{"id":146723,"date":"2025-08-15T03:01:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T03:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/146723\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T03:01:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T03:01:16","slug":"forget-the-apple-watch-10-5-reasons-why-i-prefer-this-cheap-casio-baby-g-watch-to-the-best-smartwatches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/146723\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget the Apple Watch 10 \u2014 5 reasons why I prefer this cheap Casio Baby-G watch to the best smartwatches"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sure, the latest Apple Watch 10, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Google Pixel Watch 3 are all nice, but sometimes, nothing scratches the \u2018wrist candy\u2019 itch quite like a semitransparent, baby blue Casio Baby-G watch.<\/p>\n

In fact, the Baby-G BG169R-2C (Casio has never been one for cutesy names) has five major advantages over even the best smartwatch<\/a> models available today.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as if the 1990s never left us \u2014 Hammer Time, the Macarena, et all. This $89 gem is big on nostalgia and brimming with fun ‘easter eggs,’ namely, random animations of doggies, puffer fish, etc. that generate on the LCD (more on that below).<\/p>\n

‘But, Dan, isn\u2019t that a girl\u2019s watch?’ Uh, who cares? In 2025, you can have your cake (pretend it’s still the 1990s) and eat it too (wear whatever you want).<\/p>\n

1. Fun ‘easter eggs’ <\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

This brings me to the first advantage this Casio Baby-G has over the best Apple Watches<\/a> and best smartwatches for Android<\/a>. Whenever you press the LCD backlight button (the one with the big G below the display), a silly little animal animation occurs at the top of the screen, briefly replacing the day of the week.<\/p>\n

This little surprise also occurs every time the seconds counter reaches 30. Four animal animations are generated at random, including a dog wagging its tail and barking, a cat playing, a dolphin swimming, and a puffer fish inflating.<\/p>\n

Is this feature groundbreaking? Maybe back in the early ’90s, but that’s fine by me. I smile every single time I press the backlight button, and you probably will too.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

2. No batteries to recharge<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Like most ‘dumb’ digital watches, my Casio Baby-G should last for roughly three years before needing a battery change. While this will likely require a trip to a local jeweler to ensure proper waterproofing post battery swap, the CR1616 battery it runs on can be picked up for around $1.<\/p>\n

On the flip side, you\u2019d be lucky to get two days of battery life out of the best Samsung smartwatch<\/a> or Pixel Watch, and closer to one day from the latest Apple Watch 10<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Better water resistance than even the Apple Watch Ultra 2<\/p>\n

50 meters of water resistance is par for the course on most smartwatches, except for the Apple Watch Ultra<\/a> series and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra<\/a>, which cap out at 100 meters. While 50m might seem like solid protection, what it actually means is that your smartwatch is rated for ‘shallow-water activities’ only (Apple\u2019s words<\/a>, not mine).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a deeper dive into what smartwatch water resistance ratings really mean<\/a>. Meanwhile, 100 meters of water resistance clears you for watersports and shallow water scuba diving. Want something that can go even further?<\/p>\n

This Casio Baby-G boasts a deep-sea-approved, 200-meter water resistance rating, greater than not just the ‘Ultra’ smartwatches of the world, but also my favorite outdoor adventure watch, the Garmin Instinct 3<\/a> (also 100m rated).<\/p>\n

4. Nostalgic in all the best ways <\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

In 2025, it feels like everyone\u2019s rocking something \u2018smart\u2019 on the wrist, whether it\u2019s an Apple Watch, Android smartwatch, Fitbit<\/a> or Garmin<\/a>. You know what\u2019s much rarer to spot in the wild? A semitransparent, baby blue Casio Baby-G. It\u2019s also a compliment-generating machine.<\/p>\n

I already touched on the nostalgia factor; I was born in 1988, so the 1990s were the heart of my childhood heyday, and I was all about that pre-Millennium colorful, semitransparent aesthetics, from iMacs to Yak-baks.<\/p>\n

Maybe my obsession with the Baby-G BG169R-2C is really just a physical manifestation of my subconscious yearning for \u2018simpler\u2019 times, before the mass adoption of smartphones, back when Nintendo 64 still reigned supreme, and Carson Daly was still playing music videos… but I digress.<\/p>\n

5. Less than $100 and available in an assortment of fresh colors<\/p>\n

Casio Baby-G watches come in a wide array of styles and bold colors, and few cost more than $100<\/a>. The BG-169 model shown here can also be picked up in semi-transparent pink, clear, minty green, smoky black and green, and so many more.<\/p>\n

The latest Apple Watch Series 10, meanwhile, starts at $399. The Pixel Watch 3 and Galaxy Watch 8 start at $349. Each of the devices is available in a small selection of case colors, ranging from silver to rose gold, but for something more colorful and bold, you\u2019ll either need to opt for one of the best Garmin watches<\/a> (like the Instinct 3) or dress up your boring smartwatch with a fun strap.<\/p>\n

Which brings me to my final point. If Apple does indeed launch an all-plastic Apple Watch SE 3, as some rumors suggest<\/a>, I\u2019d love to see a limited edition, transparent version. Now, that might actually get some compliments. Until then, I\u2019ll keep rocking my baby blue Baby-G.<\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sure, the latest Apple Watch 10, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Google Pixel Watch 3 are all nice,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":146724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[705,158,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-146723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115030555948967526","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}