Casio's new Pro Trek (PRT-B50) is more Watch than SmartWatch

I like SmartWatches... I hadn't been wearing a watch in forever until a SmartWatch came along.

Well, over the years, the wearables industry has had some difficulty finding real traction.  It's been interesting to watch over the years.

To add to the hybrid area, Casio is launching a new Pro Trek PRT-B50 series watch that has Bluetooth connectivity to your phone and sensors for some activity tracking for you.


So you get the rugged feel of their Pro Trek watch without a lot of the 'smart' gadgetry.  There are sensors for altitude, step counting, temperature, etc... so that when paired with their app you can get a good picture of what your activity really looked like:

CASIO TO RELEASE PRO TREK WITH QUAD SENSOR AND SMARTPHONE LINK FUNCTIONS

Useful Data Measured by Sensor and Stored on App to Support Outdoor Activities 

MARKHAM, ON (Sept 19, 2019) – Casio Canada Ltd. is excited to announce the expansion of its PRO TREK line of outdoor watches with the PRT-B50 series. Consisting of three models, the PRT-B50 series is the first PRO TREK series offering Smartphone Link functionality via the Pro Trek Connected app and quad sensor technology.

“When it comes to staying connected and having gear that is built for toughness, outdoor enthusiasts turn to Casio," said Michael Powers, Vice President – Sales and Marketing for Casio Canada Ltd. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce the PRT-B50 series which provides adventurers with a versatile design that is both comfortable and stylish, as well as a comprehensive set of features built for wherever Mother Nature takes them."

Outfitted with a quad sensor, the PRT-B50 series has three sensors that detect compass bearing, barometric pressure/altitude, and temperature, plus an accelerometer for counting steps. Using Bluetooth®, the new models offer Smartphone Link functionality which enables the timepieces to connect to the PRO TREK Connected app and other outdoor specific features such as:

  • Route Log: The app automatically records altitude data from the watch and GPS data from the smartphone. Users can also manually acquire altitude data at any point and plot that point on the route. 
  • Calories burned: The app can display the calories burned as calculated based on step count and altitude data, saving it as an activity log. 
  • Location indicator: Users can operate the watch buttons to save their current location in the app. In this mode, the compass bearing of the saved location point is indicated by the second hand of the watch and the distance is indicated on the LCD. 
  • Customizable mode/display: Using the app, users can turn the watch modes on or off and change the sequence in which the modes appear on the display. This allows users to customize the display for their intended use - for instance, showing only certain functions or changing the sequence to show frequently used functions first. The default content on the LCD can also be customized.
  • Automatic altitude adjustment (four times per day): Altitude measurement values on the watch are automatically adjusted based on altitude data acquired from the smartphone GPS. 
  • Automatic time adjustment (four times per day):The watch connects to the app to automatically download global time updates such as time zone changes and Daylight Saving Time (DST) data by country. The time rules are stored on the watch to automatically adjust the time based on the latest data. 
  • Mobile phone finder: By operating the watch, users can trigger an audible alert on the mobile phone even if it is set to silent mode. This helps in locating the phone is misplaced. 

Additional features include world time (39 cities + UTC), water resistance up to 100 meters, a full auto LED light, 1/100th second stopwatch, countdown timer, full auto calendar and more.

The PRT-B50 series boasts a wide watch face that incorporates a large, rotating bezel and Arabic numeral indices. Ideal for the great outdoors, the new models are designed with a 3D textured urethane band and a strap keeper to keep the watch in place. Casioʼs PRO TREK PRT-B50-1 (Black), PRT-B50-2 (Blue) and PRT-B50-4 (Orange) will be available this Fall for $280 CDN at WATCH IT! and G-Shock.ca.

For additional information on Casioʼs PRO TREK collection of timepieces, please visit https://www.casioca.com/products/watches/pro-trek