New Release: This Is The First-Ever Mechanical Casio, The Edifice EFK-100 In Forged Carbon

Excited? Disappointed? Indifferent? I wonder how the watch enthusiast community feels about the long-awaited, first-ever mechanical Casio watch, the Casio Edifice EFK-100. Well, it’s official: Here it is, and I, for one, feel all three ways at once.

Casio Computer Co., Ltd., as none of us ever call it, just announced the addition of five totally new models to its Edifice watch collection that is based “on the brand concept of Speed & Intelligence” (kid you not). The five new references are EFK-100XPB-1AJF, EFK-100CD-1AJF, the EFK-100D-2AJF, EFK-100D-3AJF, and EFK-100D-7AJF. Between the “XPB,” “CD,” and “D” references, there are some notable differences, but first, let’s talk movement — and those three simultaneous sensations we kicked things off with.

Casio is a brand that needs no introduction to anyone born outside a tax haven, as it has more than earned its reputation as the manufacturer of mostly affordable, accurate, and feature-heavy quartz watches, including well and truly iconic ones such as the G-Shock 5000/5600, F-91W, Royale, Databank, AQ-230, A158, and the cheapest factory diamond-set watch in the world that we reviewed… It is a strong list that goes to show that you need no fancy mechanical caliber, just a battery-powered movement to produce absolute best-sellers that enjoy decades of public appeal.

In a way, we could argue that a major watch brand switching between movement technologies (from battery to mechanical or vice versa) is one of the most impactful, meaningful, and important moments in its history. Likewise, Casio has set the bar very high for itself, as it is a globally cherished brand with goodness only knows how many millions of collectors and fans eagerly following the latest Casio watch news.

With all that in mind, the first-ever mechanical watch from Casio could and maybe should have been something bombastic, with a bespoke movement, some unique functionality, or at least a special design, while a true Casio fan could easily argue against that and claim that it is, indeed, very on-brand for Casio to produce an affordable, likeable, low-thrills watch to debut its first spring-driven caliber.

Well, the Casio Edifice EFK-100 is certainly the result of the latter approach as it is priced between ￥49,500 JPY ($340 USD) and ￥74,800 JPY ($515 USD), and it places as much emphasis on the design, presentation, and use of materials as it does on the movement. Sadly, Casio seems to have learned some of the more dubious ways of mechanical watchmaking at the earliest of stages: The brand does not appear to make a single mention of the caliber’s manufacturer or the caliber’s name — although, to its credit, you can read the caliber reference on the rotor through the see-through caseback.

The first-ever mechanical Casio watches are powered by a Seiko NH35 movement that some sources claim to be modified, although where and how they are modified, no one knows. Casio claims that the movements are indeed mechanical, and provides such new (to the brand) details as a power reserve of (a measly) 40 hours, an operating frequency of (a sluggish) 3Hz, and additional functionalities such as hacking seconds hand, a date display, and 24 jewels.

In other words, Casio cased up a Seiko NH35 as its first-ever mechanical watch. As we pondered above, does that make the Casio Edifice EFK-100 collection a disappointment, or yet another genuine Casio move, especially given the relatively low retail price of these watches? Let’s see what the packaging gets you, since that is where Casio traditionally offers much of its value.

The steel Casio Edifice EFK-100 collection measures 39mm wide, 43.5mm lug-to-lug, and 12.5mm thick, offers solid 100-meter water resistance along with some level of magnetism resistance (JIS Class 1), and four out of the five models come in stainless steel, on a steel bracelet, weighing in at 148 grams. The fifth model, reference EFK-100XPB-1AJF, measures 45 by 40 by 12.5 millimeters, is matched to a resin band with a folding clasp, and weighs just 87 grams because, you guessed it, it has a case crafted from a combination of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and stainless steel. There is a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating applied to its inside on the front, which is a nice touch at this price point.

The four steel models came with a variety of dial options. EFK-100CD-1AJF is the only one with a forged carbon dial, while the rest are blue (EFK-100D-2AJF), green (EFK-100D-3AJF), and white (EFK-100D-7AJF) have a textured dial where electroforming was used to “reproduce the look of forged carbon.” There are several quality touches on the dial, like the applied indices and the complex hands, and way beyond it, including the lovely-looking case with its polished and brushed surfaces, and the neat integration of the slim metal bracelet with its own alternating surface treatments with polished surfaces on the edges of the links as well as on the angled segment on the inside of the inner links.

The see-through caseback reveals an industrial-looking NH35 that Casio claims to have a mean daily rate between -35 and +45 seconds. I can deal with an ancient and brief 40-hour power reserve, but in 2025, no mechanical watch from a reputable brand (not just Casio, but any one of them) should be officially OK to gain up to 5 minutes per week — but maybe it’s just me saying that.

The first mechanical Casio is here, and some might say it is all that a mechanical Casio should be: relatively affordable, ideally styled and engineered for daily wear all week ’round, and a few noticeable and unique touches for a sense of quality and execution that actually exceeds the price point. On the other hand, some of us might be a bit disappointed that this historic moment feels more like a line extension that just happens to have a mechanical movement — which it actually is. Casio goes on and on about how the Edifice line is linked to cars and is aimed at car enthusiasts, but I simply can’t be asked to try and unfold how imaginary and far-fetched that is for what is a lovely-looking, if not a bit ordinary, watch.

The first mechanical Casio watches will be available from July/August, 2025, depending on the version, and the pricing is as follows:

• The Casio Edifice EFK-100XPB-1AJF with a forged carbon case and dial is priced at ￥74,800 JPY ($515 USD),
• The Casio Edifice EFK-100YCD-1AJF with a forged carbon dial is priced at ￥55,000 JPY ($379 USD),
• The Casio Edifice EFK-100YD-7A in white is priced at ￥49,500 JPY ($340 USD),
• The Casio Edifice EFK-100YD-3A in green is priced at ￥49,500 JPY ($340 USD),
• The Casio Edifice EFK-100YD-2A in blue is priced at ￥49,500 JPY ($340 USD).

For now, these appear to be limited to the Japanese market, but that might change soon. You can learn more at the brand’s website.