The MTD-130D-1A3V is a cheap-but-classy field watch from Casio that arrived last year in 2024 and caught a little bit of attention because of similarities to Seiko’s Alpinist range. And it’s probably the watch that we can most credit with getting us back into watches generally. That’s because at the time our search criteria was ‘watch with a compass bezel’ (fun fact: this reviewer has a slight mental block that makes me confuse East and West which isn’t great considering my day job is in construction). Anyway, this watch popped up on a YouTube search and was an immediate must-buy thanks to that compass functionality and it’s deep, gorgeous green colour scheme.
The only issue at the time was that despite the video saying these were available for £70 in the UK which turned out to be absolute bollocks. The UK Casio site doesn’t have them listed and eBay was showing them for around £170 (although that’s dropped a bit now). In the end we picked it up from a Singapore-based retailer called Creation Watches. £61 but with no original box or papers.
And when it arrived we were immediately entranced, this watch is a bit of a looker while being quirky enough to be interesting. The untextured black dial and the barely-raised baton indices are the weak point, design-wise, as well as the flat, printed text which just shows the Casio logo, some slightly pointless text that says “Water Resist 100M” and in tiny text around the six o’clock marker are the words ‘Japan Mov’t.’
But when you get past that, things improve somewhat. The arrow hands give you that Alpinist-style legibility and the inner-rotating compass bezel mixes white text (albeit it with an orange ‘N’ for North) and two tones of deep green for the background. The section from 12-3 (or North to East if you will) is a darker, matte green while everything else (3-12) is in a shiny, glossy lighter green.
The only other dial feature is the day/date complication. For us, date complications are the most important for us but getting a day in there too just makes this watch super-practical, taking it over the top in terms of it just being a really useful tool watch. A few commenters have complained about the four o’clock positioning for it but we’re into it. Sure, it blows up any chance of symmetry on the dial but that four o’clock position means that when you raise your watch to look at it, the day/date is level. Function over form? Maybe. But we like the look. It’s never bothered us and we don’t think it’d be improved by being at 3, 6 or 12 o’clock.
One thing that will put of a few prospective buyers is the case size. This is a big and bold 44mm. Eesh. On my 6.25 inch wrist, that should be like I’m a toddler trying on my dad’s watch. But it works here because of the watch’s very stubby little lugs. The lug-to-lug is 48mm which makes it wear a lot smaller than you’d expect. Sure, wrist shot photos will make this look like a plate but in real life it’s more demure than it looks. And it’s a skinny little thing with a depth of 10.1mm.
This is a cheap watch but there are only a couple of giveaways. The case is polished stainless steel but does look a little plastic-y because there’s no contrasting textures on there. And the dial is covered by a “mineral crystal” which suggests that it’ll have the scratch-resistance of a flea-addled beagle but so far we’ve not picked up any blemishes on it. Another negative is the lume which is best is pretty lacking, certainly being the dimmest watch in our collection.
Casio are a little cagey about the movement, so we can’t identify any make/model for it. It’s a simple quartz one though with a reported battery life expectancy of three years. It’s a simple, no-fuss affair with no real issues and you set it with the bottom crown (at the four o’clock position). This isn’t a screw-down crown but it does pull out with position one controlling date (when turning anti-clockwise) and day (which offers up either English or Spanish days, adjusted by turning clockwise). Position two sets the time as you’d expect.
The other crown is at two o’clock and that just rotates that inner compass bezel. If you’ve never used one, the idea is to point 12 o’clock at the sun and then South is the midpoint between that and the hour hand. And then you rotate the bezel so that South faces there. And for that brief moment in time you know where all your directions are. Okay, it’s something you’ll never use but if you’re lost and there’s no phone reception, it might help you avoid any Blair Witch scenarios.
The watch comes on a heavy Casio bracelet which, like most Casio bracelets, requires their proprietary tool to resize. Our watch didn’t come with one of those and so we removed it (no quick-release on there either, boo!) and replaced it with a green leather strap which definitely gave it an upmarket look (and got the watch plenty of compliments) but it was a bit skinny and made it look a bit lady-like (perfect for the ladies then, not so good for a 50 year old bloke). We eventually settled on an FKM rubber strap which is a perfect colour match for that matt green quarter of the bezel and is exceptionally comfortable. We picked it up on eBay if you’re interested.
That said, the watch clearly works well with a variety of straps. The bracelet gave it a serious look, the green leather made it a little dressy and the FKM makes it smart but practical. It’d work on brown leather and you might even get away with orange, to match that orange accent on the N of the bezel.
On Casio forums, subreddits and Facebook groups, any photos of this watch that we’ve posted have always had positive comments. People love the colour and are mostly intrigued to know the model number and where you can get it. A few people are unsure about that day/date placement but generally that’s a small minority. So, if you’re a big Casio fan and want something a bit different to the usual G-Shocks, F-19Ws, Duros and Edifices, this should make an interesting, and honestly quite striking, addition to the collection.
The ‘Ten Watch Box’ Verdict: So, will it hold down a place in our ten watch display case? This is the cheapest watch in our collection but pound for pound it gives a lot joy. It’s easy to overlook when picking a watch in the morning but once it’s on the wrist, we can’t help but enjoy it. It’s just so very green, which we’ve emphasised with the strap. And the compass bezel adds a lot of visual interest. And we’re just massive fans of the day/date complication. So yes, this isn’t going anywhere unless we end up damaging it too much.
JUST THE FACTS
Availability/Options: Getting your hands on one of these isn’t as straightforward as it should be. The UK Casio site has no mention of it and their International site doesn’t have it available to buy. We bought ours at Creation Watches, and for a great price, but they’re out of stock (although you can get the blue version there, it’s not as cool but it’s only £52 which is just daft). Amazon has it for £110 but that’s a bit of a con if you ask us. eBay is priced even higher but there are probably deals to be done with anyone who considers offers. Don’t get ripped off though. This is a nice watch with an interesting look but it’s a budget watch so pay a budget price.
Brand: Casio
Model: MTD-130D-1A3V
Reference: as above
Style: Field
Case Size: 44mm
Movement: Quartz (unnamed)
Material: Stainless Steel
Band Width: 22mm
Band Type: Bracelet
Price Paid: £61 (unboxed but with tags)