Every few months, fashion blogs and TikTok “aesthetic” videos decide that Casio watches are the next big thing. Suddenly, the same plastic digital watch your uncle wore in the 90s is now considered “retro cool.” But here’s the thing: Casio watches were never uncool. They’ve been lurking in the background of global culture for decades — sometimes in ways that people would rather not talk about.
Casio: The Watch of Everyone (and I Mean Everyone)
The reason Casio is trending again isn’t just nostalgia. It’s because these watches have always been everywhere. Soldiers, students, dads, mechanics, hipsters, fashionistas — and yes, even criminals and terrorists.
Casio watches were reportedly worn by detainees in Guantánamo Bay and became strangely associated with terrorist groups in Afghanistan, mostly because of their cheap reliability and the built-in stopwatch function. A tool like that in a conflict zone? It’s no surprise intelligence agencies noticed.
So when you strap on a humble F91W or AE1200 (“Casio Royale”), you’re not just wearing a watch — you’re wearing a piece of weird global history.
The Culture of Casio
Despite those darker associations, Casio has also built a culture of simplicity and reliability. Unlike luxury Swiss brands that require babying, Casio watches are:
- Durable → drop it, scratch it, forget about it — it keeps ticking.
- Low maintenance → most run for years on a single battery.
- Accessible → they cost less than dinner at a halfway-decent restaurant.
- Functional → alarms, calendars, stopwatches, backlights — things you actually use.
They don’t pretend to be more than they are. A Casio doesn’t scream wealth, but it does say “I’m practical, I’m efficient, and I don’t care about flex culture.”
Why They’re Trending Now
So why the hype? A few reasons:
- Retro Aesthetics – People are into 80s/90s vibes. Casio nails that minimal, pixelated display look.
- Irony & Rebellion – Wearing a $20 Casio while surrounded by people obsessed with Apple Watches or Rolexes is its own kind of statement.
- Reliability in Chaos – In a world where everything feels fragile, Casio represents something solid and no-nonsense.
- Memes & History – The internet loves to dig up the bizarre history of the Casio F91W, which only adds to its mystique.
My Take: Casio is Forever
Look, Casio isn’t trying to trend. Casio doesn’t care. It just keeps pumping out the same models year after year, and somehow, they keep finding new cult followings — from kids buying their first digital watch to hardened guys in desert outposts.
So yeah, laugh at the association with Guantánamo Bay or Afghanistan, or nod along when TikTok influencers pretend they just “discovered” Casio. But at the end of the day, the reason these watches keep coming back is simple:
They work. They last. They’re cheap. And they’re cool without even trying.
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