# casio edifice 527L-1AVDF, review (first impressions)



## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

to begin, one of the snaps i took in a hurry, to illustrate the text. a bit of a tease, hope you don't mind 
(note: first attempts at watch photography. sorry about the wb, it _is_ off, the case of this watch is colorless, aka grey/silver)

the road to this purchase is a rather winding one (isn't it always?). i have a thing for timepieces (known issue, since childhood, nothing helped), and i have another thing for sliderules. as there's yet another for aviation.. e6b it had to be. now, this is the main requirement, but there were others.

i have been wearing a watch eversince i can remember, it used to be really cheap junk some time ago: as long as it kept time, i was happy, if it also had some features ("chrono. yyyhhaaa!", you know..), it was great. the first problem i had was that, though i loved my watches, cheap as they were, i didn't understand the concept of leaving them behind whenever (to protect from shock, water, etc). water was the main issue, as quartz digital display watches are basically indestructible by design. finding a decently waterproofed watch was more complicated than you would imagine today. funny enough, the first "success" was a casio (which still works today, more than 10y after, though the case itself is broken and it cannot take a strap anymore).

another issue i discovered after a while was with reading the display. i love digital watches for their price, features, and reliability. but when it comes to reading the damn time, the love afair ends. and i wear a watch on my wrist for the precise reason that i want to read the damn time once in a while. i learned how to read an analog watch when i could barely spell/write (about 3 or 4, i think), perhaps that's the reason why every time i read a digital clock, i see an analog face, and only than i understand what time it is. if i do quick time calculations, i do them the same way. if i am very tired, it helps a lot to be able to look at the watch and do the reading and the time calculation, in one glance. you get the picture. personal preference, for sure.

so:

- slide rule (e6b - like). it is to be used, so it has to be accurate and useable
- analog display (or combined)
- quartz, battery or solar (solar being preferred). not automatic, not manual wind (shock vulnerable, G-forces vulnerable, unless you pay an arm and a leg, that is; accuracy is also far superior for quartz for the same price, and probably for 10x the price as well)
- internal e6b preferred, with crown (sliderule protected by the crystal, instead of exposed to knocks, and general wear and tear)
- clean and discrete face/design (as much as possible for an e6b). no useless markings
- 24h/zulu hand (pereferably not tiny dial, fourth hand on the main dial)
- additional features to taste (chrono, alarm).
- i happen to hate "integrated" bracelets. i don't like the "lock in", i don't like the looks, so avoided if possible.

i had seen the edifice 518 some time ago. something about the design didn't quite click. (maybe that inner circle, the integrated bracelet, don't know). i was pretty sure i had to get the nighthawk or the skyhawk at and get it over with (if you are thinking "why not", there are about 1k reasons not to, down here: one for every buck) and than i saw










ticked all the boxes, except for the zulu. argggh. i'd rather have the zulu and not the chrono. oh well. was looking at the torgoens (those guys seem to know what i want..), but finally got this localy.

some not-so-obvious specs:

- the chrono does not allow split times (like the torgoen eta movement). no big deal, but something to be aware of
- there is _no_ zulu/24h, despite what some sellers say. sorry
- the crown at 3 is screwdown. the sliderule crown at 8 is not.
- the timekeeping second hand is not the "big" one. that one is dead weight unless the chrono is in use. the small dial at the 6 o'clock position is the second hand.

it is _quiet_. seriously. i could hear all the quartz analog watches i had so far (including the previous casio, tough solar). they drive me mad, i can hear them from half a meter, easily, same with mechanical watches, they can keep me awake at night. i cannot hear this one if i put my ear to it. dead quiet. amazing. perhaps the mass of the case alone is enough to absorb the noise, perhaps it's because the second hand is so small, so light, and thus requires such little torque to move. if i start the chrono, i can hear the second hand for the chrono ("the big one"), but barely. it is still quieter than anything i have ever seen to date. nice.

the size of the face is imense. the watch itself is quite big, though i have a relatively tiny wrist, i love it, doesn't bother me at all (yet..). the size of the face means i can dead-reckon the seconds -- to 10-15 or so -- just by looking at the minutes hand. no kidding. this makes me even sadder that they didn't include a zulu hand. actually, the main face and movement should be 24h, too. what's the point of 12h anyway, unless the face needs to be 1cm across? there's 24h in a day! arghh.

