Casio MTP-M100
The Casio MTP-M100 is yet another installment in the ever growing line of Casio watches with moonphase complications. If have read my review of the MTP-M300L you know that I love it. How does its little brother stand up for itself in the fierce 100$ range?
DESIGN
The M100 is a semi-formal dress style watch with a few tricks up its sleeve. The sloped chapter ring gives off a tooly and practical vibe, while the circular brushed ring under the indexes keeps everything dressy and interesting.
The middle of the dial is in a sunburst grey/white with the moonphase complication at the six o’clock and the simplistic Casio logo underneath the marker at twelve. We end up with a balanced dial that manages to be simple enough to work in a dressy environment, and interesting enough for me to want to wear it.
The case is a simple 40/20 that’s mostly polished, with certain brushed details, namely on the top of the lugs. Nothing special, but that’s okay when the dial looks this good.
BUILD QUALITY
When you go up one step from the very cheapest Casios, you get solid stainless steel cases instead of the plastic that you find in the sub 50$ models. That’s a huge step up.
All details on the dial are clean and well made without any visible flaws. I have owned many more expensive watches I can’t say that about. Crown is smooth and easy to operate. Lots of quality for the 100$ you pay for it.
MOVEMENT
The caliber 5722 is a time and moonphase only movement. You can expect great reliability and precision while only needing a new battery every few years.
BRACELET
The definitive weak point of this otherwise excellent timepiece. I took the bracelet straight off and put on a textile strap. Much better and even cooler. I just don’t get along with jangly bracelets with rolled links.
X-FACTOR
I dirt-cheap Casio with an actual moonphase complication. Could it be any better? I don’t think so.