The Duro (Pepsi Bezel) Review
Quality & Dial - Casio's commitment to manufacturing a quality product shines through in every aspect of this watch; the case is 316L stainless steel, polished to a high sheen. The hardened mineral glass is super clear, and the movement (Casio's 2784 Quartz movement) is a real workhorse, providing accurate and reliable timekeeping. The only detail that is somewhat lacking is the silicone strap, which feels inadequate, next to such a well-made case. The dial is simple and practical, yet elegant in its execution. The bezel is reminiscent of the Rolex Pepsi bezel, which in turn is reminiscent of the 1980s detective series, Magnum P.I., starring Tom Selleck. Magnum wore a Pepsi Bezel Rolex GMT in the show, and this Duro pays tribute to that bygone era. And the coolest part: despite being in a low-end price bracket, this watch has a water resistance rating (200m) equal to many higher-priced competitors.
Movement - As I mentioned above, it comes equipped with Casio's 2784 Quartz movement. Watching the second hand whip around the dial, one notices that each tick of the second hand lines up perfectly with the markers on the dial's rim. Such precision is rare in this price bracket.
Wearability & Design - The Duro's 44.2mm case width, combined with its 49.3mm lug-to-lug length, means that it wears close to 46mm mark, which means it is sized for bigger wrist sizes, rather than smaller ones, or at least for medium-sized wrists and above. For me, having 8" wrists, every watch I try on seems to wear well. As for the design, this watch pretty much has it all; it has that classic dive watch vibe, with high-end finishing and water resistance, at a price that makes it available to everyone.
The Duro (Pepsi Bezel) Review
Yes
No
- Quality of construction.
- Reliability of movement.
- High WR rating for its price bracket.
- Elegant, beautiful design. I can't stop looking at it.
- It should come with a steel bracelet.
- Some people say it wears too big; but this is not a concern nor a problem for me.
Call me Chris! Faithful Christian / Devoted & Loving Husband / Proud Father / Scholarly Librarian / Avid Antiquarian Book Collector / Registered Armiger / Certified D&D Nerd / Watch & Clock Collector.
Good review! Issue strap is pretty rubbish but the warch is a complete strap monster and so cheap to buy you can afford a decent strap!
If only they could jam Tough Solar into it!
If it's good enough for Bill Gates, it's good enough for me.
Bill:
Me:
If only they could jam Tough Solar into it!
What is "Tough Solar"...?
Nice review, but I think the strap on the Duro works very well for it's purpose. I don't understand how people can expect a $50-$100 watch to come with a $50-$100 value strap. At that price point, I'm most interested in accuracy and durability. The Duro has that in spades. I took my Duro on trips to Argentina and England. I didn't do any diving, but I was soaked in torrential rain more than once and greatly appreciated the water resistance of the watch when caught in that situation. Is the Duro a piece of jewelry? No, but it's a reliable workhorse that will be an excellent companion in most any rough and tumble situation.
Fantastic watch, I have the gold/black combo and I have changed the strap several times but I still go back to the supplied rubber which I like🤪. I have replaced the crystal with a sapphire lens and it has lifted it nicely.
All I can say is for an everyday beater it’s a wonderful purchase at this price point, especially forour friend ( post from a couple of days ago) who brought one for 11 dollars the other day at Walmart 👏🏻
Nice review, but I think the strap on the Duro works very well for it's purpose. I don't understand how people can expect a $50-$100 watch to come with a $50-$100 value strap. At that price point, I'm most interested in accuracy and durability. The Duro has that in spades. I took my Duro on trips to Argentina and England. I didn't do any diving, but I was soaked in torrential rain more than once and greatly appreciated the water resistance of the watch when caught in that situation. Is the Duro a piece of jewelry? No, but it's a reliable workhorse that will be an excellent companion in most any rough and tumble situation.
You are absolutely correct, the whole "steel bracelet should be included" thing is not really a major concern for me; however, WC wouldn't let me publish the review without at least one negative attribute, and it didn't seem balanced to have only one negative attribute, so I threw in the "wears big" thing as well. Those are the two drawbacks that almost every Duro review mentions. At least the ones that I have seen. As for me, I absolutely LOVE the Duro! 🤩 It has turned me into a complete Casio fanboy! 😎🤣
What is "Tough Solar"...?
It’s Casio’s solar power for their watches. Quite a few Casio & G-Shocks use it. Would save having to change the battery and opening up the case.
It’s Casio’s solar power for their watches. Quite a few Casio & G-Shocks use it. Would save having to change the battery and opening up the case.
Yeah, I see now, like Citizen's Eco-Drive. 👍
I have two Casios, the Duro and the 5610. They are my go anywhere watches. In my mind they look good and I don't have to worry about them being too fragile for anything I'm doing that day. I haven't tried other models, but the Oceanus line looks interesting to me. A lot of the round G-Shocks are too big for my taste, but I know they are very popular.
If only they could jam Tough Solar into it!
There's a very similar casio dive style watch with ts but with a fixed bezel!
Nice review! I too own a Duro (black dial, black bezel on Casio bracelet), and though a big watch, it doesn't seem to wear too large on my rather skinny (6+ inch) wrist! The short(er) lug-to-lug definitely helps :)
Great review!
I’m bathed in the elixir of satisfaction by my new blue Duro; and that includes the strap. I hear my wrist whimpering if I take it off.
