Unlike most watches, the Casio CA-500WEBF arrives with a rare kind of purpose. This limited-edition calculator watch commemorates the 40th anniversary of audiences first watching Marty McFly scramble through Hill Valley. Casio built this tribute around the film’s most iconic imagery, striking a balance between nostalgia and subtlety.
In 1985, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg released Back to the Future through Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, launching a cultural phenomenon that transcended typical blockbuster status. The film featured Michael J. Fox wearing a CA-53W calculator watch, establishing an unexpected connection between Casio’s digital watches and the science fiction classic that persists today. The CA-500WEBF builds on this foundation by combining the calculator functionality that defined Casio’s 1980s lineup with visual elements pulled directly from Doc Brown’s DeLorean time machine.
Casio designed the dial to resemble the DeLorean’s red taillights and the famous “OUTATIME” license plate that appeared throughout the trilogy. The multicolored buttons surrounding the digital display reference the time circuits that Doc Brown used to program destination dates, bringing the film’s fictional technology to life on the watch face. These details transform what could have been a simple logo collaboration into something more specific and considered to the source material.
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The caseback features an engraving of the flux capacitor, the component that enabled time travel in the DeLorean, according to the film. The band buckle displays the Back to the Future logo in a subtle placement that avoids overwhelming the watch’s vintage aesthetic. Casio kept the silvery stainless steel case and bracelet of the standard CA-500, maintaining a refined appearance that extends beyond movie theaters and collector circles.
The CA-500WEBF features an eight-digit calculator built into the digital display, maintaining the functionality that has made the CA-500 a bestseller since the 1980s. The watch includes a 1/100-second chronograph with a 24-hour capacity and a countdown timer that operates in one-minute increments up to 24 hours. Super Illuminator backlighting ensures readability in low-light conditions. The automatic calendar and dual time zone display add practical utility.
According to ISO 22810 standards, the watch is water resistant up to 20 bar, suitable for swimming and water sports. The 34.4-mm-wide, 43.2-mm-tall, 8.2-mm-thick stainless steel case creates a compact profile that fits smaller wrists without sacrificing legibility. Battery life extends to approximately five years under normal use.
Casio packaged the CA-500WEBF in a box designed to resemble a vintage VHS tape, evoking the home video format that dominated the 1980s and early 1990s. The packaging incorporates scenes from the film, giving the watch collector appeal. This attention to presentation elevates the CA-500WEBF from a standard collaboration to a complete homage that considers the era of the film and its lasting influence.
Back to the Future achieved immediate commercial success upon release, earning $381.1 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of 1985. In 2007, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, recognizing its cultural significance. The trilogy spawned video games, theme park attractions, an animated series, and a stage musical, further solidifying its place in American popular culture.
Casio’s calculator watches gained prominence during the same period, representing accessible technology that made computational power more widely available. The CA-500WEBF connects these parallel stories, offering a tangible link to horological history and cinematic legacy.
The watch retails for €119 on Casio’s official website and at G-SHOCK boutiques in Paris and Lyon, as well as through select authorized dealers. This pricing makes the CA-500WEBF affordable for both watch enthusiasts and film fans who might not usually buy timepieces. Its limited-edition status suggests relatively short availability, though Casio has not specified production numbers.
