Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator | Classic Digital Watch | EL Backlight | 1/100-Second Stopwatch | Daily Alarm | 7-Year Battery | Water Resistant | Unisex

EL backlight

About this item

  • EL backlight
  • 1/100 second digital stopwatch
  • Daily alarm
  • Accuracy: +/-30 seconds per month
Category: FashionWrist WatchesRanked #99 of 455 in Fashion
9.2Our score
Our verdict

EL backlight

Ranked #99 in Fashion · 4 things we like

Quick answer The Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator scores 9.2/10 with us. Amazon owners rate it 4.6 out of 5 across 3,421 reviews, above the 4.4 average of the 141 wrist watches we track.

The Casio F-105W-1A occupies a unique and beloved position in the Casio digital lineup — it's the F-91W with the one upgrade that enthusiasts have always wanted. Where the F-91W uses a standard LED micro-light that illuminates only a portion of the display, the F-105W-1A steps up to a full Electro Luminescent backlight — the same even-glow technology found in more premium Casio models — that lights the entire dial surface in one soft, evenly distributed glow. It's a small difference on paper and a significant one in practice, especially in low-light environments where the F-91W's partial illumination leaves something to be desired.

In watch collector circles, the F-105W-1A has developed a genuine following as the definitive version of the classic Casio rectangular digital — often called the ""F91W EL"" — and it's easy to understand why. Everything else about the F-105W-1A is unchanged fr

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Product information

3 specifications
Product Dimensions‎ 4.65 x 3.15 x 2.2 inches; 0.74 ounces
Department‎ men
Batteries‎ 1 Lithium Metal batteries required.

Pros & cons

What we like
  • EL backlight
  • 1/100 second digital stopwatch
  • Daily alarm
  • Accuracy: +/-30 seconds per month
What could be better

    Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator: questions & answers

    Is the Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator worth buying?

    Yes, it is one of the stronger picks in its group. We score the Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator 9.2 out of 10. Amazon owners rate it 4.6 out of 5 across 3,421 reviews, above the 4.4 average of the 141 wrist watches we track.

    What are good alternatives to the Casio F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator?

    Similar, well-rated wrist watches in our catalog: Casio F108WH Series (9.2/10, 4.6 stars from 12,617 owners); Casio W218H Series (9.4/10, 4.7 stars from 12,077 owners); Casio F91W Series (9.0/10, 4.5 stars from 42,577 owners).

    Customer reviews

    All reviews on Amazon
    4.63,421 global ratings
    5 star90%
    4 star10%
    3 star0%
    2 star0%
    1 star0%

    Breakdown from the 10 most helpful reviews we imported.

    I
    Iggy
    Verified purchaseFebruary 12, 2025
    Best simple digital watch ever! Takes a licking & keeps on kicking!

    Love this watch. Have been wearing this model since the 1980s. Sturdy, functional, reliable, accurate & lasts for years & years. Easy to use and set up the date, time, stop watch, timer and alarm. All functions work as they should. Choice of on the hour reminder chime, 12 or 24 hour display and the alarm beeps gradually accend in volume, gently waking the wearer without disturbing those nearby who want to keep sleeping.The back light dims out after several years. The watches themselves have never cracked or broken. Rough on watches. One was replaced when lens became cloudy, covered in an accum

    F
    Firearms and Fellowship
    Verified purchaseNovember 15, 2025
    The must have every day watch.

    Well packaged watch for the price point. And that is what this watch is all about. Tried and true technology and an incredible value. Understated, tough and lightweight watch that does what you need. Nothing more, nothing less. Time, date, alarm, timer and night light. A simple everyday watch that is so lightweight and comfortable, you will forget it’s even there. It is my everyday watch I wear strong side. When I want to show off my nicer timepiece, I wear it weak side but keep this one in its place. For the money, you won’t find a better watch. A core piece of my EDC. Highly recommend!

    S
    SteveG
    Verified purchaseAugust 31, 2026
    The Best Casio watch

    The F-105W-1A Vintage Illuminator is my favorite Casio watch. It is light in weight and non-bulky. Unlike most other watches the blue light actually illuminates the entire watch face. It is simple to setup and use and shows the time, day of the week, and the day of the month. With two clicks of the lower left button you are on stop watch mode, and with two additional clicks you are back to the watch mode. With one click of the lower right button, you can switch between 24-hour mode (military time), and standard AM/PM time. I cut off the plastic band with wire clippers and put on an 18mm fabric

    Y
    Your Name Here
    Verified purchaseSeptember 15, 2026
    Love it

    I have numerous Casio watcher. My go to watch is my Mudman (I’m on my second one) but I sometimes need a smaller watch. In the winter it when I wear long sleeves for example. This is a nice watch but the band is short and the face/bezel is rather small. I mention this as a precaution for some. I have large wrist so I was at the last two holes but I may just upgrade to a NATO style band anyways. Well worth the price I paid and I would buy again. Just know that it is smaller than most are used to.

    K
    Kevin K
    Verified purchaseSeptember 16, 2009
    Best work watch ever

    So this watch kind of has a family legacy. My dad, when he worked for a trucking company, always used this watch. He would brag about the 5 year battery in there. I always made fun of him and thought it was such a dorky watch, the first few ones didn't even have a back light!So now here I am wearing the same style of watch. Guess who bought it for me for Christmas? I also work for a shipping company (hint: it has its UPS and downs) and I can not break this watch. It's on my wrist every day at work and even when I go out. I have smashed this thing countless times in between trailer walls, rolle

    T
    TNC
    Verified purchaseJune 4, 2012
    Great Item, does what it says it does

    I bought this watch primarily for when I exercise, timing my runs etc. The second reason was for nostalgia, I had this watch over 15 years ago when I was in primary elementary school as a present for being top 10 in my class for that semester.I still remember going to the mall with my mom and looking at all the watches in the rotating display. What I really wanted was the Casio G-Shock which it was the IN thing in Asia at that time; however, it was very expensive. Back in the days, people still had common sense and my mom didn't allow me, an elementary school kid to own such an expensive watch

    R
    Richard CSUF MSA, Wisconsin MBA
    Verified purchaseMay 19, 2026
    Beautiful blue EL light!

    This is a really good watch but it is on a smaller side. I can just barely pull this off. I will include a picture to compare it to my regular wear. But you have to remember, the rest of the world has smaller, shorter people... this would fit a woman or boy's wrists better. It's still very wearable, but if you don't like it - just give it to someone else. It has a beautiful Electroluminicent backlight (a la Indiglo)....very classic. A man can wear it... but cannot be rough around it... maybe have it be covered up most of the time by a sleeve. Plenty of holes... but if you have thick wrists...

    T
    The Slow Kenyan
    Verified purchaseOctober 8, 2023
    A fantastic cheap, digital watch.

    I love the look of this watch, the face has the time, the day of the week, and 'day' portion of the date.There's a stopwatch and alarm, though I've never used either for anything other than a test, so I can only say they work but not how well.The backlight is great on this watch, better than the other cheap Casio (91? Something like that) where the backlight is a visible bulb in the corner than only lights up 2/3 of the face. This is a whole backlight, a bright blue that's only on as long as you press the button and makes everything very visible.You can easily adjust the time/date on this and

    Customer reviews are shown as published on Amazon and are not written by Do Best Deal.