Casio A158 Vs A168 | The Retro Casio Watch Battle!
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I hear you, I hear you. If you’ve seen my content before, you’ll know my love for this, the Casio A158W. This is a brilliant little watch and I wear it all the time. But you’ve all been telling me to try its bigger brother, the A168W.
This is really similar but is slightly newer and features some upgraded features. So, in this post, I thought we’d compare the two, so you can decide which may suit your needs the best. I’ll also reveal which of these I’ll be wearing moving forward.
If you’ve already read the A158 review, you know what you get with this watch. A really simple design with a digital display, a silver resin case with a thin stainless-steel strap and the world’s worst backlight. Overall though, the watch is super cheap, looks pretty good and is really comfortable to wear; making it one of my go-to choices for daily usage.
Following the success of this model, Casio released the A168. I guess this was designed as its direct replacement, given the visual similarities. In fact, let’s start by covering the clear similarities between the two.
Casio A168 vs A158
Firstly, the overall colour and style of the watches are very close. Both regular versions have a similar silver colorway, with the darker dial. Both have a stainless-steel rear, with an unlisted amount of water resistance. Even the bracelets are extremely similar, with the same clasp.
Additionally, for the most part, they have the same basic functionality, with easy stopwatch and time change features too.
So, they’re really similar, but what separates them?
Size
The first thing you’ll notice is the difference in size between these pair. The newer A168 is substantially chunkier than its predecessor:
A168:
9.8mm depth (15% deeper)
35.2mm diameter (7% wider)
38mm lug to lug (4% longer)
A158:
8.5mm depth
33mm diameter
36.7mm lug to lug
While it’s certainly not a big watch and will suit most wrist sizes, the added depth in particular will be noticeable if you have skinny wrists. The Casio A168 sits taller on the wrist for sure, the backlight system being the culprit for this alteration.
Additionally, the latter has concealed lugs, which make the watch feel a tiny bit larger again, compared to the regular ones on the A158.
Both watches weigh in at under 50 grams, with the larger model being a tiny bit heavier.
Design
The straps are also slightly different, the larger watch utilising slightly smaller links; but for all intents and purposes they perform the same. Both are highly adjustable to your wrist size. The A168W does have drilled lugs, which can make strap changes a tad easier, though I don’t plan on changing either right now.
The watches have slightly different dial designs, with the text being rearranged slightly. The A168 notably has more red on the dial, including the word illuminator in block capitals. This is the reason this piece is usually referred to just as the ‘illuminator’. It’s a bit more colourful, whilst the Casio A158 is more understated. In reality, these both look pretty cool and retro; some of the best looking digital watches out there in my book, especially for the cost.
Performance
Housed within the watches is what I believe to be the same movement; though the watches do vary somewhat in terms of functionality.
I’d say the display on the A158 is slightly clearer and, in person, is definitely easier to see from different angles. I’m unsure why this is the case, as you’d expect them to be the same.
However, the newer Casio illuminator definitely has that superior backlight. When you compare the two it’s really no competition in dark conditions. Also, I find that the A168 feels a tad more responsive. There is something slightly more satisfying about the pushers or the noise, it’s hard to pin down.
Price
Now, how much should you expect to pay for each of these beauties?
Well, for the most part they’re pretty similar, both hovering around the £20 mark on Amazon UK. Often you may be able to get the older A158 for a fraction less than the alternative, though there’s still rarely any price difference.
Which Is the Best Retro Casio Watch?
So, which do I prefer and which of these do I recommend? Well, if you have larger wrists, the A168 is the clear choice. The A158 is a pretty small watch so could be absolutely dwarfed on big wrists.
On the other hand, if you have thin wrists like me, that small profile A158 will probably look better, as it sits nice and flush to the wrist.
But what if you are in between? An average sized wrist, say around 7 and a quarter inches? Well, if you really need that good backlight, the A168 is going to be the obvious choice. If you don’t care about that, I’d honestly still go with the A158. It is older, however, personally I prefer it for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I think the watch feels better than the newer version. It has a better size to weight ratio, meaning the watch feels proportionally more substantial. With the Casio A168, the watch is bigger but isn’t much heavier, making it seem less dense on-wrist.
Also, I just slightly prefer the shape of the watch. It’s nice and small and has more curvature; meaning it looks less blocky compared to its bigger brother; which kind of looks like a Lego brick. As a result, I think it’s just a tad more elegant and versatile.
Either way, whichever you choose, I think you’ll be pretty pleased. Considering the cost, these watches seem to last forever and are great daily wearers.
