As you know, the Casio Edifice brand is positioned as an auto racing brand: such is its aesthetics (for example, the design of the indicators on the dial resembles the dashboard of a car, in some versions the colors of racing teams are used, etc.), such are the functional features (stopwatches, timers, memory for a large number of circles, special possibilities for processing this information in a smartphone synchronized with the clock).
True, among the many collections of Casio Edifice, a huge variety flourishes. There are lines made in the classic, traditional watch style, which allows you to wear such watches without regard to sports - at least as everyday, at least even "on the way out".
There are those in which "automobile" is definitely in the foreground - both in functional terms and in design, including the use of characteristic materials and techniques that resonate with the technologies of the world of high speeds. But almost always there are elements of a sporty style - a chronograph function, high precision of a stopwatch, etc.
General characteristics of watches Casio Edifice EQS
Stylish features of the Casio Edifice EQS watch collection are such that it can be called intermediate, combining the features of watch classics and ultra-modern hi-tech. Casio Edifice EQS can hardly be attributed to a very premium segment, and as a professional "racing" instrument, this watch is inferior to a number of other Casio Edifice series. But in any case, this is a worthy choice.
The most important of the general features of the Casio Edifice EQS line is the presence of a solar battery. Tough Solar technology provides, without exaggeration, the absolute autonomy of the watch. All Casio Edifice EQS watches are offered in buildings in stainless steel, with or without ion plating (Ion Plating). Glass is mineral. impermeability of these buildings reaches 100 meters, that is, the watch is not afraid of splashes, rain, or swimming on water and under water, or diving - but just not too deep, without scuba gear.
The indication of Casio EQC watches is mainly arrow, electronic digital windows are not used. There is also no Bluetooth synchronization with a smartphone. On the other hand, the design and execution of the dials - usually multilevel, but at the same time extremely clear for reading readings - gives this watch a special chic and makes them especially attractive.Let's turn to several Casio EQS watch models, namely Casio Edifice EQS-500, Casio Edifice EQS-600 and Casio Edifice EQS-900.
Speed and intelligence: Casio Edifice EQS-500
The Casio Edifice EQS-500 watch, presented to the public and specialists back in 2010, is one of the first to be equipped with a high-tech solar battery. Tough Solar's advanced technology provides efficient battery recharging not only from direct sunlight, but also from simple daylight. And the functionality and design of the series fully correspond to the corporate motto of Casio Edifice: speed and intelligence, that is, speed and intelligence!
The appearance of the "five hundred" EQS series is characterized by high dynamism and inevitably evokes associations with the dashboard of a "formal" car. A durable case of comfortable dimensions (diameter 45,8 mm, thickness 12,3 mm) conceals a high-precision electronic module Casio 5123 with an accuracy of ± 15 seconds per month and a solar battery that will work even in complete darkness for at least five months. And in the light, there is simply no limit!
The multi-level dial, which is perfectly readable in (again) darkness, thanks to the Neobrite luminescent coating, is full of hands and scales. On the periphery of the dial, there is a world time scale - 29 time zones, 29 cities with their international codes plus UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The bezel is digitized with a minute scale (aka seconds), three central hands count down hours, minutes and seconds. At 4 o'clock there is a date aperture, and at 3 o'clock there is a combined sub-dial, one of the functions of which is also calendar, with a retrograde scale of the day of the week.
The Casio Edifice EQS-500 watch calendar is automatic, it is preset so that no adjustment is required until December 31, 2099 inclusive. Another disc at “3 o'clock” has the function of an indicator of modes (current time, chronograph / stopwatch, alarm clock) and, for “auto racing” watches, perhaps most importantly, a counter of hundredths of a second.
Chronograph, aka a stopwatch, the Casio Edifice EQS-500 is very "advanced": this special indicator of hundredths, the central second hand, when starting the chronograph mode, will count tenths, the smaller counter hand at 8 o'clock - whole seconds, the larger one - minutes, and, finally, at the “10.30” position the hours will be counted - the chronograph of the Casio Edifice EQS-500 model is designed for a whole day, enough even for the legendary “24 Hours of Le Mans”!