Fantastic watch, I have the gold/black combo and I have changed the strap several times but I still go back to the supplied rubber which I like🤪. I have replaced the crystal with a sapphire lens and it has lifted it nicely.
All I can say is for an everyday beater it’s a wonderful purchase at this price point, especially forour friend ( post from a couple of days ago) who brought one for 11 dollars the other day at Walmart 👏🏻
That was me. I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I put it on and realized its excellent design. Now I have a hard time taking it off.
Casio's quartz movements are virtually the only ones who always line up with the markers. It never fails to leave me singularly impressed.
I can overlook the poor quality strap, as it seems the cost of manufacturing went mostly in to the watch itself. I have two of them in black. One I keep in the box on the shelf with the crown and stem pulled out to help conserve the battery. The other is in the watch case, also with the stem and crown pulled out to save battery.
I put it on a cheap Amazon bracelet I bought a couple years ago-- solid links, but a pressed clasp and hollow end links. Doesn't matter to me, because for $20, the bracelet adds a little touch of sophistication.
The Pepsi bezel has grown on me, so I may have to pick one up. The redesign removed the marlin logo and it now looks plain. I think there's some of the NOS with the marlin still being sold on Amazon, though.
If only they could jam Tough Solar into it!
That would make it a great end-of-the-world beater if they also added Multi Band 6! My GW6900 and Citizen Pro Master Eco-Drive diver would be the two watches in my collection to take with me if I had only minutes to flee from my house.
I can overlook the poor quality strap, as it seems the cost of manufacturing went mostly in to the watch itself. I have two of them in black. One I keep in the box on the shelf with the crown and stem pulled out to help conserve the battery. The other is in the watch case, also with the stem and crown pulled out to save battery.
I put it on a cheap Amazon bracelet I bought a couple years ago-- solid links, but a pressed clasp and hollow end links. Doesn't matter to me, because for $20, the bracelet adds a little touch of sophistication.
The Pepsi bezel has grown on me, so I may have to pick one up. The redesign removed the marlin logo and it now looks plain. I think there's some of the NOS with the marlin still being sold on Amazon, though.
Every Duro I have seen on Walmart and Amazon still have the Marlin logo. Every single one. I guess they're just letting the old stock inventory get depleted?
That would make it a great end-of-the-world beater if they also added Multi Band 6! My GW6900 and Citizen Pro Master Eco-Drive diver would be the two watches in my collection to take with me if I had only minutes to flee from my house.
...Or maybe the Marlin logo is only going away in certain markets?
...Or maybe the Marlin logo is only going away in certain markets?
I think I remember a JOMW video where Jody said the logo was licensed by Casio and their use of the copyright ended a year or two ago. That’s what the video sorta hinted at. It would be nice if they had offered a 39mm or 40mm case though, with the marlin log, those would be perfect.
Excellent write-up and I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Duro is a great all-rounder with a price tag that’s hard to beat. I would love to see a medium-sized version, maybe 40-42mm diameter and 45mm lug-to-lug. Something to make it a bit more wearable as it is a larger watch. Other than that, I have no complaints with mine and seem to keep buying them 😂
When scraping for negatives the subject of the lume usually arises. There appears to be a lot of lume but it is not very effective. Also as usual the negatives are tempered with the "yeah but" of the price.
The second hand on mine only really lines up at the 12 and I'm fine with that. Just another "yeah but".
I suspect the diameter of the case is a function of the diameter of the date wheel in the movement. A smaller case would result in a smaller dial which would reduce the size of the indice at 3 even more. I guess somebody decided that each indice must be a certain minimum area. The movement could easily fit in a smaller case. Once you open up one of these to change the battery you will see how much empty space there is inside.
The latest version of the Duro without the marlin/sailfish is the MDV107:
I does look plainer without the fish.
When scraping for negatives the subject of the lume usually arises. There appears to be a lot of lume but it is not very effective. Also as usual the negatives are tempered with the "yeah but" of the price.
The second hand on mine only really lines up at the 12 and I'm fine with that. Just another "yeah but".
I suspect the diameter of the case is a function of the diameter of the date wheel in the movement. A smaller case would result in a smaller dial which would reduce the size of the indice at 3 even more. I guess somebody decided that each indice must be a certain minimum area. The movement could easily fit in a smaller case. Once you open up one of these to change the battery you will see how much empty space there is inside.
The latest version of the Duro without the marlin/sailfish is the MDV107:
I does look plainer without the fish.
As far as the lume goes, don't they make DIY kits that you could use to very carefully paint the indices and hands to improve readability at night. Might be worth a shot. If I could modify one of my Duros to have lume on par with Citizen or Seiko, that would make this watch nearly perfect.
As far as the lume goes, don't they make DIY kits that you could use to very carefully paint the indices and hands to improve readability at night. Might be worth a shot. If I could modify one of my Duros to have lume on par with Citizen or Seiko, that would make this watch nearly perfect.
Yes, quite possible but "carefully" is the important part if you want to keep the lume within the shiny border of each indice. I'm not bothered enough to do anything about it since the legibilty is still very good in low light conditions.
for me the only cons is the diameter. But I wear it fine even on my little/medium wrist.
If it's good enough for Bill Gates, it's good enough for me.
Bill:
Me:
I love this blue version of the duro. 👌