When Wonder Woman 1984 hit screens in 2020, eagle-eyed watch spotters noticed something refreshingly anti-aspirational on Chris Pine's wrist: not a vintage Rolex or a Patek Philippe, but a Casio A168W-1 — a stainless steel digital watch that costs less than a cinema ticket in most cities. The prop department's choice was quietly brilliant, anchoring Steve Trevor's reborn 1980s everyman credibility with a timepiece anyone could actually own.
The Casio A168W-1 is part of the brand's long-running Vintage Digital line, a direct descendant of the calculator and digital watch boom that defined the decade the film is set in. The case measures 38.2mm wide and is constructed from stainless steel with a mirror-polished finish — unusually premium for its price bracket. Inside sits a standard Casio quartz module offering time, date, alarm, stopwatch, and an electroluminescent backlight. The bracelet is an integrated stainless steel mesh-style chain link, giving the watch a visual richness that punches well above its weight class.
Among collectors, the A168W occupies a peculiar but genuine position. It is not a grail watch, but it is a cult object — consistently cited in minimal-watch and everyday-carry communities for its near-perfect combination of legibility, durability, and retro styling. Its longevity in Casio's catalog is itself a form of endorsement; the market has never stopped wanting it.
Chris Pine's Steve Trevor is depicted as a man out of time, wide-eyed in Reagan-era America. Dressing him in an A168W rather than something aspirational was a character decision as much as a wardrobe one — this is what a decent, uncomplicated man would wear. Pine, known off-screen for occasionally gravitating toward understated, functional accessories, fits the watch naturally.
On the grey market the A168W-1 barely moves from its retail price, which is itself a rarity in modern watch culture. No speculation, no premium — just a functional, well-made piece that sells for what it costs. At under $25 new, it remains one of the most accessible entry points into watch collecting, and its film appearance has only cemented its pop-culture permanence.
