Casio’s WSD-F10 is a rugged Android Wear smartwatch

The Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 will be available in April for $500. Among these are dedicated apps created to measure changes in the environment and track activity levels, the company explained. Interacting with Android Wear and certain apps will be a little different, as well as the capacitive touchscreen there are three buttons including the usual power button as well as TOOL and APP buttons.

The 1.32-inch 320 x 300 screen – yes, there’s a Moto 360-style “flat tire”, though it matches the Casio aesthetic a little more naturally than with Motorola’s attempt at traditional watch styling – is a dual-layer LCD with a monochrome mode that can extend battery life from over a day to over a month. The operating buttons are large and feature a slip-free finish so they can easily be operated with gloves on, and they are concentrated on the right side of the case.

Casio’s new Smart Outdoor Watch runs on Android Wear, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve. And while outdoor watches are a niche category, they’re a clearly defined one; they sell to people already willing to strap advanced devices to their wrists, and that’s a demographic that Casio is well placed to address as both a watchmaker and technology company. The wristband is made of soft urethane plastic. The ruggedized smartwatch can withstand being submerged in water up to 50 meters, and because it’s been tested to military standard MIL-STD-810, it can withstand shock, vibration, extreme temperatures, and more.

It’s water resistant up to 164 feet and has a pressure sensor, compass and accelerometer, as well as a range of built-in applications for outdoor activities. In addition to Casio’s software customizations, several fitness apps have been preloaded on the watch. Users can configure the app to automatically send the needed information based on previously set conditions such as speed, distance, time of sunrise, break timing, or when fish tend to be most active. Apps included will be ViewRanger, Runkeeper and MyRadar for weather. Real time updates showing rain and snow near user’s current location.

We’ve come a long way from calculator watches.