Casio has launched a new model in its Edifice hybrid range, the ECB30P-1AV, and it has a new race car-inspired look plus a host of smart features.
The ECB30P-1AV, despite being an analog watch rather than a "real" smartwatch, still offers Bluetooth connectivity and comes with a host of smart features. The watch will automatically update to the time zone of your current location, based on 300 locations worldwide, and the watch's timer notifications will pair with your calendar to notify you of an upcoming appointment. It even has a handy phone search feature.
The stopwatch is accurate to 1/1000th of a second and the face contains two digital displays; one for the WM bar to calculate the water depth (the watch is water resistant to 100 meters/328 feet) and one for the alarm signals, which you can program in the Casio Watches app. The watch has a two-year battery life, but unfortunately none of the solar charging features are present on some of the other watches in the Edifice range.
All of this is housed in a sleek, sports car-inspired mechanical dial with a stainless steel case. Even the black polyurethane strap is consistent with the look, as the deep vertical grooves echo Formula 1 tyres.
The watch is currently available in the US for €200. Other watches in the Edifice range are available internationally, so there's no reason the ECB30P-1AV can't appear in other countries very soon.
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The watch will appeal to people who want a stylish, waterproof analog watch with smart features, but don't want to pay for a high-end, full-price dive watch.
The Edifice line is full of these watches though, and just because this one looks great doesn't mean we haven't seen it yet. To compete with smartwatches and fitness trackers in the sports space you currently play, Casio needs to deepen 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, albeit perhaps aimed at older users. Give me some of that mix of smart analog features in the Edifice ECB30P-1AV case, and maybe you'll think twice before picking one up.