Casio A168WA-1 Illuminator Stainless Steel Digital Watch
Product Information, Not A Review
Quick Specs
What Stands Out
What To Check
The Casio A168WA-1 is the same steel-bracelet vintage shape as the A158WA, one size up at 38.6 mm, and Casio lists it inside the top ten sellers in men's wrist watches on Amazon. The reason to pick this one over the smaller model is the light.
Instead of a single LED lamp in the corner, the A168WA uses an electro-luminescent backlight that washes the whole face in blue green. That matters for a dad reading the time at 4:45 in a dark kitchen before the gym opens, or checking a smoker at midnight without waking the house.
Safety and fit note. Link pins removed during sizing are small enough to be a choking hazard, so keep them off the floor and out of reach. Casio lists this model only as Water Resistant with no meter rating, so treat it as a splash watch, not a swim watch.
The Numbers That Matter
| Spec | What it decides |
|---|---|
| 38.6 mm wide / 9.6 mm thick | Whether it suits a bigger wrist |
| EL backlight, full face | Whether you can read it at 4:45 in the dark |
| About 7 years on CR2016 | How long before you think about it again |
| 145 to 205 mm band | Who in the house it actually fits |
The backlight. Electro-luminescent means the display itself glows rather than a lamp shining across it. It is the single feature that separates this from the A158WA, and it is worth the extra few millimeters of case if you check the time in the dark.
The battery trade. Casio's seven-year estimate assumes normal use. Lighting the whole face every night will pull that number down, which is a fair trade for being able to read it.
The size. 38.6 mm with a 50 gram steel bracelet. Still small by current standards, but enough watch that it does not look lost on a coach's wrist.
Who It Is For
The dad who wants the plain steel Casio look and actually uses the light. For the smaller version of the same shape, see the Casio A158WA-1, and for the lightest resin option in the line, the Casio F91W-1. If you want a rated 100 meter digital for the lake, look at the Casio W800H, and for interval timing, the Casio AE1500WH runs a countdown with auto-repeat.
Every Dad Carry earns a commission on qualifying purchases made through the link above, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The Short Version
This is the vintage steel Casio for a dad who reads the time in the dark more than he thinks. The whole face lights up instead of one corner, and the case is a size up from the A158WA. If you want the same look smaller, the A158WA-1 is the one.
MIKE MANNING
Ready to buy?
