Casio’s Pro Trek sub-brand offers a lot of the same features and toughness as its brother-brand, G-Shock, but with more of a focus on pragmatic functionality — and a bit less of the brash attitude. Specifically, Pro Trek is intended for outdoor enthusiasts or professionals with a range of features that are genuinely useful, and the tech just keeps expanding. The newest Pro Trek line is the PRT-B50 series, and it introduces the latest technology, which includes an accelerometer and smartphone connectivity.
Casio counts the accelerometer among its sensors, bringing the number to four and resulting in the new Quad Sensor branding, which includes a compass, thermometer, and pressure sensor. The focus on the accelerometer isn’t about measuring speed, but rather about detecting accelerations in gravity, which is how your smartphone does things like count your steps — and that’s its intended purpose in the new Casio watches, which began introducing the technology this year in some G-Shock models.
Casio is good about keeping the uses of its smartphone connectivity to the the functionality you might actually want to use on a watch (rather than trying to be a full-featured smartphone on your wrist) — but there are certainly features here with a steep learning curve, and more than most people will use.
The new Pro Trek PRT-B50 watches come in three different versions at launch with designs and colorways that look as if made to match camping gear. In lightweight resin (fancy plastic) cases, they will wear comfortably as most Casio watches do despite significant measurements both in diameter and thickness. Each PRT-B50 version has a price of $200.
Gear Patrol also recommends:
Timex Ironman Digital Watch ($98 $59)
Casio G-Shock GW7900-1 ($150)
Apple Watch Nike+ ($399)
