Casio: In Mourning

I've worn a Casio watch for the majority of the time since my father got one for me back in middle school. I wrote about the death of that watch (after a decade of faithful service) on Livejournal:

Casio NL-11
1993 - 2006

My Casio was a good, nay, a great watch. It stuck with me through middle school, high school, and beyond. It went to Italy with me. It went to Disney World with me. I went on my first date and got married to Indi with it. It came with me when I bought my first, then my second house. It rode with me in the mythical Scorpio and was on me when Dad's Explorer fell off the tire jack and crushed my hand.

Through thick and thin, the watch kept on keeping the time. I replaced the band more often than the battery. I spent the better part of an hour just last month taking it apart and meticulously fixing the bent contacts the Wal-Mart employees had carelessly damaged. Unfortunately, at 4:12 PM on January 5th the watch broke for good. One of the pin-holding catches crumbled, never to allow a band to be attached again.

I will miss my old Casio watch, and will give it a ceremonial burial in the backyard. Maybe on those quiet summer nights when I'm enjoying a refreshing beverage on my porch I will still hear it beep. Rest in peace, friend.

I had a Fossil watch for a while afterwards, but I finally found another Casio, similar to my old one, in April of '08. I wrote about THAT on Blogger:

On Thursday, January 5th of 2006 my wonderful Casio NF-11 watch broke. I had replaced the strap three times (battery twice) in its 10+ years of service but the watch itself had broken and would no longer fit a pin for the wrist strap. With a heavy heart, I placed it in a drawer and sought out a new timepiece.

I wanted the same functionality, but I had a hard time finding a simple watch that told me the time, day, and date. I settled for a nice Fossil watch and moved on. Yesterday, I finally told myself I'd had enough. The watch I purchased was nice, sure, but it was hard to read. It was TOO dark and the light was dim at best. I decided to try to find a suitable replacement for my old watch.



Behold. The Fossil mistake cost me $75(!) but the Casio cost me $16. All Hail the Return of the Magnificent Casio! (The old face is in the background on the mousepad...still ticking away.)

Just before I left home this past April, I carelessly broke the band. It was my fault, I caught it on a door and forced it. It had been working flawlessly. Since it was a $16 watch, I just bought another at Wal-Mart. Indi gave me much trouble about it being a 'crappy watch' and I regaled her (again) with the tales of Casio greatness that I have known in my lifetime.

After four blissful months, the battery died today.

I was heartbroken. Indi, vindicated in her claims that the watch was horrible, barely contained her glee and "I told you so"-itis. It was with much sadness that I bought a cheap knock-off watch from a street vendor in Malaysia today. A great legacy of watches sleeps forever tonight. I will miss my friend.

(Note: the first Casio was STILL WORKING in a drawer when we had our estate sale. I buried it in the backyard.)