Could Casio become king of affordable mechanical with the new Edifice EFK-100 automatic?
Borna BošnjakWait a second – what’s up with that title? Why are we talking about Casio and mechanical watches in the same sentence? No, dear reader, Time+Tide hasn’t fully gone off the rails quite yet, but Casio’s recent announcement of new, mechanical Edifice models truly shook the affordable end of the market. In their near-80-year-long history, Casio made everything from ring pipes and (the first) electronic calculators to musical equipment and watches. But the really big news is that throughout this time, and millions of F91Ws pumped out, Casio has never made a watch with a mechanical movement – until now, that is. With their technological might, a mechanical watch really shouldn’t be all that surprising, and yet, we know how difficult it is for some WIS to accept change – there are still people harping on about hating quartz!
What are Casio’s first mechanical watches like?
Before I make any more… statements… let’s get up to speed on what these watches are actually about. The catchy name that Casio chose for this groundbreaking Edifice development is… EFK-100. Okay, maybe not on the level of “G-Shock” or “Astron”, but we’ll run with it. Though the full collection hasn’t fully rolled out in all regions, it consists of five new models. Four are cased in stainless steel with matching bracelets, while the fifth swaps in a steel and forged carbon case. This is nothing too groundbreaking, and if they had quartz movements like the rest of the Edifice line, they would be great dailies for someone who just wants a set-and-forget watch. But that little line of text below the pinion reads “automatic”, and that’s because mechanical Seiko movements power them. In some ways, it’s strange that Casio had previously never even tried to offer a mechanical watch, but this could be the perfect time to launch a mechanical effort.
Texture is the name of the game when it comes to dials. You can choose between blue, green, white, and carbon, all sharing a surprising degree of intricacy and depth, and with the coloured examples almost mimicking the swirling patterns you’ll find in the forged carbon model. The main dial portion is separated by an azuraged ring, transitioning into a steep rehaut that meets the flat sapphire crystal. The indices are once again a pleasant surprise, with brushed tops and facetted sides to match the semi-skeletonised fencepost hands. With simple branding and a symmetrical date window at 6, there’s little to complain about. Don’t worry, though, I have found at least one thing to moan about – that date window would be so much better framed and/or colour-matched to the dials.
The case finishing is also quite pleasant, with a muscular brush down the flat, top surfaces of the lugs and bracelet. Though if you’re not a fan of too much polishing for your sporty watches, the EFK-100 might be a tad too shiny for you. It doesn’t bother me too much personally, and with 100 metres of water-resistance, I feel like these would be a great, affordable pick for Zach’s “robust elegance” category. You might notice some signs of cost-saving when looking at the watch side-on: the crown is not signed, and the bracelet is adjusted with push pins rather than screws, with a basic clasp with no micro-adjustment to close it off.
On the full forged carbon piece, the finishing is quite a bit different. Instead of a polished bezel and lugs, it’s matte surfaces all around, whether it’s the PVD-coated bezel or the exposed composite itself. And to go with this all-black look, Casio has also blacked out the indices and hands, and even colour-matched the date wheel for this model. By messing with the colour of the hands, though, I fear legibility might be affected, especially considering there’s no AR coating on the crystal. Rather than a carbon bracelet, Casio swaps in an FKM rubber with that integrated, proprietary end-link style. Sadly, that means no strap changes, and I do feel like that’s a bit of an oversight. The sizing remains consistent, though, at 39mm in diameter, 12.5mm in thickness, and 43.5mm lug-to-lug.
But why a Seiko movement, and why now?
The answer to the first part of the question is quite simple. The Seiko NH35 is one of the most widely used, reliable, and serviceable movements that are freely available to third parties, and most importantly, they’re cheap. For what is just a renamed version of Seiko’s 4R3X line, for a single unit, expect to pay around US$60. If we’re talking about an enormous bulk order, I’m sure Seiko’s TMI division would be happy to give you a decent wholesale discount.
