[Edifice Review] ECB-800DB-1A with target lap times for professional racers

Smart watches with wireless technologies are slowly conquering the market, and it is not surprising – what could be nicer when all the watch functions are set by a couple of tapas on the smartphone screen, and the time is automatically adjusted several times a day without our participation? It would seem that the Japanese can still come up with the Edifice EQB premium lineup with a fairly large model range, but they still managed to surprise their consumers with the ECB-800 series, combining smart [Bluetooth] capabilities with features that the professional lacked so much [and not only] riders. And just today I have a representative of this series on my review – ECB-800DB-1A.

Even at the stage of opening the package, I took out the box with the ECB-800, I realized – inside is something very heavy. Yes, 168 grams seems to be the norm for a steel case and the same bracelet, but the case is quite massive in terms of thickness [13.7 mm] and will definitely be felt even on the most powerful male hand.

The model was conceived as an assistant for riders, so we worked on the design accordingly, I especially liked the digital display, which is not much like other Casio electronic displays – here the numbers are large and it’s nice to look at them. An ana-DJ dial should fully reveal the full potential of the ECB-800, and the data display is more convenient than conventional analog models.

• 

• 

On the dial we see such a “stylization” of carbon fiber, which is used for visual tuning of racing and other cars. Yes, friends, this is not real carbon, as much as we would not like, but just an ordinary plastic panel that imitates more expensive material.

On the one hand, there is a model from the top division of Edifice [also presented at the Baselworld exhibition, where the middle peasants definitely don’t get there], and on the other hand, the presence of a carbon alloy will obviously not have a positive effect on the final cost, which, apparently, played a decisive role in design approval. Let’s not forget, Casio is not the only players on the market, there are other manufacturers, so the price of products must be competitive.

• 

• 

• 

Powerful and high bezel has already become the norm for the automotive line. Here it occupies almost half the entire thickness of the case, but such dimensions should not confuse anyone, because you need to somehow save the 3D effect of the dial, and without the “raising” of the bezel it is technically impossible to do this. The black IP-coating protects from scratches, a special target time scale is applied not in the form of ordinary paint, but “knocked out” on the surface, so the numbers are unlikely to wear out over time.

Well, we figured out the appearance, now is the time to “feel” the filling – we proceed to pair the watch with the phone. We install the EDIFICE Connected application [available for Android and iOS], activate Bluetooth, hold the connect button on the watch – a couple of seconds and the ECB-800 successfully connected to the smartphone.

We get to the main screen, which is a window for working with a stopwatch [main chip of the 800s]. Here you can see a graph of laps covered with the time of each of them, upload statistics, select the type of target time and select a predefined track from the list.

The stopwatch works in 3 target time modes:

TARGET – the target time is set manually. If the watch is used without a smartphone, the target time will be 15 minutes. Here the manufacturer, as it were, hints – sorry, buddy, but there is nothing to do here without a smartphone.

FASTEST – the best lap time is automatically set as the target time. In other words, if you drove the current lap faster than the previous one, then the current time is set as the target time.

LAST – the time of the last fixed lap is set as the target time.

In Fastest Lap mode, the time cannot be changed, which means we need the Target mode in which we can set the time manually – for example, 1 minute. We send the settings to the clock, and try to start the stopwatch. To further designate the buttons, I post the screen from. instructions:

We switch to the stopwatch mode [button D]. The countdown is activated by pressing the E button, and with the same button we switch to the trace. a circle. When the stopwatch starts, the second hand points to the Target Time Indicator mark located on the bezel [at about 9 o’clock]. 30 seconds before reaching the target time [in my case, it is 1 minute or 60 seconds], the arrow should start moving towards the Faster and Slower indicators. And so it happened – exactly 30 seconds passed, and the movement began. Ok, switch the circle, and repeat the manipulations 5 times [with different lap times]. One of my circles turned out to be more than the intended target time, so the clock sounded loud when the time was up.

The scale on the bezel shows the current progress relative to the target time – the lead and lag from -30 to +10 seconds. There are Faster and Slower “tips” on the dial itself to decide when to hurry and when to slow down a little.

For sophisticated riders there are presets with well-known world tracks and their lengths with an accuracy of 1 meter. It works in conjunction with a stopwatch and tachometer [window at 6 o’clock, measuring the speed of movement]. Thus, knowing the record, for example, on the Red Bull Ring track, you can set the target time and compare your performance with the real achievements of other racers, and at the same time track your speed.

