Casio AB-500 Data Bank Watch (Module 386)

 Casio AB-500G Date Bank Watch (Module 386) 

23/1/2024

Hello fellow Casio enthusiasts from around the world, I hope you are well.

If you have read the post I wrote about watches that I am always searching for, you may know I have had the Casio AB-500 data bank on my want list for many years. There are some examples still around and for sale. However, they are normally very expensive and in very poor condition as you could image a 30 years plus Casio watch would be. Therefore an AB-500 in excellent condition will command a price tag of around £500. Is it worth that kind of money, well, it may be worth that to an avid collector and I have witnessed such purchases. However, I could never ever justify spending that much money on any watch. 

Anyway, as I was saying I am always looking for rare Casio watches, with the AB-500 near the top of the list. Well, 2 days ago I found one that I could justify spending the money on, but it is in need of a lot of TLC. In this case, I can take a chance on buying the watch because of it's condition , cheap price and it seems fully functional as is it advertised. 

The watch should be delivered tomorrow (24/1/24) and then I can start an inspection, test and maybe a clean.

 A picture of the AB-500 I am hoping to receive tomorrow. 

Until I receive the watch, that is far as I can go but please stay tuned for further updates.

Wish me luck and Take care guys.

23/1/24

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Welcome back fellow Casio enthusiasts, I hope you are all well.

Well today the watch arrived which is a good thing however, the LCD display was very faint and it scared me. The thing is, over time, the displays do fade and this watch is more than 30 years old. I was obviously aware that this could be the case here even before I bought it. I simply took a gamble as nearly all watches from this era are, a gamble and may have faults. 

The picture above shows the actual watch, and yes, that is the price I paid for it. From this angle, the display looks nice and clear but it is actually difficult to see.

The watch itself is in a very dirty condition as I expect of a watch this age. The case and strap are also suffering from scratches and discolouration. Again this was something I was aware of and expecting.

A view of the left side of the watch, showing more discolouration and dirt.

A view of the right hand side of the watch. Notice the built up dirt around the function buttons (red arrows). This dirt will prove to be a future problem that I will explain later in this post.

The red arrow is indicating a stain or mark on the case, that seems like dried super glue. I doubt that can be removed.

After a good inspection of the watch, I was interested to see what kind of battery the watch requires as there is limited information on this watch I can find and does not advise a battery type to use so lets open the watch up.

After turning the watch over, I was horrified to find that the rear case has been replaced upside down. This indicates, someone without experience or care has opened this watch up previously and put the back on the wrong way. Upon this discovery, I am expecting parts missing and or damaged. Anyway, on with the battery replacement.

If you have read any of my previous battery replacement posts, you will be aware, I always remove the strap before opening the watch. This makes it a little easier to handle the watch. In this instance, the strap has to be removed anyway as the removal lugs are located behind the watch strap. With the strap removed, it's time to open up the watch case and find some horrors.

When I removed the watch back, I was gladly surprised the watch had the full list of components in place, even a case seal. Happy days.

With the insulating plastic removed, I could see that an AG7 type battery was installed, but it looked twisted in the battery holder. The battery was also difficult to remove and realised, this was not the correct battery for the watch. It was slightly too wide across circumference and too thick in depth. At this point I remembered that I had replaced the battery in my AB-200 and I had a spare cell. So I quickly found the spare battery and installed it into the watch. The battery glided in with no effort and was also sat lower into the watch.

I used a Renata 371 battery and as you can see from the picture above, fits perfectly into the battery compartment. 

After installing the new battery, the plastic insulator and the rubber seal, I noticed a crush mark on the seal, but there is nothing I can do about that at this moment. I quickly replaced the back and checked to see if the watch was working and is was. The LCD display was now nice and clear and the hands were also keeping time. However, this is were the problems with the dirt surrounding the buttons unveiled itself. The problem was, the dirt was actual inside the hole where the button was and was preventing the button for moving either in or out. At this point I was very, very nervous as I was going to have to remove the module from the watch and clean the case out. I was not looking forward to this as I have had instances where the watch hands have dropped off and impossible for me to refit. I was also worried the buttons had been glued into position. With my worries at the forefront of my mind, I stripped the watch and carefully removed the module. 

I made a cleaning solution from simply soap and water and with the module removed, I filled up the case with the solution. The purple arrow is pointing to more dirt that I will remove.

I left the solution for 15 minutes to let it soak into the button holes. I then dried it out and moved the buttons in and out to free up the movement. After repeating this process another four times, the buttons became free to move in and out with little effort. I then completely dried out the case and removed the dirt and and imprints on the inner glass. I then carefully replaced the module, the battery cover, the rubber seal, the back cover (the correct way up) and then the strap. I then tested the buttons and operation and they worked perfect. I could now set the time, give it a light polish and look at the results of the my many hours of work.

I am very happy the way it's turned out. It looks very presentable now after a deep clean and a light polish. There are still many imperfections with the watch but at least this watch is now fully operational and the imperfections can be treated in time with maybe a better case and strap if I can find them. It may not be the best example, but I love it. I doubted I would ever find an AB-500 I could afford, but I have one now. Happy days!!

To be honest, it has come out a lot better than I imagined. Yes there are some marks and scratches, but it's a 30 plus year old Casio watch that has been well used over it lifetime. I'm actually very impressed it's still functioning.

The green arrow indicates the clean and fully operational buttons. I am so happy with this watch as I didn't think I would ever own one as good as this, nor the price I paid for it.

My full spend on this watch is as follows:-

The watch was £9.99.

Delivery £5.99

New Battery £2.50

A total of £18.48.

I will, at a later date, create another post on this watch, going through the functions and how to set/use them as there are no instructions available for this watch that I can find. These instructions will be useful to other AB-500 owners and enthusiasts.

Until then my friends, please take care.

casiotribe.com 2024

24/1/24