most likely to make somebody like a Timex more than they expected to. Two honest points. It is not rated for scuba depths, so it loses to the Casio above the moment water becomes the point. And the steel case picks up scratches with hard use.

The original square G-Shock: shock resistant, 200 meters water resistant, resin case, digital display.

The strongest argument for Casio as a brand, and the model that has no Timex equivalent at all. The DW-5600 is the original square G-Shock: shock resistant, 200 meters of water resistance, an all-resin case, a digital display. It survives work sites, gyms, boats and teenagers, and shock resistance is a different claim from being well built — it means the module is mounted so that an impact which would stop another watch does not reach it. The silhouette is recognized everywhere, so a recipient does not need the gift explained. It is also smaller on the wrist than its reputation suggests, which makes it viable for a slim wrist. Two honest points. All-resin will never read as dressy, so this is an everyday watch rather than somebody's only watch. And the backlight is dim next to Timex's Indiglo, which is exactly the trade this page is about.

A simple field-style watch on a slip-through fabric strap, with Timex's Indiglo backlight that lights the whole dial.

The pick when the budget is small and the wrist is unknown. The Weekender is a simple field-style watch on a slip-through fabric strap with Indiglo, and the strap is the reason to pick it over anything comparable: it pulls off in seconds with no tools, so one watch becomes several looks for pocket money, and a recipient who finds the strap wrong can fix it themselves for a few dollars. A 38mm case is the safest size guess when you do not know the wrist, which is the normal situation for a gift. Indiglo makes it readable in the dark, which again sounds trivial until you use it at three in the morning. Two honest points. The quartz movement ticks audibly in a quiet room, which a few people genuinely cannot live with. And a fabric strap is comfortable but never formal, so this is a weekend watch in the literal sense.

The thin resin digital watch Casio has sold, essentially unchanged, since 1989. Time, date, alarm, stopwatch, backlight.

The pick that explains why Casio has the reputation it does. The F-91W has been sold essentially unchanged since 1989 — thin resin, time, date, alarm, stopwatch, backlight — and nothing has needed changing because there is nothing on it to go wrong. It weighs so little that people who claim to hate watches forget it is on, which makes it a genuinely good first watch for somebody who has never worn one. The battery life is measured in years rather than months, so there is no maintenance conversation later. And it is hard enough to damage to be a safe gift for a teenager or anybody rough on things. Two honest points. The resin strap looks exactly as cheap as it is, so it will not carry a gift on its own — pair it with something. And it is splash-resistant only, which puts it on the wrong side of this page's main argument.

A deliberately plain watch with oversized numbers on a white dial and a leather strap, with Indiglo backlight.

The pick Casio has no answer to, and the reason this comparison does not end with a clean Casio win. The Easy Reader is deliberately plain: oversized numbers on a white dial, a leather strap, Indiglo behind it. It is the most legible dial at this money by a wide margin, and that makes it the obvious choice for a grandparent, for anybody who dislikes squinting, or for a recipient who has quietly stopped wearing a watch because they could no longer read it quickly. It is simple enough that there is nothing to learn, which matters more for an older recipient than any specification. Two honest points, and they are the same point twice. The plain dial is practical rather than stylish, so nobody is buying this for the looks. And the leather strap will need replacing eventually, which is a five-minute job but not a free one.