Put the pedal to the metal with the Casio Edifice Honda Racing edition

Earlier this year, we told you about a special-edition Casio Edifice that was being released in collaboration with Honda Racing (right here). Well, wouldn’t you know it? We recently got to spend some hands-on time with the Casio Edifice Honda Racing edition, and can give you our impression.

By now, you should be familiar with the Casio Edifice lineup. Of their various connected watches, the Edifice line most resembles (at least, to me) a “regular” watch, with everyday good looks and some technical smarts hidden underneath. In fact, one of the most popular ones we’ve looked at still draws interest, even a year down the line (you can see that here). For this Honda-specific version, you’ve got plenty of Honda red showing up.

Then, you get into the mechanical look and feel of things. The bezel is octagonal (looking like an oversized fastener), and the numerals printed around it give the feel of a speedometer. The dial is set with carbon fiber weave (plenty of that on race cars), and the retrograde subdial gives you that speedo/tach feel as well. You may also notice that the 20 on the bezel is in red as well – that’s because this watch also marks the 20th annivesary of the Edifice lineup.

In terms of getting the watch setup and configured, the Casio Edifice Honda Racing edition is much like other recent Edifice releases. You put the Edifice app onto your phone, connect up via Bluetooth, and then you can configure to your hearts content. Sure, you can also set things directly on the watch itself, but I find the app much, much easier to use. Just bear in mind that’s all the Bluetooth is for – you’re not getting notifications and the like from your phone showing up on your wrist.

Realistically, the Casio Edifice Honda Racing edition is very much like most of the other (recent) Edifice lineup. The cases are slightly oversized, though thinner than you might expect, and they all offer fairly similar capabilities. So, so long as you’re not looking for their ultra-thin one, it boils down to a matter of preferences for the color palette. So, who is this one for? I’d say it’s for those motorsports fans who really like the teams that use Honda engines – it’s a subtler way to show your support on your wrist, each and every day. If that’s you, you can pick one up for $330 directly from casio.com

Editor’s note: Want something a little more ready for outdoors adventure? Check out the Casio Protrek review we published today over on WWR

Review Summary

Brand & Model:?Casio Edifice Honda Racing ECB10HR-1A
Price:?$330
Who?s it for??You want a solid everyday watch that can talk to your phone – and subtly support your favorite Honda-powered racing team

Would I wear it??While I like the Edifice lineup, I think if I was getting one it would need to be the EQB1000D-1A
What I?d change:?I wouldn’t have minded seeing more Honda red in there, perhaps even worked into the fiber weave of the dial
The best thing about it:?The subtle motorsports nods

Tech Specs from Casio

Double LED light
- LED light for the face (Auto LED light, Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow)
- LED backlight for the digital display (Auto LED light, Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow)

Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth?)
Flight mode
World time
- 38 time zones* (38 cities + coordinated universal time), daylight saving on/off, auto summer time (DST) switching, Home city/World time city swapping
1/1000-second stopwatch
- Measuring capacity:
  - 00?00??000~59?59??999 (for the first 60 minutes)
  - 1:00?00??0~23:59?59??9 (after 60 minutes)
- Measuring unit:
  - 1/1000 second (for the first 60 minutes)
  - 1/10 second (after 60 minutes)
- Measuring modes: Elapsed time, lap time

Countdown timer
- Measuring unit: 1 second
- Countdown range: 24 hours
- Countdown start time setting range: 1 second to 24 hours (1-second increments, 1-minute increments and 1-hour increments)
5 daily alarms
Hourly time signal

Hand shift feature (Hands move out of the way to provide an unobstructed view of digital display contents)
Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)
12/24-hour format

Schedule beeper on/off
Button operation tone on/off
Date/month display swapping

Day display (days of the week selectable in six languages)
Regular timekeeping
- Analog: 2 hands (hour, minute (hand moves every 20 seconds)), 1 dial (linked to each mode)
- Digital: Hour, minute, second, pm, month, date, day
- Accuracy: ?15 seconds per month (with no mobile link function)
- Module No. 5618

Approx. battery life: 2 years on CR2016
Size of case / total weight: 51.0 x 48.5 x 12.5 mm / 167 g