7 Best Casio watches 2021
Welcome back to another of our buyer’s guides. Today, we’ll be looking at one of the most iconic and recognizable brands of on-trend yet functional and tough-as-nails digital watches. I am of course, talking about Casio. With millions of Casio watches having been made over the past 35 years, it should come as no surprise that there’s plenty of variety for Casio watches in the market today. Variety isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be intimidating finding the right one for you. So today, we’ve narrowed down 7 of the best Casio timepieces from their two iconic ranges: Edifice and of course G-Shocks.
These are fantastic tool watches that’re perfect for every day wear, whether you’re just looking for a distinct, tough as nails timepiece or really need a reliable tool for whatever that you’re doing. The G-Shock and Edifice lines offers great value proposition tool watches that anyone can have. Without further ado, let’s dive in to the watches.
CASIO EDIFICE SMARTPHONE LINK EQB-1000XD-1ADR MEN'S WATCH
The first watch we’re looking at today is in our opinion one of the best Edifice models that money can buy; the EQB-1000XD-1ADR. It is one of Edifice’s more advanced timepieces, featuring the brand’s Bluetooth Smartphone link, a tough solar power system that keeps the device topped up via exposure to any form of light source, as well as a multi-hand multi-function chronograph and timekeeping system too.
All of this technology in a case that is only 8.9mm thin is truly a work of engineering brilliance that is hard to find anywhere else (aside from Citizen perhaps, but that’s at a very different price point). It’s a handsome watch too, the one we have today come with sporty red accents along the indexes and subdials, contrasting nicely against the otherwise stealthy black dial, and set in a neatly finished, slim stainless-steel case.
If you’re looking to get your hands on a functional, sporty timepiece that won’t break the bank and looks and feels like something much more expensive than it actually is, you’ll certainly find the EQB-1000XD-1ADR to fit your bill very nicely.
CASIO EDIFICE EFS-S570DC-1AUDF MEN'S WATCH
Of all the watches on the list, this one’s probably my favourite in terms of design, even more so than the impressive EQB-1000DX-1ADR we’ve just looked at. But back to this; the EFS-S570DC-1AUDF, quite a mouthful isn’t it? This watch is part of Edifice’s slim line range of highly elegant yet technical watches. I like to refer to these as dressy sports watches, and yes while watches like the Royal Oak and Nautilus do exist to fill that gap. There’s a much sportier and more rugged feel to these watches as compared to those two. The watch is styled visually after the sports watches from the 70s, with angular case design with an integrated bracelet, though this one dials the angles up to eleven with the octagonal bezel sitting in a proud brushed navy blue against the brushed silver case. Seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find a surface on this case that isn’t finished to perfection. The pushers are nicely executed and sleek as well adding more to the very contemporary and modern design that this watch has. Functionally, it is a simple chronograph with a date display at 4 and is solar powered too, which means you needn’t fret too much over battery replacements. The EFS-S570DC-1AUDF is a proud celebration of modernizing a traditional tool, integrating current technology with an old-school (albeit timeless) design and display that makes for an incredibly interesting and intriguing wearing experience.
CASIO EDIFICE SMARTPHONE LINK ECB-900PB-1ADR MEN'S WATCH
Next up on our list is the Edifice ECB-900PB-1ADR, and there’s no getting around it, it’s undoubtedly one of the best and most unique looking smart-phone linked watches around. Casio’s line of Semi-smartwatches like this one goes a long way in showing how when technology, innovation and years of watchmaking experience and design go together, the results can be absolutely brilliant sometimes. The case is in a nice brushed black PVD stainless steel finish, paired with a seemingly integrated rubber strap to complete the overall dark and stealthy aesthetic. With bold blacked hands, distinct and blacked out markers set against an informative and also very black dial, legibility is still relatively uncompromised despite the dial, hands and markers being black on black on black, thanks to the contrasting finishes. The watch also features 3 sub-dials for the different modes and functions, 2 digital and 1 analog of course. There’s really a lot of information on display on this watch and it might seem dizzying at first glance, but once you’ve got your bearings on the functions and displays, reading and using it becomes a breeze. The smartphone link allows you to access and configure a variety of settings for the watch independently on your phone too. All in all, if you’re looking for a watch that does more than just tell the time, but don’t want to contribute to the sea of smartwatches around, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better alternative than the handsome ECP-900PB-1ADR.
G-SHOCK MUDMASTER DIGITAL QUARTZ BLACK STAINLESS-STEEL GG-1000-1A3DR GREEN RESIN STRAP MEN'S WATCH
There is a lot to like about the GG-B100. It’s a result of Casio constantly working on improving what they have done in the past. But with that said, this is a radically different watch from your run-of-the-mill G-Shocks, because of Casio’s use of carbon in the case construction to protect the watch and shave even more weight off too. The Mudmaster line has always been a field G-shock, or at least G-shock’s take on a field watch.
