Casio has released a new model in its hybrid Edifice line, the ECB30P-1AV, and it’s got a slick racecar-inspired new look in addition to a set of smart features.
The ECB30P-1AV, although it’s an analog watch rather than a “true” smartwatch, still packs Bluetooth connectivity and comes with a number of smart features. The watch will automatically update to the time zone in your current location, based on 300 locations worldwide, and the watch’s timer notifications will pair with your calendar to alert you of an upcoming appointment. It’s even got a handy phone finder function.
The stopwatch is accurate to 1/1,000 of a second, and the face contains two digital readouts; one for the WM Bar to calculate water depth (the watch is water-resistant up to 100 meters/328 feet) and one for your alarm signals, which you can program in the Casio Watches app. The watch has a two-year battery life, but unfortunately, there’s none of the Solar charging functionality present on some of the other watches in the Edifice line.
All this is housed in a sleek, sports-car-inspired mechanical face with stainless steel casing. Even the black polyurethane wrist strap is consistent with the look, as deep vertical grooves echo Formula 1 tires.
The watch is currently available in the US priced at $200. Other watches in the Edifice line are available internationally, so there’s no reason the ECB30P-1AV couldn’t appear in other countries very soon.
Needs more drive
The watch will find a home with people who want a great-looking, water-resistant analog timepiece with smart functionality but don’t want to shell out for a full-price, high-spec dive watch.
However, the Edifice line is full of these watches, and just because this one looks great, it doesn’t mean we haven’t seen it all before. To compete with smartwatches and fitness trackers in the sports space it’s currently playing in, Casio has to go deeper on its hybrid between analog and connectivity while keeping its watches affordable.
The Withings Scanwatch is a wonderful example of a true hybrid between analog and smart technology, although maybe geared toward older users. Give me some of that blend of smart-analog functionality in the Edifice ECB30P-1AV’s casing, and maybe I’ll think twice about picking one up.
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