the cristal is flat. can't comment on the scratch resistance so soon, it is said to be mineral, but not saphire (not surprising, for the price), and "scratch resistant" (but that's relative, with no scale mentioned, the term means nothing). i see no mention or evidence of any antiglare treatment, but in practice the readability is actually quite good (might have something to do with the size..). here's an attempt to show some glare, while fooling around with the camera:










there is lume on the hour and minute hand, and on the hour markers. it has lasted throughout the night without problems (and without being annoying) after i got it from the shop. however, being winter time, so mostly covered outdoors, only exposed to faint indoors light, it doesn't seem to manage to catch enough light to charge back. hmm. will have to see about that. on the other hand, the thin reflective gold accents on the watch, together with it's size, mean that, so far, it has to be pitch dark to not be able to read the time. that's actually much better in practice than the previous (tough solar), with it's nifty autolight and lume. the test was involuntary, while driving, at night, in town: i just glanced at the watch, and had the time, never thought twice, i realized later that it didn't use to be so easy. i am actually finding the bling (gold plating) useful, what do you know.. (i was afraid i'd hate the ogld accents, at first)









the lume actually looks nice when it "works".

the sliderule: has proven quite accurate so far, and loads of fun (nobody seems to understand what the point is, btw. oh well, no wonder it's so hard to find an e6b watch). the alignment is good out of the box (unlike one other example i saw in a shop, which had a lot of play on the moving part of the sliderule, and looked completely out of whack, thus useless -- so be careful). it is easy to read in decent light, harder as the light levels drop. i guess the white face version would be a partial solution to that, but i decided already that's a bit too "in your face" for me, so i'm okay. the only complaint here is the position of the crown: i find myself actually wearing the watch on my right hand. now, i do this with all my watches, from time to time (keeps them on their toes, you know...), but with this one, i am forced: the sliderule crown is obviously the main thing you need to reach. the main adjustment crown, you don't need 99% of the time, the chrono pushers can be reached either way just fine. sliderule crown on the outside, casio, wth.

the leather bracelet. mhhh. apart from the fact it's "not my thing" (it is destructible, which is wrong  ), this one is also a bit stiff, and with that folding/colapsing buckle it can be downright annoying. maybe it will soften with wear, but i might have to get a metal bracelet for "real work" anyway. i suspect people with a bigger wrist will be less bothered, btw. it also makes some weird clicking noise on the lugs which i don't understand (probably has some sort of metal inner jacket to protect it from grinding itself on the lugs?)

overall, the finish looks good, i am a bit surprised actually, can't say i can fault it, for the price (and for quite some way up as well). the weight adds to the solid feel, it's just right, not "overweight". the only issue build-wise so far is that the chrono pushers tend to stick, which is not such a big deal in itself, but can be quite annoying. i also like it that the case is not as reflective as it looks in most product pictures (proper brushed finish would be even better, an option of a mate black anodized case and matching bracelet would be very welcome)

i'd say, for a sliderule (e6b) watch on the cheap, this is way beyond my expectations. not a navitimer, but not trying to be one either. fair enough.

hope this helps someone make a choice. see you around. any questions/clarifications, or feedback, are welcome.










keywords: casio edifice 527 527L 527D slide rule sliderule e6b pilot


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## ebrandwein (Mar 10, 2006)

Great review. Sounds like Casio did a good job with this one :-!


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## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

thanks, glad you like it. i would say yes, they did: cleanly styled, well put together, the sliderule is pretty much spot on. nothing to complain about, really, and when you consider the price, too.. hmm.

update: after one week, the deviation (measured against an ntp-synched (computer)clock) is within one second. unfortunately i don't have the means to measure so little accurately, so i will have to wait at least one more week. note: this one week was with the watch on my wrist non-stop, so rather constant temperature i guess. so far, it is what you'd expect from a proper quartz movement, no disappointment there. i am pleased.


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## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

as promised, coming back with the two week time report: ahem.. it's still within the 1s range, so ...well, i can't really give any update. so, at this point: not more than 2s/2weeks (with a lot of pessimism and some margin for error).not bad


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## Beau8 (May 24, 2008)

Great review~Cheers! ;-)


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## tact (Jan 22, 2010)

You made me want one too!
This is the one I am looking at:


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## WatchAdct (Jan 25, 2010)

Great review! Thanks!


