Life-like, natural photos of the new PRW-61 once again confirm the beauty of the renewed design of the PRW-60 series. However, this time, the Japanese changed the style of the hands and some internal dial elements and changed the resin material with eco-friendly bioplastic. No one will see the difference visually, and in terms of reliability, nothing has changed.
Source: news.mynavi.jp
PROTREK brand has existed for over 25 years, and this brand has always tried to demonstrate its love for nature. Solar power, by the way, is also about loving the environment.
It is not so easy to create an eco-friendly watch simultaneously. It took the Japanese a long time to come up with eco-materials, and it wasn’t until 2022 that the world saw the PRW-61.
“It could have been earlier, but the product wouldn’t have been as reliable and perfect. CASIO never makes a raw product in terms of its key shock-resistant and water-resistant features,” says Mr. Kojima [one of CASIO’s R&D staff].
The PRW-61’s back cover has been given a kind of convexity, which noticeably distinguishes the innovation from its more aged predecessor.
The Japanese made a curve intentionally to fasten the sealing rubber ring, which eliminated all possible water-resistant concerns [during the experiments]. By doing so, CASIO engineers increase the watch’s durability because the “flat” plate can get the slightest deformation, and the bioplastic won’t have such a water resistance anymore.
Bioplastic is inherently rigid. Therefore, the strap had to be made thicker [for softness]. Making it wide on both sides guarantees elasticity and strength.
PRW-61 is not just a watch that replaces the polymer material with bioplastic. It is a watch that allowed CASIO to rethink the origins of the PROTREK brand.
There will be many breakthroughs in this direction soon.
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PRW-61 Profile / Casio ProTrek
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Year of first release: 2022
The most distinctive specs:
— Biomass plastics in the case, band, and case back (the environmentally friendly biomass plastics are produced using materials derived from castor seeds and corn, as well as other raw materials)
— Solar Powered (Tough Solar provides constant behind-the-scenes power)
— Radio-controlled Watch; Multi band 6 (additional way for time sync. This watch receives time calibration radio signals that keep the displayed time accurate)
— Thermometer (can measure and display the outside temperature in a range from -10 C to 60 C)
— Barometer (measures the air pressures and displays tendencies in the weather)
— Altimeter (The electronic mechanism “estimates” the altitude based on the air pressure)
— Digital compass (measures and displays direction as one of 16 points)
Other colors and full specs: PRW-61 Wiki Page