A chronograph for people who will never time anything
By Kenji Watanabe, Osaka ยท
I say that kindly. Most of us who wear chronographs use them to time pasta, if at all, and the EFR-526L is honest about being a style watch first.
The 43.8 mm steel case at 12.2 mm is reasonable for a three-register chronograph, and on the leather strap it is not heavy. The tachymeter bezel looks motorsport, which is the Edifice brand idea, and Module 5345 runs the 1/10 second chronograph with the usual Casio reliability. Date window, 100 m water resistance. For 90 to 130 dollars it is a lot of dial.
What bothers me is the dial itself. There is a great deal printed on it, and the subdials are small and close together, so reading elapsed minutes at a glance takes a moment. The mineral crystal is acceptable at this price but reflective under office lights. The leather strap is stiff out of the box and the lug width of 22 mm means replacements are easy, which is good because you will want one.
If you want a Japanese quartz chronograph to wear with a suit on a modest budget, this is a reasonable choice. If you want the chronograph to feel special, save for a Seiko Speedtimer.