If you own a wrist watch and you are able to read the time on your watch even when you are in a dark room, you have either the Casio Illuminator or Timex Indiglo technology to thank for. The two are the world's most widely used backlight technology to light up the LED display watches found today. It is a question that I have been asked many times and it is a question that every watch consumer would want to find out about. Here is my take on how the Casio illuminator compares to Timex Indiglo.



If you are a serious watch fan, you are more likely to be inclined as a fan Casio rather than Timex. Despite Timex being an older brand than Casio, it is Casio's flagship collections such as the Casio pathfinder, G-Shock, Baby-G and Edifice that have captivated the world's watch enthusiasts. If you are asked to name the world's toughest wrist watch, what would your answer be? It is a no brainer question and you'll be answer with full confidence that it is none other than Casio G-Shock (for men) and Casio Baby-G (for ladies).



Now going back to the question of supremacy between Casio illuminator and Timex Indiglo, the impression that I'm getting - by gauging from the forums and reading publicly available materials - is there is a stereotype that Casio illuminator is the pioneer of the electroluminescent LCD backlight technology widely used today. This is despite clear facts pointing to 1992 as Timex's Indiglo first release of such technology. It was only three years later (in 1995) that Casio introduced the backlight technology into its watches.



Based on the dates alone, it is clear who, between the Casio Illuminator and Timex Indiglo, is the pioneer in this arena. The next question would be which of the two is superior than the other? The world is so rapidly changing and change is the only guaranteed constant. A technology pioneer is not always the best technology maker. A product made by industry pioneer is not always the ultimate killer product. This we have seen it in many examples. Look at Microsoft. They are not the pioneer in PC operating system, but Microsoft Windows is the most widely used operating system in the world. Look at Apple. They are not the pioneer in touch-based mobile devices. Touch screen technology has been around for decades. It was only after Apple introduced the iPhone that touch-screen phones and computing devices become the new norm.



Let's not divert too much away from our discussion here. It is still the same question. Which of the two LCD backlight technologies is better? Does it really make a difference at all? Or is the LCD backlight technology so matured that it matters not which of the two is being used?



Personally, I own a Casio Baby-G watch but not a Timex watch. My Baby-G watch has been faithfully serving me for more than half a decade and it is always my pick when I need to set out for more harsh outdoor adventure. I have brought it on a few camping trips and the casio illuminator backlight has never failed to serve me when I need it most. I accidentally brought it down for my diving trip. When I realized that I was underwater with my watch on, I just tried to see how the backlight worked. It served its purpose well and I have no complain about it so far.



But I'm not saying that one is necessarily better than the other. I'm just speaking of my experience. What about you? Do you own a Casio or Timex watch? Do you think Casio illuminator is superior than Timex Indiglo?