Well no, I have not bought this watch. ;-) I did however looked at one in person. Here are my thoughts on this new Protrek model.
The PRW3510Y-1 is released in U.S. As you can see it's already hit the stores! The price is not ideal at this point, but I predict it will drop in the near future. I'm in no hurry of getting this model, though the overall black color with blue accent do interest me a bit. ;-)
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First note, on the mysterious "Y" code for Protreks, this one does not mean a carbon fiber strap, but rather a Silicone Strap! That's the first in Protrek, AFAIK. It did surprise me too, as I held it in my hand and felt the strap. It's very very soft! The softest in any Casio stock strap I've ever sampled. The wings underneath the strap also felt softer, may be also made with silicone material. Good thing, bad thing. It did immediately concerned me that this strap may not be as durable as the usual resin strap. Especially consider how thick and substantial the resin strap is for the original PRW3500. There's one there sitting right next to the 3510 as you can see above. However, after putting it on my wrist, it felt very comfortable, more comfortable than the resin one. Hopefully this strap is just as durable, which is yet need to see from users experience.
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Second note, the STN display on a positive model like this one, is really not that much of a significant improvement. Yes, I could see the numbers in an acute angle, but the display would appear "cloudy" at such angle. Not sure if it's due to the blue tint on the display for this model. It is still better than the regular LCD, which you will see all the display segments and harder to make out what's on the display. Probably on a negative display, it's more important to have STN.
Third note, the bezel appeared to be painted, so not sure how long that paint will last before revealing the stainless steel underneath. The rotation on this particular one was smooth, not too tight and not too loose. However, in a 3500 thread in digital forum here, it was evident that the bezel quality could vary.
The rest of the functions are identical to the 3500. So if you have a 3500, or 3000/3100, you already know it. I don't think there's sapphire on this one, just regular mineral glass. The verdict: not a major improvement for this model, and need to see how the silicone strap performs in reality.
The PRW3510Y-1 is released in U.S. As you can see it's already hit the stores! The price is not ideal at this point, but I predict it will drop in the near future. I'm in no hurry of getting this model, though the overall black color with blue accent do interest me a bit. ;-)
First note, on the mysterious "Y" code for Protreks, this one does not mean a carbon fiber strap, but rather a Silicone Strap! That's the first in Protrek, AFAIK. It did surprise me too, as I held it in my hand and felt the strap. It's very very soft! The softest in any Casio stock strap I've ever sampled. The wings underneath the strap also felt softer, may be also made with silicone material. Good thing, bad thing. It did immediately concerned me that this strap may not be as durable as the usual resin strap. Especially consider how thick and substantial the resin strap is for the original PRW3500. There's one there sitting right next to the 3510 as you can see above. However, after putting it on my wrist, it felt very comfortable, more comfortable than the resin one. Hopefully this strap is just as durable, which is yet need to see from users experience.
Second note, the STN display on a positive model like this one, is really not that much of a significant improvement. Yes, I could see the numbers in an acute angle, but the display would appear "cloudy" at such angle. Not sure if it's due to the blue tint on the display for this model. It is still better than the regular LCD, which you will see all the display segments and harder to make out what's on the display. Probably on a negative display, it's more important to have STN.
Third note, the bezel appeared to be painted, so not sure how long that paint will last before revealing the stainless steel underneath. The rotation on this particular one was smooth, not too tight and not too loose. However, in a 3500 thread in digital forum here, it was evident that the bezel quality could vary.
The rest of the functions are identical to the 3500. So if you have a 3500, or 3000/3100, you already know it. I don't think there's sapphire on this one, just regular mineral glass. The verdict: not a major improvement for this model, and need to see how the silicone strap performs in reality.