At first glance, the Casio WV50H looks like any other wristwatch. But look a little closer, and you'll see an ingenious feature that sets it apart from most other timepieces.
This watch receives radio signals from a super-accurate atomic clock located in Colorado for calibration. Cesium atoms make the atomic clock tick. The atomic clock tells time by measuring the bounce of a cesium atom's electron cloud relative to its nucleus and this determines the standard second.
Thanks to the use of a universal time standard, you don't set the Casio WV50H like a normal watch. In fact, the term setting isn't really in order. Rather, you specify a time zone, which provides an offset to the coordinated universal time (UTC). You can pick from 25 time zones, including UTC. If you ever travel with the watch, you simply specify the local time zone, and the offset will display the precise local time.
The WV50H automatically sets itself to receive calibration signals from Fort Collins, Colo., every day at 1 a.m. local time. This is where I think that the device has a bit of a shortcoming, because the watch needs to be in a location where it can get clear reception. You may have to get in the habit of leaving your watch on a west-facing windowsill so it can face Fort Collins as the directions specify.
In terms of creature comforts, the watch is fairly comfortable to wear. The metal band doesn't bind or chafe. The buttons are large and well placed. The display is fairly large and easy to read. Backlighting is excellent and provides clear illumination in dark conditions. The alarm beeps are audible in most conditions, but could be drowned out by louder than average background noise.
Other features include what one would normally find on a good digital watch, including date alert, stopwatch, daily alarm, calendar and low-battery warning.
