[vlachen]

I wore a G-Shock Wavecepter while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. I recall that on both of my shipboard deployments (2004 and 2006) I was very excited to have my watch set time automatically. It indicated that I was finally nearing the U.S. East Coast. It helped to be an aircraft mechanic on night crew, as I was usually on the flight deck when it tried to set time.

[strangattractor]

Have solar atomic version. Don't wear it much these days. Mostly when I travel. Been on my dresser 2 years collecting dust but gets some sun. Picked it up the other day for a camping trip. It was both charged and had the correct date and time.

[vlachen]

My battery has given up the ghost, and it's probably in a box of stuff around here. At the time, putting a new rechargable in it was impossible. I wonder if that's changed now... Edit: Neglected to mention mine was also solar

[int_19h]

There are anecdotal reports of solar Casios going 20+ years on that battery. Which makes sense given that its capacity should just gradually reduce over time - and when you start with full capacity that can drive the watch for over a year (assuming no backlight etc), even if it drops to half that, it's still very much usable.

[strangattractor]

Maybe keeping it charged is key. I have had mine for almost 10 years.

[vlachen]

Mine stopped holding a charge somewhere around the time you got yours. I recall picking it up at the PX in the summer of 2003...

However, I will dig it out and see if it can be resurrected.

[jansan]

The newer ones go into sleep mode until they sense some movement. Each morning when I pick up my GW-M5610U-1 (of course with the titanium mod), the display is blank and then fills with data within a second or so. I really like the feeling that although I hopefully have a few more decades to live, this watch may be my trusted companion for the rest of my life.

[bestham]

It’s not movement but light hitting the solar cell that activates it.

[deltarholamda]

>It indicated that I was finally nearing the U.S. East Coast.

There is a plot device for a Tom Clancy novel in this little factoid.