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Casio Duro MDV106-1AV Review

Are you looking for a ‘go anywhere’, ‘do anything’ type of watch? Don’t want to invest your hard-earned dollars in an untested or ‘inadequately seasoned’ brand? On the market for a solid watch value that delivers lots of versatility? If any of these apply to you, check out the Casio MDV106-1A Stainless Steel Watch.

Introduction

Featuring a steel form factor with hard side and ABS plastic strap, the MDV106-1A is unapologetically about action. Its analog display and overall package looks good in a wide range of settings. You can be sitting at a college class getting bored to tears or you can be hanging out with friends at a party, the MDV106-1A won’t make you look out of place. If anything, this watch’s rugged look makes you look ready, willing, and able to take on most situations.

Extremely versatile, this watch is worth its weight in gold in terms of ease of accessorization. Regardless of whether you dress like a million bucks or several notches below millionaire level, this watch has got your outfit accessorization needs covered.

Features :

  • Case diameter 40 millimeters
  • Case Thickness: 12mm
  • Band Material: Resin
  • Lug to Lug: 48mm
  • Depth Rating: 20Bar (200m)
  • Bezel material : Stainless steel
  • Weight: 3.2oz on the rubber strap
  • Movement: Casio Quartz Movement
  • Lug Width: 22mm

Dial, Bezel, and Crystal

Speaking of wiggle, let’s talk about the Duro’s bezel. You’d expect a cheap diver to come with some play in its timekeeping ring, right? Well, that’s not the case here. The Duro’s 120-click, unidirectional bezel is rock solid, with a prominently lumed pip at the zero position. The canted coin edge is quite grippy, so long as your hands aren’t soaking wet.

Within the bezel lies the crystal, composed of hardened mineral glass. Not a favorite material among watch lovers, but I think Casio deserves some credit here. At $44, they could have cheapened out and gone with some form of plastic. The Duro’s large mineral crystal is perfectly serviceable for a basic beater watch, and mine picked up only a single scratch after several weeks’ worth of moving-related work.

Let’s gaze beneath the crystal, to the real appeal of the Duro. Each of its indices are applied, and the polished hands are distinct and well-wrought. This combination makes this an eminently readable watch from almost any angle, a trait that proved truly valuable on my long-haul trip. The branding is subtle and well done, with another marlin to match the one on the case back. The dial itself is something of a flat black, though there’s a bit of a sunburst if viewed from the proper angle. This deceptively simple combination lends a real pop to the hands and indices, along with the bright red of the second hand.

I can tell you from experience that this nigh-universal gripe is warranted. The lume begins fading almost immediately and will be all but invisible within a few minutes. The lone exception comes in the outdoors, on nights far away from the streetlight glow. You’ll be able to read it in the darkness of your tent, but it won’t be an easy affair.

MDV106-1A Quartz Movement

There is regular quartz movement and there is a specialized quartz movement. Specialized quartz, of course, means either Japanese or Swiss quartz. While both Alpine and non-Alpine watch designers the world over have used quartz movement technology over the years to make their designs more accessible to the budget conscious, a lot can be said for Japanese quartz.

You see, Japanese quartz technology might not get the same amount of dizzying fanboy love as Swiss quartz technology, but the Japanese give the Swiss quite a run for their money. Japanese quartz technology is all about finding a happy marriage between low cost, durability, and precision. In the expert hands of Casio (which began to make a global name for itself beginning in the 70s-80s), the MDV106-1A timepiece’s quartz movement not only crashed this watch’s price but also provides a high level of assurance.

Band

This is a typical rubber diver’s watch band. The MVD106 is not a $500 watch, and the band reflects this fact. It looks fairly sturdy but a little on the cheap side. As a rough guess, you’d probably get about 1-2 years daily use out of it, which is more than acceptable for a watch at this price point.

Because this watch doesn’t use a propriety band, the one it came with is just fine for me. If I wear the band out, it means that I really like the watch, and if I really like the watch, putting an aftermarket band on it won’t be an issue.

Conclusions

So far I am very pleased with my purchase and impressed with the quality I got at this price point. I have a couple minor concerns about how the case finish will hold up, but if this is a legit stainless steel finish and not some cheap chrome plating, then this watch may just be with me in a long time. Forty dollars is certainly not much to risk.

Casio makes some really neat models, but one of the problems I have with their overall lineup is that some models use plastic, “steel-looking” cases and lots of models use proprietary bands you can only buy from Casio, which are usually most of what the original watch cost. This is one of the few analog models they make that feature a classic look. Hopefully they will make more classic looking models like the MDV106.

  • Reliable quartz movement
  • Solid finishing
  • Simple but nice-looking design
  • Affordable price (less than $50)
  • Questionable water resistance rating
  • Extremely weak lume
  • Cheap rubber (or plastic?) band

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