At last! I have finally written the third and likely final chapter in my Casio AE1200 series. In Part the First, I introduced this digital gem that far exceeded my expectations for one so cheap. In Part the Second, I set about disassembling them, removing unwanted words, and fitting some outstanding Vario straps. In Part the Third, I will tell you how Kranio Designs takes this humble beater to the next level with a stainless steel case.
I had no idea such a thing was possible when I bought my first AE1200, but an Instagram follower mentioned it in response to the first Casio picture I posted, recommending Kranio Design. This Utah-based fabricator has no website, just an Instagram profile and an eBay presence, through which they sell turbo rebuild kits and, when we are lucky, AE1200/1300 cases machined from stainless steel or bronze and matte-finished.
The case is not an excact replica of the plastic Casio unit. While it is the same size and shares the same silhouette, you will notice that it is more angular. The sides are totally flat – and mercifully free of that awful molding seam on the Casio. Where the original has a soft character line atop the lugs, the Kranio has a smooth curve. The edges are sharper. Of course, it has none of those silly faux-fasteners. The push-button nacelles are boxy on the steel case, lacking the rounded faces of the Casio and actually looking a bit more like those of the James Bond Seiko G757 5020 Sports 100 to which the AE1200 is so often compared. The most apparent distinction is the bezel, which is faithfully rendered but isn’t black.
Casio on top, Kranio below
Is the Kranio better than the original for these changes? I’d say so. I’ll admit that I miss the subtle shape of the Casio case’s button nacelles, but the deletion of the text, dimples, and molding lines more than makes up for it. A Casio purist might disagree, but a purist wouldn’t swap cases, would they?
Kranio has also given us two massive practical improvements. The first is drilled lugs – always a plus and particularly so on a watch with lugs as short and tight as this one. The other is the crystal. Gone is Casio’s plastic window, replaced by proper sapphire. I know some of you are already noting the hypocrisy of my praising sapphire when I have spent years lauding the appeal of acrylic. This is true. I love a big, old-school plastic dome on an analog watch. This isn’t that kind of watch, and it seems absurd to switch a resin case for steel and leave a cheap and nasty flat plastic window in it. What can say? I am a complex individual full of contradictions.
To swap cases, you simply disassemble your old Casio and reassemble it in the Kranio case. Everything fits just as it came from the factory: module, frame, seal, case back, screws, you name it. When you are done, the watch will still be watertight. Good for 100m? Well, maybe. Truth be told, Kranio has not pressure-tested it, and the integrity of the seal depends on the quality of your reassembly. Still, assuming no butterfingered bobbles, the watch has proven to be watertight under normal conditions.
The one extra step in the process not covered in the previous article is prizing off the tiny c-clips that hold each of the button assemblies, removing the buttons, seals, and springs, and reassembling them. It seems like it would be rather straightforward, but I didn’t do it.
Yeah, that’s right. I looked at those tiny little beggers just aching to fly away into oblivion; then I looked at what Kranio charges. A bare Kranio case for a DYI swap is $175. A donor watch is about $20 or so at Amazon or Wal-Mart. A complete watch assembled by Kranio is $210, so assembly comes to just $15. Do I value my time and likely annoyance more than $15? You’re damn right I do. I paid my $210 for the finished product, and it was well worth it.
The watch arrived in its Casio box, with its Casio papers, on its Casio strap. Everything was just as it should be and ready to roll. Well, almost. I ditched that Casio strap in a hot minute and replaced it with a Vario bund ($23). I think it suits the steel AE1200 quite well, right down to the match between the Kranio’s finish and that of the strap’s Chicago screws. Not a Bund fan? No worries. The Vario AE1200 strap ($28) is a perfect fit.
So, now that I’ve got you itching to buy a Kranio case, I’ve got a bit of bad news. They are none for sale at the moment. You see, Kranio will crank out a batch, put them on eBay, sell them in a flash, and that’s it for the next few months. The best way to stay posted is to follow @kraniodesign on Instagram. You’ll get a head’s up before they go on sale, and you will also be able to see some other cool products in the pipeline, like heat-treated bronze, Damascus steel, and the seriously trippy “ripple” dial. Once there are ready for sale, I highly recommend taking the plunge.
Is that it? Is this the end of The Time Bum’s Casio AE1200 saga? It should be. In these three chapters, I have told you how to take a cheap watch and turn it into something much better looking (that performs the same functions) merely by spending about ten times its purchase price. That might be a good place to quit. Of course, for as crazy as that sounds, you have to remember that the Casio AE1200 retails for peanuts, so if I find something else that might be fun to throw at it, I’d be a fool not to. A Kranio bronze case with a salt and ammonia-fume patina could look pretty intense, and I’ve seen folks filling theirs with oil à la Sinn Hydro UX. Maybe not today, but stay tuned. I might have one more chapter left in me after all.
