Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this watch after I discovered that my progressive hearing loss (at age 87 things could be worse) made it all but impossible for me to hear audible alarms from digital watches. Other people with good hearing will want this type of watch in order to receive alarms without disturbing others. Prior to buying this watch I bought a Timex "Expedition" vibration alarm watch from a local store and in this review I will make some comparisons between the two watches -- both of which are priced within a couple of dollars of each other on Amazon. I have no dissatisfaction with the Timex but I've been spooked by the number of reviewers on Amazon who have complained that either the battery or the entire watch quit after only a few months. I've owned other Casio watches and they've lasted about four years on average, and I find that acceptable in a $30 watch. Casio claims a 10-year battery life for this watch, assuming limited use of the alarm and light functions, but I've heard that one before and I'll settle for a year or two of battery life on a vibration model. In addition to two time zones of your choice, the watch has a single daily alarm, an hourly signal, a chronograph with elapsed and split time settings, and a countdown timer that can be set in one-second increments. You can set the alarm and countdown timer either for vibration or a barely audible (to me, anyway) beep signal. I would have given the watch five stars if it had the added convenience of more than one daily alarm; many alarm watches now have three or four. As you will see from the photo, in addition to the time and date displays there are three round windows at the top. The large window shows the type(s) of alarm you have set. In the two smaller windows, black segments appear and disappear in the timekeeping and stopwatch modes. What is their purpose? The instruction booklet is silent about all this, so I called Casio's customer service. I had to speak to three reps to learn that it's a design thing, presumably for those who are easily fascinated. The Timex Expedition is more feature-rich, which is meaningful if you will use the features. It has three alarms, all or some of which can be set to go off daily, weekdays, or weekends. There's also an "occasion" alarm, which can be set ahead for, say, a birthday. And a hydration timer, possibly to remind you to take your Gatorade before you pass out. Both its vibration and audible alarms are more vigorous than those of the Casio, which might account for a shorter battery life. However, as I'm the first reviewer of the Casio and have had it for only a short time, I cannot comment on its longevity. Regardless, I returned the Timex and will keep the Casio. It is sturdy, the buttons work well, and if my life ever gets dull I can always watch the segments in the small windows do their design thing. BTW, it would be really great if Casio, or anybody else, could design a watch with a battery that could be recharged via a mini USB cable.