Customer Reviews

Casio Men's EQW700DBJ-1A Edifice Solar Atomic Watch

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this watch! That said, 1 hour after unpacking it I was convinced it was broken
and ready to send it back. NOT SO FAST! This watch is SOLAR powered. Yes it can maintain a sufficient
charge to function for one day if under flourescent light for 8 hrs, but its delivered to you after being in a totally
dark box (a cute Casio can) for a few months at least! Mine arrived with the display blank and the
analog hands frozen. No problem I thought..just a few minutes under a hologen lamp
and I'm good to go...right. Not so much. I read the "Home time zone" and "Manual time
setting" sections of the manual and proceded to push the appropriate buttons. Chaos. Nothing
responded acording to the manual. The problem.....not enough juice. When you get this watch
you should put it in direct sunlight (outdoors preferably) for 6 to 8 hrs. before attempting
anything...and I mean anything. Then and only then go first to page E-34 of the manual and
set the "Home Position" of the hands. Then go to page E-49 and set your time zone and local
time manually. Then, after dark, try a "manual receive" of the atomic time. I say after dark
because unless you live within 600 miles of Clorado, you probably will not get a satisfactory
signal during daylight. THEN, READ THE ENTIRE MANUAL. Yes it is small print and somewhat
difficult to decifer. But you cannot enjoy or controll this timepiece without understanding the
operating system. Complicated?....perhaps....worth it?....YOU BET! This watch will last you
a lifetime and you'll never need to replace a battery, worry about dailight savings changes or
leap years or 30-31 day month settings and never need to set the time. Only occasionally
will you need to do maintainance of exact hand position. Once FULLY charged (27 hrs direct
sunlight) this watch will maintain itself with ambient daylight and office flourescent light.
Beware the "tilt backlight feature"....this really sucks the power and is not really useful
after the Gee-wiz factor wears off. ENJOY!

In buying a new watch I was looking for one with toughness, a little sophistication (solar, automatic, or kinetic), and a touch of elegance. I love the weight and feel of Seiko watches as well as the solar characteristics of Casio and Citizen (I own two of each). My current Casio dress watch (510A) of four years is of cheaper quality construction and very light, but the solar and atomic integrity are excellent and have endured to do this date. Ultimately, two decisions weighed in this purchase: The atomic timekeeping function of never having to adjust the time, and the integrity and toughness of the Casio brand.

I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised by this new Casio Edifice watch when it arrived. The quality is excellent- the band is of heavy stainless steal, shines with elegance, and carries a significant weight. It looks far better than pictured and my co-workers have all commented on the weight and feel. As for the learning curve, it took me about ten minutes to figure everything out (as I have been familiar with Casio watches). Any watch with several dials is going to have some learning arc, but to simplify things it helps to understand that one dial toggles through all the functions while the other two are for adjustment. As with my other solar watches, it is background charging so one doesn't need to expose it to direct sunlight. (Simply wearing it or letting it sit on the counter to exposed indoor lighting is sufficient to keep it charged). The atomic function calibrates at night (I keep it near the window), and has calibrated successfully every time (I live in Los Angeles).

I always hesitate purchasing Casio watches because the name implies a more "cheaper" brand. However, this is the most impressive watch from the line of Casio and mirrors the same quality in their higher line of Oceanus watches.

I love the looks of this watch and its features. Too bad that I had to return it because it kept time inaccurately over the course of a week. The watch would run all the time and I did give it plenty of sunlight on numerous days to get a full charge, however the mechanicals seemed to be the problem. The watch "knew" what the correct time was, but the hands repeatedly would lose alignment. This is a quality control issue for Casio, I believe. After following the watch manual's prescribed remedy for realigning the hands it would run well for about 2 days and then become about and hour and 5 minutes off. A "Hand Setting" realign would get it back in order each time. After observing this problem multiple times I regretfully returned it! This is not an inexpensive watch by any means, even if it's not a top-shelf Casio Oceanus. Pretty disappointed in this, and doesn't make me want to upgrade to an Oceanus any time soon. IMO, perhaps better to stick with the cheaper-than-Oceanus Casios that may run great for years, but which a person won't be out of luck (and much money) if it doesn't. Wish I didn't have this to report and would rather have the Edifice on my wrist, but that is not the case.
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Edit: I decided to give this watch another chance and managed to get one that ran properly from the start the next time around. Therefore, I raised the rating from only 2 stars to 4 stars...better than average overall experience with this watch. It's a really great watch because it does multiple things well and looks great in person (much better than the stock photos), and I hope it keeps working. This doesn't entirely make up for the first problem because it's a pain to return things and the first problem created a lasting impression (and the reason I won't give it 5 stars, even though I would like to in a sense). As mentioned before, this 50/50 experience with Casio Edifice makes Oceanus not very appealing. On a more positive note, it boils down to this: The second watch runs very well and it says something of it's niceness that I would give this model a second chance!

I already had several Casio Waveceptor/Tough Solar watches (one is a G-shock), but I was looking for a better-looking, more solid watch with those features. I looked at some of the Citizen Eco-Drive watches, but like many chronograph watches they look too busy for my taste.

I have had this watch for a little over 2 weeks now, and I couldn't be happier with it. As others have said, it is a really nice looking watch, and the pictures do not really do it justice. It has a good weight to it and feels very solid. The functions are quite easy to learn how to use, although I was already familiar with the brand. It has received the atomic signal every night without fail (you can check this quite easily). I love the idea that it always keeps perfect time and will never need a battery change.

