Casio built its reputation on affordable, reliable quartz watches and digital timepieces that have been around since the 1970s. Mechanical movements — the kind with a hairspring and mainspring ticking away inside — were never part of the brand's story. So when Casio dropped its first-ever automatic watch last year, it genuinely caught the watch world off guard.
What made it more surprising was that the watch was actually good. The Casio Edifice EFK-100D came in at under $300, wore well on the wrist, and carried a solid automatic movement sourced from Seiko. For a brand making its mechanical debut, it was a strong first showing. Most people assumed it would stay a one-off experiment — a novelty release for a company testing the waters.
Casio had other plans.
Less than a year after launching the EFK-100D, the brand is back with a follow-up. The new Casio Edifice EFK-110D builds directly on what came before, and in nearly every measurable way, it moves the needle in the right direction.
A Familiar Face With Real Differences
Side by side, the EFK-110D and its predecessor look almost identical. Both watches carry the same overall design language — a combination of mirror polish and hairline brushing across the case, a thin polished bezel, and an integrated H-link bracelet that gives the watch a clean, dressy-casual look. The hands and hour markers are the same. The dial still reads "Edifice Casio" at twelve o'clock and "Automatic" just above six. At a quick glance, most people wouldn't notice any change at all.
But the differences are real, and they matter.
The dial still sits under a sapphire crystal and carries the same forged carbon-inspired electroformed texture that gave the original its distinctive look. One change that stands out immediately is the date window. On the EFK-100D, the date sat at six o'clock. On the new model, it has been moved to three o'clock — a more traditional placement that most watch wearers will find familiar and easier to read at a glance.
A Slimmer, More Refined Case
The case itself looks the same on the surface, but Casio made some quiet refinements worth paying attention to. The EFK-100D measured 39mm across, 43.5mm from lug to lug, and 12.5mm thick. The EFK-110D trims those numbers to 38mm wide, 43mm lug-to-lug, and 11.8mm thick.
That might not sound like much on paper, but on the wrist, the difference between a 12.5mm case and an 11.8mm case is noticeable — especially under a shirt cuff. Thinner watches sit better, move better, and tend to feel more refined throughout the day. Casio didn't change the silhouette, but it did make the watch slightly more wearable across the board.
The Movement Is the Real Story
The reason both the date relocation and the case slimming were possible comes down to one decision: Casio swapped out the movement.
The EFK-100D ran on the Seiko NH35, a well-regarded workhorse that powers countless affordable automatics across the market. It's a proven caliber with a solid track record. For the EFK-110D, Casio moved to the Miyota 8215, a Japan-made automatic movement produced by Citizen's movement division.
Both calibers live in the same general price tier, and both are reliable daily drivers. The Miyota, however, has a slightly thinner profile — which is what allowed Casio to shave that extra fraction of a millimeter off the case thickness. It also carries a better accuracy rating out of the box. Casio rates the EFK-100D at an average daily rate of -35 to +45 seconds per day. The EFK-110D, running the Miyota, is rated at -20 to +40 seconds per day. That's a meaningful improvement in timekeeping consistency, even if neither watch is going to compete with a Swiss chronometer.
What Stays the Same
The exhibition caseback remains in place, meaning the movement is still visible through a screw-down display window on the back of the watch — a nice touch that lets the owner see what's actually running the show. The water resistance stays at 100 meters, which is enough for everyday wear, swimming, and exposure to the elements without any concern.
The bracelet design is also unchanged from the original. The brushed and polished H-link construction that gave the EFK-100D its polished, integrated look carries over directly to the new model.
Colors and Availability
The EFK-100D launched in four dial options: white, blue, green, and a black version that used actual forged carbon fiber rather than the electroformed texture found on the other dials. That carbon black variant was a standout, adding a premium material element to an already well-priced watch.
For the EFK-110D, Casio is launching with three colorways: white, blue, and black. The green option from the original lineup is not available at launch. More notably, the black dial on the new model appears to have shifted away from real forged carbon, now using the same electroformed texture as the white and blue versions. That's a small step back for the black variant specifically, even if the visual effect remains similar.
As of now, Casio has not released official U.S. pricing for the EFK-110D. European pricing has been set at €279, which converts to roughly $322 at current exchange rates. The EFK-100D retails for $280 in the United States, which puts the expected U.S. price for the new model somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 when it becomes available later this month. That remains a strong value proposition for what's on offer.
Why This Watch Deserves Attention
The story here isn't just that Casio made a second automatic watch. It's that the brand is treating mechanical watchmaking as a direction rather than a detour. The EFK-110D didn't reinvent the formula — it refined it. A better movement, a slimmer case, and a more traditional date placement add up to a watch that's more considered than its predecessor without adding any cost to speak of.
For anyone who passed on the EFK-100D waiting to see if Casio would follow through on the concept, the EFK-110D makes a solid case for getting on board. It wears the Casio name, comes in under $300, runs a reliable Japanese automatic movement, and carries itself with the kind of understated design that works across a wide range of occasions.
Not bad for a brand that spent the better part of fifty years convinced it didn't need a mainspring.
