An unfamiliar model number has appeared on a retailer product page for Casio's outdoor watch line, PRO TREK. It is the PRJ-B001EX, and the interesting part is not the watch head but the strap, which flips over to become a coin pouch. Labels on the listing point to an August release, though Casio has not announced anything yet.
A Strap Built for People Who Leave Their Wallet in the Car
The strap is the headline here. Payments at a campsite tend to be small and cash-based, whether that means buying firewood, using a vending machine, or settling up at a local stall, and the wallet is often still sitting in the car. The PRJ-B001EX strap is described as having been designed around exactly that behavior.
Structurally it is reversible. Flip it over and it becomes a pocket for coins, while at the same time covering the crystal, so it doubles as face protection in places where the watch is likely to catch on brush or rock. Giving a watch strap a storage function is an unusual idea, and cutting one item out of the kit should suit hikers and solo campers who want to travel light.
The strap section can also be detached along with the watch and clipped to a carabiner, so it can hang from a pack harness or inside a tent. It is easiest to picture as a small pouch that appears the moment the watch comes off your wrist.
Everything Else Is Standard HIKER LINE Fare
Outside of the strap, the specification is a sensible PRJ-B001 series PRO TREK. The PRJ-B001 series sits in the HIKER LINE, the sensor-free part of the PRO TREK range built around smartphone connectivity and a more accessible price point.
It runs on Tough Solar, so there is no battery to replace. Pair it over Bluetooth and Casio's Time & Place location logging becomes available. A rotating guard bezel surrounds the buttons to prevent accidental presses, and the construction uses bio-based resin to reduce environmental impact.
The rest of the key specifications are as follows.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Model number | PRJ-B001EX |
| Display | Analog with a digital subdial |
| Illumination | Dual Super Illuminator (analog face and digital face) |
| Water resistance | 10 bar (100 meters) |
| Stopwatch | 1/100 second |
| Other functions | Countdown timer, 38-zone world time, 5 daily alarms |
| Dimensions | 50.3 x 46.0 x 13.6 mm |
| Weight | 51 grams |
| Accuracy | Plus or minus 15 seconds per month when not paired with a smartphone |
| Battery life | About 7 months in normal use, up to 18 months stored in the dark with power saving on |
At 51 grams, this is light for an outdoor watch that carries both analog hands and a digital display. Loading the strap with coins will naturally add weight, but the low starting figure should keep the penalty modest.
Price and Release Date Remain Unknown
Pricing is the missing piece. The retailer listing did not include a price, and Casio has not mentioned the model through its own channels. Even the August timing comes only from label text on that listing.
Whether it reaches Japan is equally unsettled. PRO TREK gets a steady stream of new domestic models, so the odds are not bad, but an overseas-only variant cannot be ruled out. Until official information appears, this is best treated as a picture assembled from an early retail listing.
Summary
The PRJ-B001EX keeps the Tough Solar charging and world time functions that define PRO TREK, then rebuilds the strap into a coin pouch, a face cover, and a hanging pouch all at once. It is aimed at a small but real problem: paying cash at a campsite. Price and an official announcement are the next things worth waiting for.
