Behold the Edifice Honda Type R Edition

Tough to distill the true essence of a car in a watch. Casio has nailed it in more ways than one

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 24 October 2023 / Loading comments

It’s true that there are many notable tie-ups between watch and carmakers, and we don’t typically dwell on them – but the just-revealed Edifice Honda Type R Edition from Casio has proven itself too good not to share. For one thing, it really is called the Edifice Honda Type R Edition (bosh!); for another, it has the “Red H” right there, front and centre, loud and proud. Oh and the dial’s outer ring and the strap is in authentic Championship White. You may have noticed.

Even better is the breathless descriptive bumf that accompanies the watch. The Edifice team apparently collaborated with the ‘head developer of the Honda Type R cars’ and set out to integrate the ‘true essence’ of the brand in the new timepiece. Accordingly, it is said to feel ‘almost like “wearing” a Honda Type R car on your wrist’ which is a weirdly non-specific thought almost as bangin’ as the Japanese promo video.

Rest assured though, while explaining what the model codes printed on the strap signify is unlikely to win you many dates (ditto the sub-dial that mimics a Type R rev counter), the watch itself ought to be a good match for Honda’s exalted build quality. Based on the Edifice Windflow – itself already a motorsport-inspired series – it features a case made with carbon fibre-reinforced resin, includes Casio’s renowned Tough Solar charging system and boasts an Alcantara lining inside the genuine leather band.

This is not even the first time the firm has collaborated with Honda. Last July it launched a watch to mark 50 years of Mugen; the year before, it created another Edifice model that features the same paint used in the Honda badge to signal its affinity with the racing team. The other nice thing about the partnership is the admirable value for money. Unlike a bunch of watches we could mention, the Edifice Honda Type R Edition will cost around £300 in Japan when it goes on sale next week. A must for any discerning NA1/NA2/DC2/DB8/DC5/EK9/EP3/FD2/FN2/FK2/FK8/FL5 owner, surely…