Casio Brings Two New Ultra Thin Solar Chronographs to the Edifice Collection

Here at Worn & Wound we cover new G-Shock releases on a regular basis, and are generally big fans of the brand for its cool history, durability, and unique place in the culture of collecting and watch enthusiasm. But G-Shock’s hold on our consciousness is so great that it’s all too easy to forget that it isn’t the only interesting Casio brand out there, and that’s really a shame. In that spirit, it’s really a pleasure to see such an appealing new release in Casio’s Edifice line, which provides a lot of the features that G-Shock users love, in a more refined, everyday wear appropriate package.

Casio Edifice EQB-1000XD and EQB-1000XDC

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Black
• Dimensions: 45.6 x 8.9 x 49.9mm
• Crystal: Sapphire     
• Water Resistance: 100 meters
• Crown: Push/pull            
• Movement: Casio Tough Solar 
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel 
• Price: $330-$380
• Reference Number: EQB-1000XD, EQB-1000XDC
• Expected Release: Spring 

The two new watches in the Edifice collection as seen here are the EQB-1000XD and EQB-1000XDC. What we have here are essentially two stainless steel quartz chronographs on bracelets, with bright pops of color on each, in a modern and sporty style. What’s really appealing about these watches, though, are the dimensions. While the case is large at 45.6mm across, it’s vanishingly thin, with a width of just 8.9mm. Even for a quartz watch, that’s impressive. If you’re someone who has always wanted a G-Shock but just couldn’t deal with the heft, these new super slim pieces in the EQB-1000XD line might be calling your name.

The EQB-1000XD features red accents against a black dial and a sharp, angular, stainless steel case. The EQB-1000XDC is a touch more modern and sleek, with a black ion coated case and bracelet, and blue accents on the dial. The dials have an appealing vertical brushing effect that gives them a sense of texture, at least in the provided press photos. Both watches are equipped with a sapphire crystal and are water resistant to 100 meters.  

Casio has been rapidly expanding the number of watches in their lineup that are Bluetooth enabled and designed to work with their Casio Watch+ app and your smartphone. The EQB-1000XD and EQB-1000XDC use this Bluetooth link to draw the time from your smartphone four times per day, ensuring an extremely high level of accuracy. The app also allows you to easily adjust the time on the go – these are both fully featured dual time watches and can easily be set to coordinate with 300 cities around the world, with the dial displaying your home time as well as the time in your destination of choice.

The EQB-1000XD and EQB-1000XDC also make use of Casio’s Tough Solar technology. This solar charging system allows the battery to charge not only with natural light, but fluorescent light as well. This takes a technology built for efficiency and makes it even more energy efficient. This is a key feature, as connected watches like this not only need to keep time and move multiple hands across a large dial, but eat up power simply by virtue of being connected to a phone and making use of all the extra features that can be taken advantage of through the app. A watch like this is certainly more power hungry than a run of the mill time only quartz timepiece. 

The EQB-1000XD and EQB-1000XDC will be available this Spring from Casio retailers, with the stainless steel version priced at $330 and the black ion plated version selling for $380. Casio Edifice