Casio really seems to have been on a tear over the last six to nine months, releasing quite a number of pieces, particularly in their Edifice lineup. We’ve taken a look at a few of those, and even some that feature a Bluetooth hookup in them. The one we’re talking about today – the Casio Edifice ECB900DB – brings something new to the dial that we’ve not seen as of yet – digital.
That is to say, some digital components. Obviously, under the skin of the Casio Edifice ECB900DB, it’s an all-quartz affair. On the dial side, the Edifice watches tend to be full-analog. That can certainly work, but in my experience, when there’s a lot more functionality packed into a watch, like the Edifice lineup does, having some digital displays can help improve usability in a drastic way.
What’s interesting with the Casio Edifice ECB900DB is that the brand is NOT pushing the Bluetooth connection as a way of tracking activity, or putting alerts on your wrist. Rather, it’s all about keeping your watch accurate. Basically, not only can it adjust when you’re at home for any +/- issues, when you travel, it will adjust itself to your new (local-to-you) time zone. Or, as we just hit over the weekend here in the states, automatically adjust things for Daylight Savings time.
Past that, you’ve got the Tough Solar charging in place (which I’m a fan of) along with a full complement of specs and functionality, including water resistance up to 100 meters, high-brightness double LED light, stopwatch with speed indicator and more. You’ve also got the two LCD displays, which look to, by default, give you the date and day, but I’m sure interact when you’re in the other functions. In terms of how it’s likely to fit, we’ve not seen this one, but I’m thinking our review on the Casio Edifice ECB900 will give you an idea on that.
The Casio Edifice ECB900DB will be available later this spring in either a red- or blue-accented design for $200. To my way of thinking, though it’s not a watch I would normally gravitate towards, it is a whole lot of functionality on tap here for the price. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – you can’t underestimate the usefulness of having solar charging paired with a quartz movement. Add in that they’ve managed to make the Bluetooth useful, and not just a gimmick, that’s another nice add-in in my book. casio.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Casio Edifice ECB900DB
- Price: $200
- Who’s it for? You want a good, basic, quartz chronograph that can keep up with your travel schedule
- Would I wear it? No – but that’s I’ve already got a Tough Solar kicking around in my watch box
- What I’d change: Why not a slimmed-down non-chronograph version?
- The best thing about it:Aside from solar charging, I think the small LCD displays up the utility of the watch
