Casio’s F-91W Is a Humble, Anti-Luxury Icon That Won’t Quit

By Danial Martinus  •  14 Apr 2025 in Tick Talk

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It’s funny how something so small and humble can leave such a lasting mark.

The Casio F-91W is one of those rare objects that quietly crosses borders, classes, and cultures. It doesn’t ask for attention. It doesn’t have to. It’s just there—reliable, honest, and timeless in the way very few things actually are.

It’s like the white sneaker of horology.

The F-91W is a tiny watch with a big heart

Launched in 1989, the F-91W never tried to be anything other than what it was: A simple digital watch. No gold plating, no sapphire crystal, no grand complications.

Just a small resin case, a black rubber strap, and a screen that tells you the time, the day, and the date. Press a button, and a green glow flickers to life—not quite enough to see in the dark, but somehow still comforting. Like a little flashlight from your childhood that never quite worked, but you loved anyway.

And here’s the thing: It’s barely changed in over 30 years. Why would it? You don’t mess with a design that works this well.

Over 3 million units are sold every single year. That puts it at well over 100 million F-91Ws out in the world right now—likely more, depending on who you ask. That’s not just success. That’s a time-tested legacy. But what makes it so special?

It’s not just about function, although it does that beautifully.The quartz movement inside is incredibly accurate, gaining or losing only about 30 seconds a month. The battery lasts at least seven years, sometimes 10.

It weighs only 21 grams—so light you forget it’s on your wrist until you glance down for the time. It’s water-resistant enough for rain, splashes, and even the occasional accidental swim. And it still retails for roughly US$20 (RM80), though you can find it for much, much less—around RM50— if you know where to look.

Beyond all that, the F-91W carries stories

You’ll find it on school kids who got it as their first watch. You’ll find it on mechanics, factory workers, soldiers, hikers, nurses. People who don’t care about brands or flexing—they just need something that works.

But you’ll also find it on the wrists of collectors with vaults full of Omegas, Audemars Piguets, and Rolexes. Because no matter how deep you are into horology, you can’t deny the quiet brilliance of this watch.

Former US President, Barack Obama, famously wore an F-91W during his early political career. The image of him campaigning, sleeves rolled up, that humble black watch peeking out—there’s something grounding about it. Like even when everything else is complicated, this one little thing just makes sense.

Then there’s the darker side of the story.

The F-91W gained infamy in the early 2000s when intelligence agencies discovered it had been used by al-Qaeda operatives to time explosives. The CIA even noted that possession of the watch could be considered a “suspicious indicator.” It’s a tragic twist—this harmless, dependable little object pulled into the orbit of violence and suspicion.

From presidents to terrorists, and everyone in between—who knew?

But the F-91W, of course, has no politics. No sides. It just keeps ticking.

It’s the ultimate tool watch—a “go anywhere, do anything” machine

There’s something deeply poetic about that—not because it’s rugged like a G-Shock or packed with tech like a Garmin, but because it quietly endures. Unchanged. Undistracted. Just doing its job, wherever it ends up.

And the design is practically burned into the global subconscious. If someone asked you to draw a digital watch from memory, odds are you’d sketch an F-91W. That rectangular face, the rounded corners, the tri-button layout. The little “ALARM CHRONOGRAPH” text. It’s become the emoji for “watch.”

It’s on t-shirts, posters, and more. Its reach truly knows no bounds, and it keeps going without ever changing its price tag.

There are charming little quirks too. Hold down the right button long enough, and the screen flashes “CASIo” instead of the usual numbers—a hidden Easter egg, a signature from the engineers. It doesn’t serve a purpose, but it’s kind of like the watch winking at you. A private joke between you and the machine.

There’s a whole world of modding and hacking too. People replace the resin case with stainless steel, print custom faces, and even turn the F-91W into wearable art.

Some use it as a base for tech experiments—adding GPS, Bluetooth, or hacking the circuitry for custom functions. It’s become a canvas, in a way.

Plastic fantastic

Honestly, I love mine just the way it is. It’s barely a day old, but I’ve had a long on/off relationship with it. The F-91W was my first “big boy” watch as a kid. Being the carefree child that I was, I didn’t get to keep it for very long, having lost it on a school field trip.

More than 25 years later, I’ve finally gotten around to getting myself another one (with my own adult money), being the impetus for this story in the first place.

I’ve already amassed a decent collection of mechanical watches that cost more than 90 times the value of the F-91W, but there’s just something liberating about the humble Casio. You can just put it on and forget about it. You don’t need to baby it.

It’s not about nostalgia, at least not entirely. It’s about honesty. It’s about finding value in something that doesn’t need to shout to be worthy. Something that just shows up, every day, without asking for anything in return.

In a world of luxury watches screaming for attention, the Casio F-91W whispers. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

Still cheap. Still perfect.

Still mine.

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