eview We compare 2 bestsellers from the Casio Pro Trek range of watches— the PRG 80 and the PRG 240. These watches have been quite popular with travellers, explorers and adventurers form a part of the arsenal of many a <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> rider. The Pro Trek PRG 80 since its release back in 2005 has been one of the very best field watches ever made. This watch however had an Achilles’ heel as the chronograph & CDT were weak and it also had unsteady thermal compensation (barometer & altimeter) besides few other glitches that needed to be done away with. Enter the challenger in 2010; the new PRG 240 The first and foremost impression the PRG 240 gives you is the relative lack of weight, this watch by no means tries to hide its size, however the watch is surprisingly lightweight, compared to the PRG 80.The primary time display is typical Pro Trek with large clear digits, though a bit smaller than the PRG 80. Clarity of the PRG 240’s display is near perfect given the nature of the duplex LCD, noticeably sharper than the PRG 80. The contrast level is also very good, however the PRG 240’s display is more neutral (grey) versus the PRG 80’s ‘greener’ LCD which just seems allow the digits to pop a little more. The PRG 80 can display day or date, while the newer sibling can either display barometric trend, day or year day and month throughout. The PRG 240 may seem a little more complex to set up than the PRG 80 owing to the broader feature set, and it can also be set to mute which will be important to some. In the PRG 80 you have to live with the ever present “beep” on each push of a button. World-time on both watches works well, the PRG 240 brings more city locations and displays UTC as opposed to the older PRG 80’s GMT and employs the duplex display to indicate current time in the same 24 hour format. The Chronograph is a full 24 hours, Pro Trek PRG 80 ★ ★ ★ compared to the PRG 80’s limited 9 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, same with CDT the PRG 240 offers 24 hours, which can be set right to the minute while with the PRG 80 the countdown is only from 60 minutes, however it can be set to repeat which is a very useful feature in its self. Alarms are pretty much the same (5 alarms & hourly signal), with the PRG 240 being visually easier to set thanks again to the use of the dot matrix display to indicate on/off. As for Alarm volume very few watches beat the PRG 80 on volume, and the PRG 240 is softer and less audible than its older sibling. In terms of aesthetics, build quality & comfort; the PRG 80 is best described as huge, a behemoth of a watch but the PRG 240 is not far behind, although it does wear much smaller. The PRG 240’s build quality is as with all Pro Trek’s at the very top of Casio’s production, the colour of the watch is a little less interesting to the eye in comparison to the PRG 80’s which under close inspection has a metallic feel with impregnation of an almost “metalflake” material in the resin case. The buttons on the 240 are positive and do not require effort to use while the 80, well it`s bruiser in all respects and on a cold day in winter the buttons can be stiff to use on a new watch. Casio’s implementation of barometers & altimeters is very different from the majority of the industry. The PRG 240 offers variable logging rates which is a bonus for those ascending or descending rapidly, while the PRG 80 offers an altitude alarm which once preset, sounds once you exceed a predetermined altitude. Barometer so far it has proved to be very accurate straight out the box, no calibration required, as with all Pro trek`s absolute/relative air pressure is displayed, no Mean Sea Level conversion. The PRG 240’s trend graph is again small and lacks resolution, compared to the PRG 80, with its trend graph being three times larger. The PRG 240 uses the duplex LCD as an air pressure differential indicator, combined with the far longer display period. Any rapid change in weather will easily be ★ ★ ★ ★ Pro Trek PRG 240 seen, by the graph (which can be displayed in primary time) and most importantly the clearer differential indicator will show rapidly deceasing air pressure. The PRG 80 can do the same but one needs to continuously select the barometer, to get a reading, which in reality is not as practical if both hands are occupied. Compass performs as well as any other ABC available the duplex display on the PRG 240 has a higher contrast ratio compared to the PRG 80. The PRG 240 adds an electronic bearing lock, which is a great addition as new Pro trek`s only display`s the bearing measurement for around 20 seconds, then blanks the display. The Older PRG 80 lacks the bearing lock, and will freeze and display the last bearing for a couple of minutes or so. Both watches are easy to use and live with, the addition of Sunrise/Sunset on the PRG 240 give the watch seven timing displays and three ABC displays not counting any of the setting displays. The PRG 80 has fewer features and subsequently requires less button pushing. Both watches have auto return to primary time and depending on the function the return time varies. The PRG 240 shows the current time in all display screens barring the logging feature, the 80 is similar, with the logging & barometer not displaying current time. The PRG 240 no doubt is Casio`s new definitive field watch, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Casio`s implementation of the barometer & altimeter is unique. The PRG 80 is a little like “Technicolor” offering a warmth and depth of colour a little lost in our new digital age, and something not to be missed. Rating: PRG 80 3.5 out of 5 and PRG 240 4.5 out of 5. — Santhosh Vijay Kumar 32
showcase <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> Merchandise Flaunt your affiliation towards the legendary marque by donning the official merchandise and casual wear from <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong>. The following collectibles and merchandise for <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> aficionados shall be launched in the coming months. Some of these shall be unveiled at the <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong> Rider Mania <strong>2011</strong> and some shall make their way into dealerships and showrooms over next few weeks. This initial line up is just the beginning and there shall be much more coming from the house of <strong>Royal</strong> <strong>Enfield</strong>. 33
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