Casio A130 versus AE1200WHD: Similar styles and modules but Casio Royale wins on value

The all-new Casio A130 series offers a retro-futuristic and metallic style, with an LCD screen featuring numeric and analog-style time displays. The A130 starts at $69.95 for the silver A130WE-1A (silver and black) or A130WE-7A (all silver) and tops out at $89.95 for the gold A130WEG-9A or gunmetal A130WEGG-1A.

The A130 is a spiritual revival of the Casio AE-200 “Twin-Graph” from 1985. It adds a more retro styling than 2023’s full resin LF-20W, which had a more minimalist look and was a revival of 1989’s resin AE-20. The A130 has a stainless steel band, but the metallic-style case is chrome-plated resin, unlike pricier full stainless steel Casio digital watches such as the A1000 and A1100. Like some other Casio Vintage series, the A130 is proportionally more expensive than other Casio watches in relation to their overall features.

Two previous metal-banded Casio watches offer a similar style (with digital hands) and the same plus more features than the A130. The AE1200WHD-1A (black bezel) and AE1200WHD7AV (gray bezel) are $42.95 each (nearly 30% less than A130) and offer the same functions as the A130 module, but also have 100-meter water resistance (suitable for swimming and skin diving) and an approximate 10-year battery (with CR2025), while the A130 has basic water resistance against splashes and an approximate 3-year battery life (with CR1616). A modern classic and worldwide favorite, the AE-1200 was first released in 2010 and earned the nickname “Casio Royale,” due to its slight similarity to the Seiko G757 watch seen in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. As an older series, AE1200 models can often be found with large discounts.

Before we get into the shared functions of their modules, there are a few reasons why one might choose the A130 over the AE1200WHD. The A130 is a significantly smaller and thinner watch (40.5 x 33.9 x 9 mm, 54 grams) that is suitable for thinner wrists and unisex use, with the lower end of the band size fitting 5.9 inches. The AE1200WHD (45 x 42.1 x 12.5 mm, 91 grams) is larger and heavier, wearing more like the size of a G-Shock DW-5600. (There is no sizing spec for the AE1200WHD’s metal band.) While they share the same functions, the displays are different, and the A130 has a graphical second indicator instead of the world map graph on the AE1200, which may be preferable in timekeeping, stopwatch, and timer modes. The overall style of the A130 appears to be more refined, while the AE1200WHD has a more rugged look with its large resin bezel.

The A130 offers a smaller and lighter profile.

View Casio A130W at casio.com/us

The functions shared by both the A130 and AE1200 include the following:
World Time with 4 City Multi-Time, 1/100-second Stopwatch (24 hours with elapsed time, split times, 1st and 2nd place times), Countdown Timer (1/10-second increments, setting range from 1 second to 24 hours), 5 Daily or One-Time Alarms, Hourly Time Signal, LED backlight (1.5 or 3 second duration, amber color), Full Auto-Calendar, Button operation sound on/off, 12/24-Hour Format

Both watches have a lot to offer, especially for those who travel a lot or want to keep track of multiple cities, but the AE1200WHD is the better value when it comes to overall features and price.

Casio AE1200WHD-1A

AE1200WHD-1A at casio.com/us

AE1200WHD-1A at Amazon.com (affiliate link, we may earn a commission)

Casio AE1200WHD7AV

AE1200WHD7AV at casio.com/us

AE1200WHD7AV at Amazon.com (affiliate link)