The quick verdict
I think the Casio F201WA is the best cheap Casio you can buy. It looks and wears like an F91W, slightly larger and at almost the same price, but its feature set is in another league: five multi-function alarms, a countdown timer with auto-repeat, a stopwatch, dual time, an auto-calendar, and a backlight with afterglow that actually works. For about $30 Canadian, nothing else in the cheap Casio lineup packs in this much.
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Size and wearability
The F201WA has the classic black resin case and resin glass you expect at this price, but the face is noticeably larger than an F91W’s, and the time readout looks about 20 percent bigger. It also shows you more at a glance: the month sits alongside the day of the week and the date, which the F91W does not give you. Despite the bigger display it is still a genuinely small watch: 34 millimetres across, 10.5 millimetres thick, and just 23.5 grams with the strap. That makes it an incredibly light, all-day wearable watch. The black resin strap is comfortable, and one odd detail is the pushers: instead of the usual metal, they are plastic, big and very easy to press. I have not seen that on another Casio, and I am still deciding if I like it better, but they work well.
Five alarms that actually do things
The alarm system is far beyond basic. You get five alarms, and they are multi-function: set one to repeat daily, set another for a specific day of a specific month, or set one for an exact date and time, like a birthday reminder months ahead. Alarm 1 can also work as a snooze alarm. The icons on the home screen show which of your five alarms are armed, and you can hold a button to test how loud the alarm is before trusting it to wake you. The hourly time signal can be muted, although the button beeps themselves cannot.
The countdown timer with auto-repeat
This is reason one to buy this watch. The F201WA has a countdown timer you can set up to 24 hours, and it is the cheapest Casio I have found with one. Better still, it has an auto-repeat function: when the timer finishes, it restarts itself, which is perfect for interval timing or any repeating task. I own five G-Shocks, some costing two to three hundred dollars, and not one of them has an auto-repeating countdown timer. Getting it here, at this price, is honestly a bit insane.
Around the headline modes you also get a stopwatch that runs to just under 24 hours with split times and first and second place finishers, and a dual time mode with a clever touch: the seconds stay synced to your home time, so setting a second zone takes seconds. The auto-calendar runs to 2099 and handles leap years for you.
A backlight that works, with afterglow
Reason two is the light. The F91W’s backlight is a running joke among Casio fans; in the dark you often cannot read the watch at all. The F201WA’s light is way better, and it has afterglow: press the light button and it stays on for a full second after you let go, so you can actually read the time at night. It makes the watch dramatically more useful after dark.
Reason three is the display itself. You use a watch to tell the time, constantly, and this one keeps the F91W’s nice small size while giving you a much bigger screen, with your alarm status and the month visible too. Every glance is easier than on the F91W, all day, every day.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Countdown timer with auto-repeat, a feature missing from my far pricier G-Shocks
- Five flexible alarms: daily, monthly, specific date, plus snooze
- Bigger, more informative display than the F91W, still only 23.5 grams
- Backlight with afterglow that is genuinely usable at night
- Auto-calendar to 2099, dual time, 24-hour stopwatch
Cons
- Plastic pushers instead of metal, an unusual choice that may not suit everyone
- Button beeps cannot be muted
- Resin glass and basic water resistance, like every cheap Casio
FAQ
Does the Casio F201WA have a countdown timer?
Yes, up to 24 hours, and it includes an auto-repeat function that restarts the timer when it finishes. That makes it the cheapest Casio I have found with a countdown timer.
How many alarms does the F201WA have?
Five, and they are flexible: daily alarms, alarms for a set day each month, and alarms for one specific date, with the first alarm able to act as a snooze alarm.
Is the F201WA better than the F91W?
For features, clearly yes: it adds the countdown timer with auto-repeat, four extra alarms, a bigger display and a much better backlight, for almost the same price and a very similar size.
Final verdict
If you are in the market for a cheap Casio, the Casio F201WA is the one I recommend. It keeps everything people love about these inexpensive watches and fixes their biggest gaps: you get a countdown timer with auto-repeat, five smart alarms and a display and light that are both a clear step up, all for about $30 Canadian. That is a ton of watch for the money.