Possibly the most underrated watch Casio makes
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ·
Ask an Osaka salaryman of a certain age about Oceanus and he will probably mention the Manta line, because it was built for exactly his life: thin, titanium, radio controlled, and quietly expensive looking without saying so. Casio assembles its premium lines at the Yamagata factory, and this is one place where you can feel it.
The numbers are what make it special. A 42.6 mm titanium case that is only 9.5 mm thick, with a full chronograph, world time, radio time sync and Bluetooth inside. That thickness is the headline. It slides under a dress shirt cuff without the little catch you get with most solar chronographs, and in the summer it does not feel heavy or hot.
A little background, because Oceanus is not well known outside Japan. Casio started the line in 2004 with a simple idea: solar power and radio control in a metal analogue watch for business people, at a time when Casio was associated almost entirely with digital displays and G-Shock. The Manta became the slim, refined branch of the family. Over the years it has collected Bluetooth, so it can sync with a phone when you travel outside the reach of the radio transmitters, and the case has stayed stubbornly thin. I respect that discipline. Many brands add features and let the watch grow. Casio added features and made the movement fit.
Observations on daily use, as I imagine it. The radio sync happens at night, so you never see it, and the time is correct every morning. Solar charging means office lighting is enough. None of it requires maintenance beyond a wipe with a cloth after a sweaty August walk from the station.
Now the less happy part. Casio's dial design on the Manta is busy, and the blue and black versions can look a little corporate. The 21 mm lug width is a slight inconvenience if you ever want a strap, though on the titanium bracelet I doubt you would. And 1,300 to 1,700 dollars is a lot of money for a Casio, at least in the eyes of people who do not know what Oceanus is.
Still, as a daily watch for someone who travels a little, works in an office, and wants the correct time without thinking, I find it hard to name a better one. The Citizen equivalents are excellent too, but none is this thin with this much inside.
Not for people who want a mechanical movement to look at. There is nothing to look at here. That is rather the point.