Review: The Armitron Rogue - value in a steel case
If you’re into digital watches or even just cheap and fun watches, this is one you should try. I recently returned a gold Casio A168 because I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would and wow, the difference between that and this is night and day (and a cost savings in many cases).
From a functional standpoint, this Armitron has the same features as Casio’s F91/A158/A168 family but adds a 2nd time zone and the durability of steel vs plastic. The case is nicely finished for the price with a combination of brushed and polished surfaces (see pic below). The beep sound is different than Casio’s but slightly more charming to my ear and the pushers have a longer path of travel and feel more satisfying when you push them. The dial is more straight laced than some of Casio’s colorful options and depending on the day/your mood can be counted as either a plus or a minus. This Armitron also has 50 meters of water resistance vs Casio’s 30 meters.
On the negative side, my first impression upon opening the outer package was not good, as the initial cardboard box was smashed and the metal box housing the watch had a dent in it. When I first pulled the watch out it had a bit of a film over it in some places which I attributed to not being cleaned thoroughly after manufacturing. It does clean off easily though. The backlight is about the same as (possibly weaker than?) that of a F91/A158. And lastly, the off-axis legibility isn’t as good as Casio’s but it isn’t bad either (also shown above).
If I could change anything about the watch it would be the backlight and I’d also add a 3 or 5 link bracelet option. That said, I like this model as it is and I may buy it in another color someday down the road. If you’ve got room in your watch box for a fun digital then I’d recommend you give the Rogue a try.
Other colors: gold, silver, black, blue, and iridescent rainbow finishes.
Review: The Armitron Rogue - value in a steel case
Yes
No
- Steel case
- The case and bracelet finishes match
- Combination of brushed and polished surfaces
- Charming beep tone
- 2nd time zone
- Price ($48 in this case)
- Off axis legibility
- Backlight
- Packaging
Have their Griffy and Rubik (oddly not on their US website anymore). This would make the trilogy complete. No rush to get it, but I might in that blue color.
I got the email about that rainbow ionic plated edition last week, so I might have to plonk some cash down for one. From what I've seen online the Rogue is a spiritual reissue of what they had back in the late 70s. Really cool to see some of these quartz brands getting "back to basics" for some of their retro models.
I got the email about that rainbow ionic plated edition last week, so I might have to plonk some cash down for one. From what I've seen online the Rogue is a spiritual reissue of what they had back in the late 70s. Really cool to see some of these quartz brands getting "back to basics" for some of their retro models.
Yeah it’s neat to see. I especially like that the Armitron models are priced reasonably for steel cased digitals.