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Casio Edifice EQB1100DC-1AER Review


Today’s watch comes as top notch offering from the famous brand. Casio Edifice EQB1100DC-1AER is part of the “thin models line” made by Japanese watchmaker. It also packs plenty of features inside and all that comes for unusual price. Photos looked interesting, so I decided to check one of these watches, and today we are going to talk about the top version in dark metal. Let’s dive in and see what is different and why this might be a good everyday partner.
Here you can read review with recent G-Shock release.
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Case

I would like to start with case first. In my opinion that is the main design feature of the new watch, so it would be strange to put it on the second roles in the review. First of all, new Edifice watch is really thin – just 8.9 mm thin with 44.5 mm size. I know, there are some watches in even thinner cases, but they all have less functions if any, so hold on until we talk about functions in this review. 🙂 Whole design is finished in angular styling which recently became trendy with help of high-end watches. I mean it would be foolish to say that Royal Oak didn’t have any influence here. We all remember first “trial” with “Casioak” which turned out to be crazy popular, so there is no wonder to see another octagonal watch.

There are two version available, DC which is shown on the photos and also D with full silver finish and blue accents. Both look fine, so it is matter of your personal taste for which one to pick. Designers call whole design as “shave surface” due to down-sloping angles here and there. As far as I understood, it should remind us of Formula 1 car silhouette. Add here brushed metal surfaces in dark color and you will get quite an interesting combo. Some of the edges feature mirror-like polishing for contrast.


This is chrono watch, so there are two additional buttons with crown in the middle. Both feature mirror polishing, so I would recommend to be careful in order to avoid scratches. Note also crown guard in between which helps avoid awkwardly protruding crown on the watch.

Dial

Whole dial is fully analogue here – just pure dial/hands combination without any additional LCDs. It is even more surprising when you think of how many digital functions are inside. There is small hint in form of Bluetooth sign and “On/Off” writings, but that’s pretty much all. It is like a stealthy smartwatch, and I really like it. There is nothing screaming about it being “smart” what might be attractive for some owners.

Large indices make it legible, so it should be easy to read time in any condition. They are covered with luminous layer, so dark time is not a problem either. Moreover, there is a tachymeter on the black outer rim. I guess this function should support sport connections with Formula 1 team. By the way, whole dial is covered with sapphire glass. It is good to see this feature because some brands still use mineral glass in comparably price watches.

Note that subdials serve as photo elements for solar movement inside. All other area is taken with one-piece brushed metal plate. I am also happy to see few logos here. Casio abstained from using writings here and there, red accents are more than enough on the dial. Frankly speaking, I would be happy to see full black dial with no color accents at all. 😀

Movement and Features

Inside you will find classic solar movement which is also featured in some other high-end Casio watches. I mentioned functions set several times, so now is the time to talk more about it. First of all, this watch can connect to your mobile phone via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, there is no word about its version in the manual or official website. Install special app and you would have the full control over alarms, time setting, worldtime, dualtime, calendar and even “find my phone function”. Sounds impressive for such elegant watch, right?

All this doesn’t require daily charging because you have solar movement inside. Dial and app can display charge level, so I don’t think you will have any issues here. Moreover, phone connection leads to full control from the screen of your smartphone, which is also handy feature to have. Lower button is responsible for Bluetooth connection and there is a small sign engraved on it. Oh almost forgot – power reserve should be equal to 5 months, but I am sure you won’t notice this. Put this watch under light and it will be recharging its own battery.

Bracelet

Casio Edifice EQB1100DC-1AER comes with stainless steel bracelet. There are no other options available for this watch. Dark watch comes with dark bracelet and silver comes with…silver (surprise!). You will have to resort to aftermarket offerings for leather or canvas straps. Frankly speaking I am not sure if either of these would work with today’s watch. Whole design comes as one together with metal strap, so it will be difficult to find a credible alternative.

Nevertheless, it is not as good as it could be. I was expecting a bit more sophisticated piece on such watch, but bracelet is surprisingly light. Yes, it fits the slim styling of the case. No, I am not big fan of that, but there will be some watchfans who would appreciate such light bracelet.

In Use

So how it feels to have this Casio on your wrist. Frankly speaking, I was a bit worried when I saw the size info for watch case. It might sound big, but due to reduced thickness, watch is quite easy to wear. Maybe that is also advantage of having metal bracelet here, who knows.

I like the fact that Edifice doesn’t “brag” about its phone connectivity. New watch looks normal and that’s the main feature of it. There are no displays, not big writings about “BLUETOOTH CONNECTION” or anything else what might give out true nature of today’s model. Instead it is surprisingly toned down, only red color accents make it somewhat sporty.

As for the phone connectivity, there are no issues whatsoever. Application is available for Android and iPhone, but keep in mind that you will have to download Edifice Connected. As owner of more than one Casio watch, I wish all “smart” watches would use one app – be it G-Shock or Edifice. It is not difficult to switch interface depending on the connected watch and you would have less apps installed on your phone. Of course, this is not a huge problem, but still a something to note, especially if you have smart G-Shock in your collection.

Casio Edifice EQB1100DC-1AER Price

As usual, here comes the main question – how much? Price tag should be set at approximately 440 USD. New watch moves into a quite tricky market segment with different rivals from various brands. We are all used to see Casio watches (except of special G-Shocks) as accessible workhorses, but this one is a bit different. It packs new functions, comes in new design and goes on the top of whole Edifice product lineup. In my opinion it is quite reasonable price tag if you consider the features set offered. Moreover, there are few other watches that can give you the same functions for the same price.

New Edifice looks like a great beginning of something new and I definitely recommend to check it. Watch might become a reliable workhorse with elegant design and useful functions. Some of us just need hassle-free experience and it looks like today’s watch might offer this for reasonable price.

Specifications

  • Case / bezel material: Stainless steel
  • One-touch 3-fold Clasp
  • Stainless Steel Band
  • Sapphire Glass with non-reflective coating
  • Tachymeter
  • Gray ion plated case
  • Gray ion plated band
  • 100-meter water resistance
  • Tough Solar (Solar powered)
  • Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth®)
  • Dual time (Home city time swapping)
  • 1-second stopwatch
    Measuring capacity: 23:59’59
    Others: Flyback, direct timing start from the timekeeping mode
  • Daily alarm
  • Power Saving (hands stop to save power when the watch is left in the dark)
  • Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)
  • Date display
  • Day indicator
  • Regular timekeeping
    Analog: 3 hands (hour, minute (hand moves every 10 seconds), second),
    4 dials (24-hour, day, dual time hour and minute, dual time 24-hour)
  • Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month (with no signal calibration and mobile link function)
  • Approx. battery operating time:
    5 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge)
    19 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge)

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