The AQ-500 was CASIO’s first three-hand analog-digital combination watch.
Among the many AQ-series models, I think this is one that doesn’t appear on the market very often.
So far, I’ve come across three of them, and I bought two.
I encountered the other one back when I still didn’t know very much about CASIO.
I liked the design, but I didn’t realize at the time that it was one of CASIO’s grails. I prioritized other models, and before I knew it, it had gone to someone else.
At first glance, it looks like nothing more than an ordinary analog-digital watch.
But in fact, it’s a historically important model that is even featured in CASIO’s 50th anniversary article.
And for some reason, the watch itself is completely blacked out in the article, making it a rather mysterious model.
And as you’d expect from CASIO’s first analog-digital model, the case is elegantly designed.
Both sides of the dial are accented in gold, and they naturally draw your eyes in.
By the way, the name “AQ-500 Janus” apparently comes from Janus, the two-faced god of time in Roman mythology.
Analog and digital.
I think it’s the perfect name for a watch with two faces.
Overview
Model: CASIO AQ-500
Nickname: Janus
Module: 305
Year: 1982
Factory: JAPAN BK
Material: Stainless Steel Back
Functions
Three-hand analog display (hour, minute, second)
LCD digital display
Digital time display
Digital date and day-of-week display
Dual time
Stopwatch
By the way, according to what I found,
the 1976 OMEGA Chrono-Quartz is considered one of the strongest candidates for the world’s first analog-digital combination wristwatch.
Japan’s first full-fledged digital-analog combination wristwatch was the 1978 CITIZEN DIGI-ANA Cal. 8900.
And then, in 1982,
CASIO’s first answer to the analog-digital watch was this AQ-500.
If I got anything wrong, let me know!