Casio F91W vs A158W | Which Casio Watch is the Best?
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A tricky little decision.
The F91W or the A158?
Hey guys, this is Ben’s Watch Club and today we’ll be comparing two very similar and popular Casio watches.
Online, I’ve seen a surprising amount of people struggling to understand the small differences between these two watches. So, I figured I’d make a post to assist those of you who are unsure of which to go for.
Hopefully, this will give you some idea of which may be best for you. If you want to grab one of these, I’ll leave links to both throughout this article.
First off, we have the Casio F91W. This is often considered the most popular watch in the world; or at least the piece that has sold the most units. Introduced in 1991, the simple digital design, famed durability and super low cost instantly proved successful.
The regular version of this watch has been manufactured in 4 countries simultaneously; Japan, Malaysia, China and Thailand. To be honest, I’m not sure if that is still the case, however, quality control across the board seems to be good from what I’ve read online.
The bulk of the watch case is made of black resin, other than the rear, which has a slim layer of stainless steel. It’s a relatively square shape overall, coming in at 34mm in width and 38mm lug to lug. When combined with the 8.5mm depth, it’s clear this is quite a small watch. It’s a very wearable size, especially for slim wrists.
The default strap shipped with the watch is also black resin. It’s not the best quality out there, but realistically it’s really comfortable and has a ton of holes to suit various wrist sizes. There are stories of these wearing down after a few years, I can only judge the durability based on my father’s experience. He’s had two of these watches in a row and both of the straps have lasted over a decade each.
Then in the silver corner, we have the A158W. I believe this metallic variant was released slightly later, following the success of the F-91.
As you can tell, these two are almost identical. In fact, internally, they are. Both contain the same low-cost Japanese quartz movement and the functions operate in the same manner. Unfortunately, Casio don’t give us much information about these. As far as I know, the A158W is predominantly made in China; they do make an A159 version, which is essentially the same but is apparently made in Japan and is more expensive.
Aesthetically, there are only a couple of notable differences. While both cases are constructed of resin, the A158 has a high shine finish silver case. Also, the lugs are of a slightly more standard design, but aren’t drilled. You’ll need to use a spring bar tool to remove the default strap from beneath. The lugs on the F91 are rather concealed in comparison, but are drilled, making strap removal a fraction easier.
Size-wise both watches are the same, but curiously the dial design differs slightly. The digital display remains the same, containing the infamously weak backlight. However, the area surrounding it is slightly different. While the F-91 has the model name proudly on display at the top corner, the A158 simply says ‘ALARM CHRONO’. Outside of this, there are also a few other minor cosmetic differences in the position of the text. Both also feature the same acrylic glass.
The A158W typically comes with an adjustable stainless-steel folded link bracelet. This is likely the reason that this version is slightly more expensive; that being said, both are available on Amazon for ridiculously low cost, normally under £20 each.
Overall, the bracelet is fine considering the cost, though some find it to pinch hairs. You can get hold of another version, called the A159W, which is essentially the same but features a slightly different strap and is apparently made in Japan, though these are harder to come across.
Overall, it’s this difference in strap and overall colour that, in my opinion, gives these watches a slightly different appeal from one another.
The F-91W is clearly more subtle and casual. It’s matte black colourway and simple strap contribute make it the more practical choice. It tends to handle scratches slightly better, as they are less visible. This could work especially well if you’re after a small simple watch to wear for manual labour or similar activities. I’d say this is also the slightly more comfortable of the two, though both are still easy-wearers.
The A158 on the other hand is definitely classier. Overall, I find the colour scheme makes this one far more wearable and stylish. Whilst it’s no dress watch, I think it’s a better-looking watch for most situations and certainly my favourite. So, if you’re bothered by style, this may be the optimal choice; I think it’s got some retro charm.
There are also some slightly chunkier Casio digital watches available these days, such as the A168, I hope to be able to get hold of one of them at some point soon.