[ProTrek Review] PRW-50Y-1B — Retro Tourist Watch

I look at the dial and can’t understand at all: either this is a very historical watch, where the ivory color of the display was considered a certain standard in the watch industry, or is it just a modern style that originates from the past. Most likely the second option. Consider in detail a pretty model PRW-50Y-1BER in a traditional review on the blog of Casio fans.

As you probably already guessed, I will talk a lot about the design of the dial in the new PRW-50Y-1B. This is generally logical, since there is nothing fundamentally new in the PRW-50 filling, and I already considered the existing functions and cool technologies in the recent PRW-60, which, in essence, are analogue of today’s hero.

Very readable Arabic numerals – this is how the manufacturer describes the representatives of PRW-50 in their official news reports. No doubt, the clock cannot be different, because each hour mark [except for “5” and “7 received its own Arabic number. Damn, there’s nothing supernatural in it [it’s even a shame to describe], but for the Japanese, an abundance of numerical values is considered a very rare occurrence [except for PRW-6600]. If you specify with the ProTrek brand, I don’t immediately know who to remember at all.

A matte ivory background minimizes the flare [glare], so ProTrek cannot be recognized anymore. Yes, friends, PRW-50Y-1BER is changing the way the ProTrek travel brand is presented. Now this is not a big “puck” of a sporty appearance, the PRW-50 looks like ordinary, sorry for the expression, mechanical watch in a compact case with a traditional, even conservative style of the dial. If I saw such on someone’s wrist, I doubt that I could easily identify the brand.

I am very impressed with this state of affairs. Being an office and sports person, I don’t really want to change my faithful companion on my wrist every time, and it’s very nice to understand the watch’s functional potential even in ordinary city life.

In addition to Arabic numerals and a bright display, I would also like to note the design of the arrows and the actual toothed bezel itself [does not rotate, but with city indexes for moving time zones in world time mode]. The hands have become more compact [in comparison with the PRW-60], with more distinct contours, and the tip of the second hand is in harmony with the red inscriptions on the display. Even the regimen scale [at the 10 o’clock position] did not receive a separate segmentation on the dial, but simply settled on the main panel [which creates an atmosphere of minimalism].

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Toothed bezel – such a cherry on a cake to the classic image of a watch. The fact that the metal bezel cannot but rejoice, because in the same PRW-3000 there were problems with this [the coating easily deforms with time].

Anyway, let’s not forget, the PRW-50 series belongs to the Climber Line division, which, as it were, makes them profile watches for climbers and other fans of mountain adventures. The interframe structure of the back cover reinforced the strength of the strap and the case itself.

A new engineering solution that contributes to the strength of the strap to the case [and not only]. The bottom line is that the strap ears are integrated into the case [which reduces the used space], and the innovative X-shaped structure of the case evenly distributes physical loads, thereby enhancing the shockproof characteristics of the watch [both from impacts and from external forces]. – text from material: ProTrek PRW-60 – compactness, specularity, convenience.

Compactness. The X-shaped structure of the case and the 3-version sensor [already standard in modern protrusion] allowed reducing the series to the following sizes: 50.5mm x 47.2mm x 13.3mm.

The manufacturer claims that the watch is comfortable to wear even under the cuff of a shirt or sweatshirt. I would not be so categorical, since the model is still difficult to call very thin. 13.3mm is kind of good, but the narrow cuffs make you rethink your watch dial. Yes, PRW-50Y definitely go away from the “washers” and fit perfectly with 90% of your wardrobe [probably].

Functionality and technology. The PRW-50Y-1BER received the most proven and advanced technologies, but they cannot boast of modern developments such as a pedometer or synchronization with a phone. I can’t call this a minus, since the existing set is praiseworthy: solar power [you just forget about changing the batteries], radio synchronization [automatic time adjustment by radio signals of exact time], smart head “Smart Access” [simplifies the use of functions], automatic correction analog time in the case of a rassynchron with digital [yes this can also be]. As for the functions, I’ll name only the most iconic ones: compass, thermometer, altimeter / barometer, world time, climb graph, stopwatch, timer, alarms.

Hand Shift is a function of arrows when they are in a neutral position so you can view information on a digital display. In the latest ProTrek models, I admired this feature because it was activated automatically. For example, you enter the stopwatch mode and the hands immediately move. There is no automation in the PRW-50Y-1BER. I even had to get into the instructions to understand the combination of buttons to activate the function. Fortunately, I found it – we clamp the backlight and the lower left button. Not the most convenient solution. And yet, the arrows do not fix their position at the time of using the mode, and each time you will need to remove them [reset the stopwatch, the arrows again fell into place]. In short, something did not work out with Hand Shift, although perhaps the manufacturer is trying to keep you up to date with the current time.

Strap. The material is silicone, but with the prefix “Dura-Soft”. To make you understand, this is silicone with improved runtime properties. Top polymer material at the moment according to its characteristics.

It is very soft to the touch and even stretches like a tight elastic band. I marvel at its comfort. The material is so “friendly” to the wrist that there is no feeling of sticking, “rubberiness”. I just had to use rubber options, then they are still very far from convenience. And here is a great alternative to skin and tissue [which often produce an unpleasant odor, or is it just me?]. The lever as it hints – the strap is easy to remove. And the new format for attaching the strap to the case is really very powerful – specifically pulled the strap in one direction and did not see the slightest signal for concern.

Backlight No matter how the Japanese boasted of Neon Illuminator technology, it is weakly felt in the PRW-50Y-1B.

Just the hour indexes did not receive any additional luminous elements and the entire Neon Illuminator touched only the 6-hour mark. Fortunately, a separate LED backlighting of the digital window fully extends the readability of information in the dark.

Conclusions

ProTrek PRW-50Y-1B is the same as other advanced watches under the ProTrek brand. The watch uses similar useful features and technologies, but only with a more reinforced case and materials. It’s just terribly reliable watches, which in no case need to be charged. The only and key difference from other comrades: the presence of a completely atypical light background of the dial, an abundance of Arabic numerals and a toothed bezel. And these three elements turn a tourist watch into an assistant for all occasions.

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Firstly published, but we carefully translated into English.

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Some FAQ moments about ProTrek PRW-50 Series