Casio Oceanus OCW-S100P-2AJF Smart Access

The Oceanus S100P is a simple three hand watch, with date at 3, with a surprisingly legible dial, featuring casio's tough movement (key features being: solar, wave ceptor and smart access). While being an older model, I find its design to be one of the most successful on the three hand family of Oceanus watches. I was looking for an uncluttered dial, and the two best candidates on the Oceanus line up were the S100 and T150. When it came to compare the S100 to the more recent T150 series, I found that the text markings on the dial (Y, N, R, W, AUTO, STD, etc.) are more discrete on the S100. Being the P variant, it features a mother of pearl inner disc on the dial. This is relatively uncommon, and it integrates seamlessly with the Oceanus theme. It is dyed in blue and integrates well with the blue tones of the hands, markers and the outer dial ring. It gives the dial a deeper look while remaining discrete. The simplicity of the S100P dial gives enough space for the mother of pearl disc to be a perfect circle, something not possible on the more recent, busier dial, S3000P. The hands of the S100 are very distinct and make the watch very legible under different lighting conditions. Hands and hour markers are lumed (blue) and lume's performance is pretty good (I find it slightly better than that of Edifices). The overall look of the dial is great ; however, I was slightly disappointed by the finish, since a look under a magnifying glass revealed some imperfections. The case and the bracelet are titanium, very light and they make the watch extremely comfortable on the wrist. If you love the look of steel, you may need some time to get used to the look of this titanium. The case has an elegant design and holds a slightly domed sapphire crystal. I found it to produce more reflections than on some other watches, but this hasn't been disturbing. Overall, the case is slim, simple and provides a modern look. The way the lugs curve and connect to the bracelet contribute to the comfort on wrist. The back case is kept in place by four screws (darker than the rest of the case) and it features the module number (5235), the oceanus logo, as well as some other inscriptions. The case holds four micro rings on the screw holds and a thread for the o-ring that will help provide an air-tigh seal. This watch is rated WR 10BAR, and I guess the crown and the two pushers are properly sealed too. Removing the case back revealed the caliber's top plate, and much to my surprise it's engraved 5219 instead of the expected 5235. This top plate is extremely similar to the one that can be found on some other models of the same generation. For instance, it features the exact same holder for a beep spring as can be found on edifices of the same generation, though this particular watch does not feature a beeper. The caliber is rich in features, providing a solar powered watch, with multiband-6 sync and smart access (all three hands as well as the date indicator can move independently). The caliber is powered by a CTL920, which is one of the two most common so-called capacitors to be found on solars (the CTL920 is smaller both in size an capacity than the CTL1616). The bracelet links are solid, and the use the pin and clip system that can be found on other casio metal bracelets. While not a fan of the clip system, the bracelet can be sized conveniently. Also note that the fermoir does not provide a gliding step-by-step adjustment. If you are thinking about changing the bracelet, please note that the way the case and the bracelet are linked together is not standard (three lugs), and this makes it impossible to replace the bracelet with a leather strap (unless you cut out the central part at the end of the strap). All in all this is a great looking solar-atomic watch, but I find it pricier than it should be given the finish and you may find that some other members of the Oceanus family provide better value for money.