Casio “Sub” & Evan Williams White Label
Today we look at what could be the greatest bang for your buck in their respective categories. Now, I know, when one first glances at this picture, they sigh and think it is another person taking an arsty pic of their Rolex Submariner and a bottle of Pappy to brag to all of their “friends” on social media, but I encourage you to look again. We take a look at the Casio “sub” and Evan Williams Bottled in Bond
The Watch
Casio “Sub”
One reason that Casio might be able to offer this watch at such a bargain is because their website description of the watch looks like it was done by someone in a 7th grade intro computer science class. Details are sparse to put it lightly. I had to do searching about the internet to find technical specs of the thing.
This watch bears a strong resemblance to a Rolex submariner, but has subtle differences that really make it unique. There is a really cool marlin on the face and a second hand that is painted red. There are also features at this price point that are hard to come by such as the screw down crown, case back and water resistance of 200 meters. To compare, a standard Luminox watch that retails for around $200 doesn’t even have a screw down crown or case back. This watch has a date window, and for perspective, upgrading from a standard Rolex Submariner, to one with a date will cost you a cool $1,000. And did I mention, that you can pick this thing up for less that $50 on a large internet retailer named after a long river in South America!
I have a buddy that interacts with a lot of high end clients that owns one of these. He gets comments all the time from folks about how edgy he is wearing his Rolex Submariner on a rubber strap. However, most of you haven’t met my buddy, but let me introduce you to another high roller who rocks one of these things……
Bill Gates
That’s right. Bill Gates, a man who is worth 99.5 billion, wears one of these watches. To put his wealth into perspective, I did some watch related math with his fortune.
He could buy 5,590 of Paul Newman’s actual Rolex Daytona, which sold for 17.8 million a few years back,
Or he could buy 1.99 billion of these Casio watches, which would be enough watches to give to every man, woman and child in China………and The United States…..and Australia
Even more options
Above, are pictured two other color options of this watch, which in this writer’s opinion, carry a strong resemblance to the Rolex Submariner’s more cost effective cousin, the Tudor Black Bay
Above, you can see the two Casio watches pictured next to the Tudor Black Bay 58(top) and Tudor Black Bay Blue (bottom). Look at the beautiful gild bezel and hands on that black one. Gorgeous. These are great options if you don’t have the dough, or don’t want to spend it on the Tudor. These two Casio watches only cost about $10 more than the standard Casio Sub, but really stand out.
Here are the specs and details of the 3 Casio watches. They are pretty much the same watch, except for the colors.
Case width 44mm
Band width 20mm
Screw down crown
Water-resistant to 200 M (660 feet)
Anti-Reverse Bezel
Quartz Movement
Stainless Steel case and Resin Band
Date window at 3 O’Clock
The only drawbacks to the watch for me, is that it is pretty large at 44mm, and the mineral crystal can scratch easily. Amazon sells nice protectors for the watch crystal, that are a lot like smartphone screen protectors. Purists will also point out that this a quartz, not automatic watch like the actual Rolex Sub, but for the price, most people won’t care.
The Whiskey
Evan Williams White Label-Bottled in Bond
Evan Williams Whiskey has been around for a long time. How long? Well, the cap of this bottle says 1783, and in case you are wondering, that is a long time ago. The distillery that Evan Built that year, is said to be the first commercial distillery in Kentucky, which would be the equivalent of being the first watch manufacturer in Switzerland.
The company offers many varieties of bourbon today, most noticeably is Evan Williams Black label, which is a fantastic bottle for the price-about $12 for an 86 proof 750ml bottle. The White Label-Bottled in Bond is about a dollar more, but for that dollar you get a 100 proof bottle, that can go toe to toe with bourbons costing triple the price. It is also bottled in bond, which means it has to be 100 proof, aged at least four years and produced at a single distillery within a single distilling season. These are pretty stringent standards for a bottle at this price point. For more on what Bottled in Bond means, check out this article. I LOVE this bourbon. For the price, you also don’t feel bad if one of your friends wants to mix it with Coke. It also makes a killer old fashioned!
According to Evan Williams, these are the specs of the Whiskey:
Proof: 100 Proof
Color: Bright Gold
Nose: Caramel with hints of vanilla, oak, and barley
Taste: Citrus on top of vanilla, and black pepper
Finish: Warm, long, and dry
Price-about $13 for a 750ml bottle, $21 for 1.75ml bottle
Below, you will see some more of Evan William’s offerings and Evan Williams plaque in Kentucky.
The connection
Casio headquarters and the Evan Williams distillery are not close to each other. In fact, they are 6558 miles apart. For this article, I wish could make some incredible connection, like Evan Williams was an exchange student in Tokyo, which is where Casio’s is based out of, but that would all be a lie. The connection here is all about value. For the money, you would be hard pressed to find better values in the watch and whiskey category. I know a lot of people would point out that the Seiko 007 is a great value dive watch for the money, but with rising prices and the discontinuation of the model, prices are now approaching $200. For that price, you could get all three color ways of the Casio watch and still have money left over to buy two 1.75liter bottles of Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.
Another great thing, is that both of these offerings are readily available. No long waitlists for a Rolex sport watch at your authorized dealer. No lottery drawings, years long waitlists and price gouging for a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. Evan Williams Bottled in Bond is widely available where I live, and the Casio watch can be bought at your friendly Wal-Mart jewelry counter. There were several other whisky’s that i was looking at for this pairing, such as Very Old Barton BiB, but it is not as readily available as the Evan Williams.
So, if you have an extra $65 laying around and need to scratch the watch and whiskey itch, pick up a Casio Sub and a bottle of Evan Williams White Label. You won’t be disappointed.
