Back in June, Casio was celebrating (along with other brands, one presumes) Nation Wristwatch Day. Along with that, there were a few watches that came in to the review desk. While the timing didn’t work to publish right on that day, we’re getting to them now. The first watch we’ll be taking a look at is the Casio Edifice EQB-501.
We have reviewed a few different models from the Edifice line, and there are quite a few similarities between them. The key bits here (full specs are down below) are the solar power function, and the mobile link via Bluetooth. While some watches may use the Bluetooth lashup to get alerts going or something, here, Casio uses it to make the watch simpler to use. As I’ve learned, overly-complicated quartz watches with analog displays can often result in a confusing user interface. With the mobile link, you can use the app on your phone to set things, such as the world time you’re tracking, some of the stopwatch settings, as well as the alarm time. Also useful is the fact the app will read the battery level of the watch, letting you know if you need to get it to the light.
When the Casio Edifice EQB-501 is in light regularly, it will just keep running. If for some reason you fully charged it – and then kept it in the dark – the rechargeable cell would run for up to 7 months. However, once it realizes that it’s not being actively used or worn, it will go into a low power mode, which extends the battery life to 33 months. If that happens, once the light hits the dial, the hands will spin back to life, and then you’d probably want to link it back up to your phone to get things set again.
Style wise, the Casio Edifice EQB-501 looks quite similar to what we’ve seen before. Here, we’ve got a variety of surface finishes, which actually extends into the dial. The dial of the Casio Edifice EQB-501 is a very deep one, which allows for some tall – and highly polished – indices. They’ve also managed to put some glossy blue accents on some of the bevels, and at the base of those indices, which brings that hint of color to the design.
On the wrist, the Casio Edifice EQB-501 is a fairly large watch, which is not surprised given everything that they’re building into the watch. Here, it’s been paired to a rubber strap which is quite comfortable, and does help cut the weight down. The Casio Edifice EQB-501 also has the massive metal floating keeper that we’ve seen on other watches in the line as well. I suppose some folks may like that, but it’s simply not my cup of tea. As with some others, as well, the main handset feels a touch undersized for the larger case and dial. The keeper, that you could change out easily enough yourself, but the handset, that’s something that I think Casio may want to give some attention to.
I’ve got my reservations about the Casio Edifice EQB-501 (especially in relation to the ProTrek that we’re working on a review of), if you want to pick one up yourself, you can expect to pay $320 for this version. If you like the look and the functionality, but blue isn’t your thing, check out the full lineup. There are a number of color combos out there, with some slight changes in functionality, but the overall look is preserved. The Casio Edifice EQB-501, at the end of the day, is a decent watch, just not one that fits to my own tastes. edifice-watches.com
Review Summary
- Brand & Model: Casio Edifice EQB-501
- Price: $320
- Who’s it for? You want a decent watch with a ton of functionality that tiptoes into some tech connections
- Would I wear it? No, this really isn’t one for me
- What I’d change: The main handset should be hit with the embiggening ray
- The best thing about it: I do like how they managed to get a lot of light catching off of the large indices
Tech Specs from Casio
- 100M Water Resistant
- Solar powered
- Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth® SMART) Airplane mode
- Dual time (Home city time swapping)
- 1 second stopwatch Measuring capacity: 23:59’59
- Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time
- Other: Speed (0 to 300 units/hour)
- Daily alarm
- Low battery alert
- Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)
- Power Saving (hands stop to save power when the watch is left in the dark.)
- Date display
- Regular timekeeping
- Analog:
- 3 hands (hour, minute(hand moves every 10 seconds), second)
- 4 dials (24-hour, dual time hour and minute, dual time 24-hour, day)
- Accuracy:±15 seconds per month
- Approximate battery operating time:
- 7 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge)
- 33 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge)
- Module: 5419