It is already my favorite watch...an everyday, wear-to-work watch that you will be proud to have on your wrist.

As described by other reviewers the watch looks much better than the pictures - the pictures do not do justice to the watch, its absolutely gorgeous ! I downloaded the manual even before the watch arrived and went through it - though a first time owner of casio solar / atomic series..it took me a few minutes to get used to the settings and the functionality.

It is a high end time piece and it is an absolute pleasure to see it 'sleeping' on the window sill in the dark and as soon as it is exposed to light or a button is pressed...it starts working - presto !!

I'd highly recommend the watch to anybody who is looking to buy a watch that looks good, will never need a battery, will always give accurate time & will constantly get compliments !!

I first discovered this watch in Skymall Online. I had been wearing my Solar Powered G2300 Casio G Shock for the better part of 5 years and wanted to upgrade to something a bit more stylish. I was originally apprehensive about the initial price and waited several months to determine whether the price would drop. I had decided to purchase a slightly less expensive Casio Edifice but the online seller never delivered the product. Fortunately, the "Big E" refunded my money.

I found the Casio Edifice EQW700DBJ available at Amazon for $100 less that Skymall. After much debate I ordered the watch which arrived within two days. The vendor took the time to make sure the watch was solarly charged and set to the correct time zone. The watch has a heavy/dense feel, which I like and is a joy to wear. I tested all the functions which work perfectly. I have previously owned watches from TAG, Invictus, and Seiko; all of which make fine time pieces. However, for best value and style, I'll never leave Casio.

I followed the advice of other reviewers of this watch and read completely through the manual before I tried doing anything with the watch. Having owned a less expensive Waveceptor Solar Casio watch previously, I knew that it needed to be set in the light to charge the battery. So, that's where it went while I read the manual. Setup is easy and everything made perfect sense. The next step for me was to take my lunch break and go have the wrist band sized-down at a nearby jeweler. I could probably have done this myself, but they have all the right tools. I love this watch, and it looks as if it will last many years! I'm very picky about the alignment of the hands. With this watch, the alignment is PERFECT! You will not regret purchasing this watch!

I waited quite a while to purchase a WWVB synchronized radio-telechronometer, or "atomic' watch", as these instruments are frequently called. The earliest ones were delicate, unreliable, and frankly much too 'geeky' for my tastes, which run to Omega, Rolex, Bell&Ross, IWC, etc. But given the recent quantum advances in radio controlled clocks and electronic technology generally, things have progressed to where such timepieces are compact, rugged, VERY dependable and of exemplary manufacture. Some, like this outstanding timepiece, also offer both classic elegance and contemporary European design. So I was fairly confident in selecting the Edifice EQW700DBJ-1A by Casio.
To say that I'm enormously impressed with this superbly executed precision instrument would be an understatment. Not to put too fine a point on it, but frankly, this watch just blows me away!
I could paraphrase the lavish praise this watch has already received (and quite deservedly so!) from Mr. Gerhard Moeller whose set up advice was invaluable to me (see my comment to his review), J. McKinley, and Mr. Kurt G. Doerr, but it would be redundant! These reviewers said it all...this is simply one stunning timepiece, and I give it my very highest recommendation.
To their comments, I only wish to add that from the moment I laid eyes on it, it was clear that I was in possession of a superior instrument of flawless design. Casio has made tremendous strides in the quality, technology, and sophistication of its Oceanus, Edifice and G-Shock watches. None of the photos of this watch you might find on the web, including my own, even begin to do her justice. This watch is classically handsome in that same ineffable way as an Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Daytona, or TAG Carrera...and it doesn't look out of place sitting proudly beside any of them. In fact, it would look equally appropriate with either a NASA EVA suit or an Armani.
Sorry, Mr. Bond...she's MINE!

12/6/2010 Update to ADDENDUM:
I found a really great deal on the MRG-8000B plus, I won't have to sell the EQW700 after all!
=SJ=

ADDENDUM: After 6 months owning and wearing this timepiece continuously, I've come to love Casios solar/atomic technology, quality of materials and superb workmanship so much that I decided I've just GOT to have the top-of-the-line model MRG-8000B-1AJF...but at $2300.00 I'm going to have to sell off a few of my other timepieces in order to buy it. Hopefully, I won't need to sell THIS one...she's a pearl!
But if you're looking to buy this watch, why not consider buying mine, right here on Amazon. It's in excellent condition, runs perfectly, and priced to go!
Thanks,
Bob =Sunjammer= W.

I love this watch. I usually wear it ever day to work and its one of my best watches, from my whole collection. I love the dual time mode, and whenever i travel abroad, i just reset the time as per the country and use it. Its not a burden on the wrist unlike other huge watches. In all, you should get this watch. It looks great too.

i got this watch for a steal at 100 dollars on a sale, and im happy to say its one of the best watches ive owned, and ive had a few. the functions on this watch are bewildering. never having to change the battery or move it around is also a huge perk. the luminous hands are also exceptionally bright but the light button kind of sucks, its not like an illuminator or anything. the band comes huge and i had problems getting it sized for my wrist which is small. but i ended up getting a hounds-tooth black and white kavu watchband that looks perfect. the watch does look stunning and with the new band i get lots of compliments. an annoyance is switching through the modes and taking more then 2 seconds to switch a time zone because you have to wait for the movement change before you can go through again. the chrono function keeps great time. and i like having the digital date window. i liked this watch so much i bought one for my dad. i would recommend it to anyone.