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## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

hehe, sorry about that, tact. the white one is quite a looker, indeed. it was hard to choose between it and my current one. i wanted something inconspicuos, so it had to be a black face. the readability of this white one is something to behold, though. 

i hope we see a second review and some shots if you get yours 

watcadct: thank you, glad you enjoyed it


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## poboxw (Jan 27, 2010)

Nice watch and great review! A better read and definitely better pictures than what i can achieve.
Did you miss the size of the watch though? I might have to re-read it, but now i'm wanting to find an edifice in person to check out!


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## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

hey poboxw, thanks for the kind words, i really appreciate it. however i am pretty sure you can do at least as well (off to have a look  )
edit: am i good with names or what? has to do with my social skills a lot, i guess . so, i already said i liked your review, and you pictures. i did mean it, looking forward to the next one  (uh, don't let the missus hear that, or we're both in trouble)

no, i haven't missed the size, and no, you haven't missed it either. i just chose not to include stuff you can find everywhere  (i should have included a link to the official specs, i realize now, to save people some trouble). thanks for pointing it out.

http://www.casio-europe.com/euro/watch/edifice/ef-527d-1avef/

i add the essential here, as casio seems to tend to.. orphan their watches once their done with them (as i mentioned in the review)

from casio (link above)

Weight
approx. 81 g
Dimensions
approx. 51mm x 45,5mm x 11,4mm (H x W x D)

this is for the one featured in the review. the weight for the steel bracelet one is listed at 157g

a forum member here asked about the lug size (strap width), which i can't see in casios specs, and is important if one should consider replacing the stock (one reason i like this model is that you can actually do that, no integrated bracelet/strap nonsense): according to my ruler, it's 22mm (which i think is sort of standard?)


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## nanok (Jan 12, 2010)

it's been roughly two months. about 2s behind ntp (which makes about 1s/month roughly), this means i can safely forget about it until i will have to change the battery. good.

the lume turns out to be quite good. it doesn't burn the shirt sleeve off, but it's enough (even when charged by indirect artificial light for a while). i have yet to find a situation where i have trouble reading the time (and this includes lume not "charged", at night), so i just stopped worrying about it.

can't find anything to complain, really, now that the initial "new toy lust" is mostly gone, it settles into peaceful and harmonious cohabitation: we get along well. i guess that means it's a keeper. there's still that strange noise of the springbars, still haven't figured that out, but it's minor.


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## andre.debem (Mar 16, 2010)

Congratulations ! It is a great review !

I have a 527 also. It is really a great watch for the price.

The only change I have made was the strap. Now it has a brown leather Hirsh.









































































:-!


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## Dinkleburg (May 7, 2010)

@nanok
nice review!:-!

How much did all of you pay for one?
Im going to buy one soon and I dont want to get duped.


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## dansk (Jun 21, 2010)

Great review.I bought one too,it will arrive next week,can't wait xD!


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## WhoKnowsWho (Jun 9, 2010)

That watch looks really nice. I've been looking at the Edifice line for a while (two weeks?), didn't know they had one with a slide rule. Though wouldn't 51mm might be too large for my 7" wrist?


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## Calfed (Jul 28, 2010)

I'm very much taken with the Casio Edifice 527 and am watching them on ebay. There are several in the $45-50 range plus shipping or $65-70 including shipping.

Anyone have any experience buying from China on ebay? All of the vendors have pretty good feedback. Just wondering what I should be looking out for.

Thanks


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## ef527 (Sep 10, 2012)

I am using Casio ef527-D since 1 year and and now it's seconds niddle and stop watch stop suddenly stop working, while only (hours and minute niddle working fine) 

Is this is the indication of weak battery? or there is some problem in watch??


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## ef527 (Sep 10, 2012)

any one here?????????????????????????


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## Kwcsports (Oct 16, 2009)

I'd replace the battery.


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## ef527 (Sep 10, 2012)

I was also thinking that battery got weak, but I sent mail to casio for this issue and they said there is no weak battery indication in that model, if watch is not working fine than it may have some problem.



Kwcsports said:


> I'd replace the battery.


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## Rahab (Nov 28, 2012)

Hello folks, I am reviving this thread because today I´ve received this watch and is great! Is my third watch and so far is the prettiest =)


All this was because of the review you made nanok! Thanks!


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