By the way, the stopwatch has very cool accuracy – 1/1000 seconds and a measurement limit of up to 24 hours, though after the first hour of measurement the accuracy decreases to 1/10 of a second, but this is no longer critical. The notebook can store up to 200 circles – also with a good margin.

You can also see the information about the circles you’ve walked in the watch itself [in Recall mode], but who will do this with a smartphone in their hands?

The tachometer needle was combined with the mode arrow, and I think this is a rational solution – the less any extra. Windows and indicators make it easier to understand the functions of the watch.

For world time, you can choose one of 300 cities around the world – here I did not notice any special changes from EQB. You can select a city in three ways – tap on it on the map, enter a name in the search bar or select from the list.

There are 5 separate alarms in the watch, each of which can be set in one of three modes – one-time, daily and set to a specific alarm rule [for example, every month on a certain day and time]. It’s nice that the alarm clock can be renamed – not just AL1, AL2, etc.

With the timer, everything is simple – set the time, activated the countdown in hours. The measurement limit is 24 hours, like a stopwatch.

“Specifications of ECB-800”]

• Case / bezel material: Stainless steel
• One-touch 3-fold Clasp
• Stainless Steel Band
• Neobrite
• Mineral Glass
• Black ion plated bezel
• 100-meter water resistance

• Solar powered
• Double LED light
  LED light for the face (Full auto LED light, Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow)
  LED backlight for the digital display (Full auto LED light, Super illuminator, selectable illumination duration (1.5 seconds or 3 seconds), afterglow)
• Mobile link (Wireless linking using Bluetooth®)
• World time
  39 time zones* (39 cities + coordinated universal time), daylight saving on/off, auto summer time (DST) switching, Home city/World time city swapping
  *May be updated when connected to a smartphone.
• 1/1000-second stopwatch
  Measuring capacity:
  00’00”000~59’59”999 (for the first 60 minutes)
  1:00’00”0~23:59’59”9 (after 60 minutes)
  Measuring unit:
  1/1000 second (for the first 60 minutes)
  1/10 second (after 60 minutes)
  Measuring modes: Elapsed time, lap time
  Recorded data: Up to 200 records (measurement lap times)
  Target Time alarm
• Countdown timer
  Measuring unit: 1/10 second
  Countdown range: 24 hours
  Countdown start time setting range: 1 second to 24 hours (1-second increments, 1-minute increments and 1-hour increments)
• 5 multi-function alarms (with daily, 1 time, schedule)
• Hourly time signal
• Hand shift feature (Hands move out of the way to provide an unobstructed view of digital display contents)
• Battery level indicator
• Full auto-calendar (to year 2099)
• 12/24-hour format
• Button operation tone on/off
• Power Saving (display goes blank and hands stop to save power when the watch is left in the dark)
• Regular timekeeping
  Analog: 3 hands (hour, minute (hand moves every 10 seconds), second), 1 dial (speed indicator)
  Digital: Hour, minute, second, pm, month, date, day
• Accuracy: ±15 seconds per month (with no mobile link function)
• Approx. battery operating time:
  6 months on rechargeable battery (operation period with normal use without exposure to light after charge)
  19 months on rechargeable battery (operation period when stored in total darkness with the power save function on after full charge) Size of case : 53.5×49.2×13.7mm
• Total weight : 168g

The solar battery is installed in the ECB-800, and its charge is displayed along with the current time on the left side of the tachometer window [letters F and E].

• 

• 

The backlight, as befits a watch of this level, is beyond praise – two LEDs separately illuminate the analog zone and the electronic window.

Conclusion

The ECB-800 is definitely a step forward for the Japanese in the Edifice racing line. Here is just the case when the car focus is supported not only by visual details, but also by a specific functional component [target lap time and preset tracks], which can easily find application in professional racing competitions. I will say right away – the lack of a smartphone nullifies all the useful pieces of the watch. Yes, you can use a stopwatch and even view race statistics without Bluetooth, but data visualization plays an important role in tracking performance. Well, the convenience of tuning wirelessly, of course, decides.

Read Quick News on ECB-800:

• [Edifice Review] ECB-800DB-1A with target lap times for professional racers

All News on ECB-800 →

Firstly published, but we carefully translated into English.