Casio MDV-106DD ‘Duro’ diving watches have a stainless steel band

Two new diving-style Casio watches are now available for pre-orders from Amazon: the MDV-106DD-1A1V with a black bezel and the MDV-106DD-1A3V with a green bezel. (These models are designated as MDV-106DD-1A1VCF and MDV-106DD-1A3VCF on Amazon and are currently $89.95 each, with a January 31 release date.) These watches are basically full-metal versions of the highly popular MDV-106, also known as the “Duro,” with a stainless steel band instead of the usual black resin band. These models are the same as the MDV-107D models that were released in Asia and Europe, with the difference being that the MDV-107D models lack the marlin logo on the dial. (Casio Europe released the MDV-107D-1A1VEF and MDV-107D-3AVEF for 99.90 euros.)

Although Casio no longer uses the “Duro” name for the MDV-106 series, it evolved from the “DURO200” line that began in 2005, and the MDV-106 was launched in 2011 as part of that line. These diving-style models are not true ISO-rated “Diver’s 200M” watches like the G-Shock Frogman line, but they are water-resistant to 200 meters and have a stainless steel screw-back case, as well as an an anti-reverse rotating bezel to measure elapsed time. Other features include a date display, mineral glass, a quartz movement with an accuracy of +/-20 second a month, and a battery life of approximately 3 years. The watch measures 48.5 x 44.2 x 12.1 millimeters and weighs 144 grams.

These MDV-106DD models have not been officially announced by Casio yet, but they were recently covered by the essential (Spanish-language) fan site Zona Casio (zonacasio.blogspot.com), which also reported that the MDV-106DD-1A2V with a blue and red “Pepsi” style bezel is also coming. (There was also the “Pepsi” MDV-107D-1A3V and the MDV-107D-1A2V with a black and blue bezel released in Asia.)

Update: Amazon now has the blue and red MDV-106DD-1A3VCF available for pre-ordering.