Casio has always placed more focus on analog-digital style dials for their higher end watches, and the same can be seen here. They’ve done a great job in combining the functionality and durability of a G-shock with the aesthetic appeal of a ‘traditional’ analog watch. Hybrid dials like this one, have been a mainstay of modern Japanese watchmaking since the 70s and they really found their stride in the 80s.
The LCD screen may be small for some, but it is highly legible and offers snappy performance too. The hands are useful when needed, and are used to display certain features that we’ll get into later. However, they are usually performing their default time-telling functions most of the time. Casio’s cutting-edge screen and ultra-lightweight carbon means that there’s virtually no compromise between functionality and style. You get the feeling of immediately wanting to fiddle with the watch the moment you hold it in your hand. Now, you can connect a smartphone to this watch with the ‘connect’ button at the 3 o’clock position and using the G-Shock app, allowing you to adjust the watch using the app if you don’t want to use the buttons. G-shocks were never meant to be ‘good-looking’ or even ‘cool’, they’re utilitarian and are meant to get the job done. But with the Mudmaster, I think that’s changing and it’s an advancement in design that really makes most modern G-shock watches now really, really nice to look at.
CASIO G-SHOCK GRAVITYMASTER DIGITAL QUARTZ BRONZE STAINLESS STEEL GR-B100-1A4DR RESIN STRAP MEN'S WATCH
If the Mudmaster we looked at previously is the perfect field watch, then the Gravitymaster is certainly the perfect modern day pilot’s watch. Functionally, it has all the bells and whistles you can expect from a G-Shock watch, so stopwatch, timer, alarm, world timer, all the usual stuff. but it also has added features more oriented to travellers, with a Bluetooth link to your smartphone for time synchronization. Its design is rather eye-catching and distinct as well, featuring a bronze-coloured case in stainless steel wrapped with black resin that tapers off along the edges, giving off an almost cross shaped appearance. It’s certainly a futuristic looking piece, and certainly showcases the prowess and no-nonsense functionality that Casio is capable of with the G-Shock line-up.
CASIO G-SHOCK G-STEEL DIGITAL QUARTZ SILVER STAINLESS STEEL GST-S130C-1ADR BLACK RESIN STRAP MEN'S WATCH
G-Shock has always been known for its range of bright, resin tool watches. They’re perfect for pretty much any informal occasion. Whether you’re looking to add a dollop of colour and personality to your outfit or if you really need a reliable timekeeper in the field, there’s always something for everybody in the G-Shock line-up. These watches may be many things, but refined isn’t exactly one of them—or is it? Well, enter the G-shock G-Steel GST-S330AC-3ADR. It’s the watch that answers the question: what if someone wanted a G-shock more than for its robustness and bright colours? From a fashion standpoint, the GST-S330AC-3ADR is a handsome watch, blending the reliable toughness of G-Shocks into an aesthetic that’s much more refined and even smart, adding a nice touch of flair to anyone’s modern style. With its multi-faceted case in stainless steel and resin, a black textured Ion-plated (IP) bezel, contrasting gold fonts and hands, it’s a truly striking watch that’ll easily spruce up any outfit. In terms of functionality, the watch comes with an array of different useful functions; a 1/100th of a second chronograph, countdown timer, battery level indicator, as well as a full auto calendar. All of these functions can be conveniently accessed via the ‘mode’ button at 8 O’clock. And as far as time-telling goes, like most G-shocks these days, it uses a combination of analogue and digital displays to tell the time. With the traditional hour and minute hands telling the time, the three subdials indicating the seconds, a second time display of either home/local time, month, day and date. So pretty much all the info you will ever need at a quick glance. And if you couldn’t already guess it, all the other functions stated above are displayed via the 3 sub-dials as well. Despite all these refined features however, the watch still is what it is underneath; robust, comfortable to wear and easy on the wrist. It’s still a true blue-blooded G-Shock that’s certainly worthy to be sitting in anyone’s collection. If you’re looking to add something refined, robust and stylistically unique to your wardrobe/collection, then the GST-S330AC-3ADR is certainly the watch to go for.
Perfect Daily Tool Watches
Casio always gives itself room for improvement, and for the watches we’ve looked at, the brand has hit a sweet spot in design, price and features that will offer consumers fantastic watches that ought to sell like hell too. They’re watches that serves as both a ‘cool-looking watch’, as well as truly functional and useful tool watches that you can undoubtedly rely on should the situation arise. Not many watches can fit this bill, but the ones that we’ve looked at today certainly do; and if even a self-acclaimed snob for mechanical watches like myself can find myself genuinely liking them, then they certainly have a place in your collection too.