Well, in the current time mode, the hand at the "10.30" position represents the 24-hour time format. Let us remind you once again that the watch also has an alarm clock with a clear and pleasant sound signal.
Casio Edifice EQS-500 watches exist in several modifications, differing from each other in color solutions (completely black version, with red or blue accents, with gold plating) and the method of fastening to the wrist - a steel bracelet, a polymer strap.
Sophistication: Casio Edifice EQS-600
Oddly enough, the Casio Edifice 600 watch, having a "higher" index than the "five hundredth", and released much later (in 2017), is much simpler in functionality. Three central hands (with Neobrite light-accumulative coating, like hour markers), date window at 3 o'clock, 24-hour format at 12 o'clock and chronograph functions - stopwatch at 6 o'clock (and with an accuracy of only 1 sec.) and a 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock. And it's all. Almost. For, firstly, there is a retrograde scale between “8” and “11 o'clock” - it is obvious that in the chronograph / stopwatch mode it counts tenths of a second. And secondly, there is also a battery charge indicator (around 7 o'clock: L - low, M - medium, H - high).
Probably, the battery is the secret of the somewhat higher price of the much simpler Casio Edifice EQS-600 watch: this is a battery of the next generation, energetically even more efficient.
The watch is “packed” in a case with a diameter of 49 mm and a thickness of 13,2 mm. As usual with Casio, a variety of bracelets / straps (including steel and leather) and colors are available. But there is always a stylish thin stripe along the outermost edge of the dial. In some versions, even the “legs” of the mushroom-shaped chronograph buttons are colored accordingly. And in versions with a leather strap, the lining of the strap looks no less stylish in the same shade. And the multi-level dial itself, with the same Neobrite illumination, is made both rationally and exquisitely.
The next step forward: Casio Edifice EQS-900
The premiere of the Casio Edifice EQS-900 watch took place in 2018 at the Baselworld jewelry and watch exhibition. As for the functionality, it is no different from that of the "six hundred" we have just considered. Is that the indexes on the dial are located a little (insignificantly): the date aperture has shifted to "4 o'clock", the retrograde scale of fractions of a second - to the sector between the "8" and "10 o'clock" marks. It would seem that that's all.
However, no, not everything. The Casio Edifice 900 represents a major step forward. Rather, even several steps connected with each other. The first thing that should be noted visually is that the dial is made of carbon fiber (carbon fiber). This high-tech progressive composite is now actively used in the automotive industry, and in the aerospace industry too. In addition, the carbon texture on the dial looks extremely impressive and is unambiguously associated with Formula 1, NASCAR and other similar elite races.
But carbon fiber is practically impervious to light radiation! What about recharging from the Sun? Casio engineers have successfully solved this problem. The carbon in Casio Edifice EQS-900 does not prevent the solar panel from capturing the cherished rays - thanks to the rational placement of windows through which light passes and a technologically improved solar panel. Thus, the EQS-900 is also powered by sunlight or artificial daylight, and is more than efficient.
In addition, the new generation solar panel has become even smaller, thinner and, accordingly, lighter. This made it possible to keep the very comfortable dimensions of the watch: the case diameter is 47,6 mm, the thickness is 12 mm. The dial is still illuminated by the Neobrite coating.
About ISA
Sometimes one hears a strange question about the Casio Edifice 920 ISA watch. What kind of ISA is this ?! There are simply no ISA-branded watches in the Casio catalog. ISA quartz movements exist in nature, but they have nothing to do with Casio and Japan in general. There is no ESA marking either ... But there is a question, and here we decided to give a hypothesis of an answer to it.
We assume that the designation EQS was bizarrely transcribed in "isa". Moreover, the Casio Edifice EQS-920 model really exists, it first appeared at the end of 2018. Again, exactly the same functionality (only the sector scale moved to the lower part of the dial), the same diameter of 47,6 mm, a little more thickness - 12,5 mm. But it is worth noting the presence in the line of the limited model Casio Edifice EQS-920TR-2AER, dedicated (which is clear already from the TR indices) to the auto racing team Scuderia Toro Rosso. This watch is made in the colors of the team and richly decorated with its symbols.
