I have this fascinations with a time piece (that is just a another fancy name of a watch). And one brand that I’m in particular interested in is Casio. Well, I suppose a lot of my generation have this fascination with particular brand which was Casio. I can recalled the first time I  have my very first watch, it was Casio. Not sure about the type, but it’s one of those all around watch, equipped with mini solar panel, able to self sustain the life without batteries.  It was legendary. It has all the functionalities of digital watch, timer, alarm, stop watch, you name it. It can even show time difference of five different time space(I’m not sure how it might useful to  a 9 years old who owned it), and it has a back light. I  still can remember the envy that shade the face of many friends, when they look at my watch, though it wasn’t long. Couple of months after I bragged about my watch, a new Casio model, fully equipped with mini  calculator, come into market. And that was the end of my popularity. I’ve been an experienced user of many watches. My second watch was an analog Citizen, with  rubber band. What was so fascinating about this analog watch that the watch was so packed with the facilities that can make a real digital watch just like an outdated toy. One of the main feature of this watch is a button, that when you pressed it can makes all the hands rotating without purpose, not until 10 years after I lost the watch, I finally realized the purpose of the button. But perhaps one of the most fascinating extras available in the watch is the ability to tells its user whether it’s night time, noon time, or morning time. Not by the time it self, but by color indicator which change shades when the time moves. A true magic of its time. After the Citizen, there was a digital Timex, an analog Nautica, a cheap analog Casio that cost me about $20 (but does look expensive) and  my current and all time favorite, is my Casio Edifice. Nothing special about it function, but I love the design very much, it was a stainless steel with tempered clear glass, about 5 mil thick, and white panel. It has three small subpanel, each represents the 24 hours time hand, second hand, and minutes hand. All in stainless/metal color. Simple yet elegant, and it doesn’t cost much. I bought it for just about $100, way cheaper than similar model from Seiko, Citizen, Alba, let alone Rolex  or Tag Heuer.

 Now, the decision to buy this watch, was not come in the easiest way. I did my research, weighted an option, and think about its purpose and usage. At the end, my guts decided for me instead of my logic. And not after you pay the money, and have it in your arm for two weeks or so, you’ll realized whether you made wrong decision or not. Well, I’m not, and here’s things that you might want to consider: 
1. Brand. Brand matters when you are a collector, but if you think about its main function, which is a time peace, it wont. Rule of thumb, never buy a fake. It’s okay to be cheap but it’s not okay to be fraudster. Sure the more expensive brand, the better materials (sometimes) and some even provide more accuracy (which if you are normal homo sapiens, you wont be able to tell how accurate it is), but in short to medium term, you wont feel the difference.  Although you wont be able to tell a difference between $100 or $1000 watch in physical terms, people may judge you for what you wear. Here’s my personal recommendation, for $100-200 budget, get Casio or Timex. Casio is generally cheaper than Timex, and with $200 you can obtain the high end Casio which comparable to any $1000  watch. $300-$800, many of choice out there, my personal recommendation is Seiko. This brand provides character, things that you wont be able to get from other brands in this price range. Be careful with the model though. Seiko tend to be very sporty these days. In any case, try to go classic, which is those models without awful lot numbers on the outer rim. From $800 and beyond, the choice are plenty. But I will stick one these brands Rolex, Omega and Tag Heuer.
2. Materials. For the main rim, the materials are vary these days, you can have the expensive gold or silver, the sporty Kevlar, the elegant titanium, or the classic stainless steel. In this point, it’s up to your taste and preference. One thing to be remember is that what every type of material that is used, it needs to match the wrist band. And to wristband comes this rule:  match your watch wristband color with belt and shoes, except it its  silver, stainless steel or titanium, which can goes with anything. If your preference is gold, always pick the white one.
3. Diameter. For all around I prefer the std 44 or 43 mm for gentleman. It would perfectly sized to your arms. It will not too dominant to detract people attention from your face, nor it is to small to make people thing it’s a toy
4. Panel Color. To this I will say, mind your own color. Rule of thumbs, if you have dark skin, choose watch with lighter shade such as silvery, whitey color, it will light them up the and the contrast  will make people interested. If your skin are light, you can wear any color that you want and still look ok, but generally wearing dark panel will help you accentuate your gesture. For formal use, never ever wear a panel with more than two colors.
5. Wristband. Today is not the time to wear a complex knit of wristband, nor those with more than one color. Chose model that is simple. And mind the width of the wrist band should descend in from wide to narrow, starting from the rim. The smoother the better, it presents a sense of diligent and efficiency. Remember the rule of the wristband color (in relation with the belt and shoes)
6. Thickness. Thumb rule, the thinner the more formal. Thick panel will make it difficult for you who wears long buttoned sleeves, It’s also heavier than normal watch

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