Baby faces: Toughness and cute fashion cachet appear to be mutually exclusive concepts. Casio begs to differ with its latest incarnation of Baby-G watches, the petite sibling of its popular G-Shock tough guys of timepieces. The 14 new models are coming out in four different series: the all-digital BG810 and Sweet Colors, and the mix analog/digital Gemmy Dial and Glossy Gold.

The highlight is the four versions of the Gemmy Dial, with round faces featuring easily-read Arabic numerals and two small LCD screens, one of which is shaped like a heart and framed with tiny gemstones. Bolstering the blatant kawaii (cute) quota is the choice of straps: blue, pink, white and vivid pink. Backing up the style is the Casio watches' usual claim to toughness and the added attractions of a stopwatch and alarm — assets that seem a tad out of kilter with the target market.

The two Glossy Gold models show more restraint, losing the sparkling stones, using staid leather straps and coming in the prim color choices of black, gold or white. The BG810 and Sweet Colors series are relatively straightforward, albeit smartly designed, versions of Casio's digital lineup.