The main specifications are admittedly very basic. The movement does hand-wind and hack, but only runs at 3Hz and has a lowly, 40-hour power reserve. At the entry-level price point that Casio is targeting, however, this is not out of the ordinary. My main complaint is actually the completely unfinished movement that’s been left on display – it’s a bit rough.
The “why now?” is a bit more difficult, but I think I have a pretty good working theory. After a difficult few years for the industry, many established brands have started to creep their prices upwards, slowly but surely leaving an increasingly large gap to be filled in the affordable realm. Naturally, microbrands have well and truly exploited this and have been offering staggering value to enthusiasts, but what very few of them have is the cache that comes with a big brand name. More often than not, when talking about affordable watches, the only big box brands on enthusiasts’ lips are Casio and Seiko. So, why not capitalise on that and expand their offering from quartz into mechanical?
For an enormous enterprise that is Casio, this small exercise is a drop in the bucket if unsuccessful, but with the potential to bust the floodgates open to revived customer interest. And these EFK-100s are just using Seiko movements. Imagine if Casio started developing its own in-house mechanical movements…
What an in-house Casio mechanical movement could mean for the industry
Think about the main players in movement supply for affordable watches. You really don’t have to think very hard, as the duopoly of Seiko and Citizen’s Miyota has reigned supreme for years. Of course, we can’t ignore the increasing influx of Chinese movement makers that have entered the fray, but other than in specific applications (think affordable micro-rotors and mechanical chronographs), they haven’t broken through. That could be for a variety of reasons, but I’d hazard a guess that a lot of it comes down to reputation. Unfortunately and undeservedly, the country’s manufacturing is still looked at as inferior, even though you’d be surprised by the number of components that big box brands get made by Chinese specialists. That is slowly changing, but it will take a long time for the staunchest of purists to recognise as downright impressive.
Casio has the enormous advantage of being renowned for their quality and affordability, especially when it comes to products like the G-Shock, but also the marketing play of Japanese manufacturing, which has long been regarded with great respect. But to truly beat Seiko’s third-party offering, Casio would need to set up a manufacturing outfit that would make an in-house movement that exceeds or matches the NH35 in spec, and also makes it more affordable in the long run. I’m sure that the brand’s execs know this, and are painfully aware of Seiko’s might – the press information makes no mention of the movement maker, for example.
In reality, I see this Edifice quintet as Casio testing the waters before making any long-term commitments, whether that’s embarking on more mechanical watch offerings or even developing their own movements. I needn’t mention that an investment into in-house mechanical movement manufacturing would have to be supported by a very long-term release calendar, and potentially an entirely new sub-brand given Casio’s love for the bloody things. That said, I’d be delighted with a restructuring of Edifice as Casio’s mechanical line, given its relative obscurity, or even specced up a tad to give the Oceanus more worldwide appeal. Is this a sign of what’s to come? I hope so – just don’t go expecting tourbillon-equipped G-Shocks any time soon.
Casio Edifice EFK-100 Automatic pricing and availability
The Casio Edifice EFK-100 models are currently rolling out to markets worldwide. In the US, the green and full carbon models aren’t listed online, while the UK has all five models listed as pending a restock. Price: US$280/£269 (regular dials), US$300/£269 (forged carbon dial), £429 (carbon case and dial)
| Brand | Casio |
| Model | Edifice EFK-100 |
| Reference Number |
EFK-100CD-1A
EFK-100D-2A EFK-100D-3A EFK-100D-7A EFK-100XPB-1A |
| Case Dimensions | 39mm (D) x 12.5mm (T) x 43.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel Forged carbon |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front, mineral back |
| Dial | Sunburst silver |
| Lug Width | Integrated |
| Strap |
Steel bracelet, milled folding clasp
Black rubber strap, folding clasp |
| Movement | Seiko NH35, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 40 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | US$280/£269 (regular dials) US$300/£269 (forged carbon dial) £429 (carbon case and dial) |