u/PureRepresentative89

Hey guys. Last week I spotted a Casio 54QR-30, presumably from 1976, on a Taiwanese local marketplace app for 6 bucks. It was listed as broken.

I figured I knew the drill: buy a "broken" watch, swap the battery, get a cool vintage piece for pennies. Easy win, right?

Not this time. I popped in an SR41W and got nothing. Did an AC reset, the digits flashed, the backlight came on for a second, and then it just died.

So I took it apart, cleaned the contacts with an eraser and alcohol. Almost a bingo. It woke up, but the time was running super slow, half the LCD segments were barely visible, and the light was blinking.

Tore it down a second time and did a deeper clean, very gently scraping the contacts with a scalpel. The time started keeping normal pace, but half the digits were still missing.

Third time's the charm. I slightly wiggled the zebra connectors (which were either glued or just stuck to the LCD from age) while dropping some alcohol between the rubber and the glass. That finally did it. Everything clicked into place. Button response is snappy, every single segment is solid black, and the backlight is perfectly steady.

This is instantly my favorite digital Casio. I have a few modern ones and some vintage, but this one feels like it was designed by an actual watchmaker. Get this: the dial mask isn't just painted on the glass, it's a separate metal plate on little legs. The crystal is real mineral glass (so you could theoretically press in a sapphire one if you wanted). There is an actual metal retaining ring holding the module in the case. The module itself is built to a much higher standard than other vintage Casios that came out just a couple of years later.

The only compromise is that I had to put it on an A168 bracelet because the original one was too small for my wrist. The original bracelet is actually super nice though, even for folded steel.

It honestly makes me think about how people in the 70s must have felt. Going from a long history of analog hands straight to this digital thing on their wrist. It must have felt like wearing a computer.

Hey everyone.

Damn, I’ve really started to love working with acrylic. After a month of failed attempts at filling the inserts with resin, I honestly like this approach so much more than regular flat inserts. I’m still testing different primers to improve adhesion between the layers, though.

Hey everyone.

The workflow was Photoshop, AutoCAD, questionable humor, Blender, and assembling the acrylic by hand.

Hey everyone, I’ve been experimenting with resin for quite a while. The results were ultimately pretty disappointing, but I think I’ve finally figured out a way to make acrylic inserts.

Hey everyone, no joke, I felt like it'd be cool if Duro watches could also have inserts with that Seiko vibe, so I made this insert out of acrylic. Turned out decent?

It’s a Duro, I swear!

I went ahead and made a bunch of colorways for these SKX-style inserts exactly as you guys suggested in this thread.

Hey everyone, finally made a 12H bezel insert, and I decided to try red first. I was honestly skeptical about this color on a watch, but... I actually really like how it looks. Surprising that Casio never made this option themselves.

By the way, does a fully red bezel actually not have a nickname? Just "all red" feels weird, or is there some drink-inspired name for it like Pepsi/Coke?

Specs:

• Flat insert
• Base: PETG
• Graphics: acrylic
• Finish: glossy acrylic lacquer

Hey everyone,

I drew up the graphic, and now comes the hard part - making a dozen versions with different color combos. If you've got suggestions, drop them below. On this design there are 3 elements you can change: 2 colors for the insert base itself, and 1 color for the hour markers.

It's 11:35 PM here, so I'm heading to bed, but I'll be ready to test out your suggestions tomorrow morning. Thanks for the help!

Stopped by the airport on my way to work and snapped a few photos. Still enjoying this build.

Hey everyone, today I finally took my DIY Sprite insert out into the wild.

Hi everyone,

I don't know if it's the same on the MDV-106, but on my MDV-107 purchased from a Korean marketplace, the colors on the stock Pepsi bezel insert always looked a bit underwhelming to me. Not bright enough, I guess.

Recently I bought some UV resin for my custom bezel insert projects, and I decided to experiment by coating the original Pepsi insert as well. The result completely exceeded my expectations.

As usual, the photos don't really capture it, but the colors absolutely pop now. The blue and red look much deeper and more vibrant.

Has anyone else tried coating a stock insert with UV resin or another clear finish?

I picked up a Casiotron 38CS-14 at a Taiwanese flea market. I've seen a couple of posts about these watches on Reddit before, but I'm honestly surprised by how little information there is about them online.

What also amazes me is that this thing is around 50 years old and still works perfectly.

I'm planning to do a comparison review between the Casiotron and the A158 later on.

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Spoiler: the Casiotron absolutely wipes the floor with the A158. 😄

Got inspired by the Blue Ice insert on the Seiko. Does it work with a black dial?

Duro Wayne.

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Hi everyone! There were a few comments under my previous post with suggestions for insert color schemes, so I made Duro Wayne.

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I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. The print is sealed under two layers of glossy clear coat, which gives it an enamel-like effect. The base is made from PETG, so it won't warp or melt in the heat. I also experimented with different insert thicknesses and settled on a version that sits flush with the bezel. This way the plastic base isn't visible, and the edge of the print is covered.

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I'll be honest about one thing. The lamination creates a slight halo effect under certain lighting conditions. You can't really see it in these photos because I used a finishing polish.

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Honestly, that part was a bit disappointing after all the work that went into it. I'm going to talk to the factory and see if there's anything they can tweak to reduce or eliminate it. They're the only people I've found in Taiwan who actually understand their equipment and work with me on technical details instead of just acting as middlemen.

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What do you think?

Hi everyone! I think I finally figured out how to make custom bezel inserts from scratch.

I’ve seen a few posts here recently with people asking for a classic "Coke" colorway for the Duro. So, while I was designing a whole pack of custom inserts, I made sure to include this one too.

This is the first prototype that I’m actually really happy with. What do you guys think?

Hey gang, I came across a strap today that gave me this idea. I put this project together in Nono Banana, if anyone has done a similar build, please show how it looks in real life.

Hey everyone, about half a year ago I ordered a few $10 NATO straps, and the seller threw in this blue one as a freebie. Nice, I thought, and just tossed it into a drawer.

Then the weather got warm, I put on my blue shorts, and something just clicked - the puzzle came together.

Damn, now I absolutely love this strap!

Hello colleagues, I’d love to get your professional critique on my recent design experiment.

A bit of background about me: I work as an architectural designer here in Taiwan. My taste spans everywhere from purely functional industrial design to naive stylizations (like a car shaped like a bear). I’ve recently started getting into watch design, and I wanted to push some boundaries.

I call this project the "Duro Grille".

The primary goal was to take a highly recognizable, classic dive watch (the Casio MDV-107) and completely shatter its "diver DNA" beyond recognition. I initially thought about posting this in the Rolex community (since they are the

ultimate dive watch aficionados). But after seeing the controversial reaction this got in the Casio sub, I realized Rolex fans might literally hire a hitman

for desecrating a cult classic dive silhouette (kidding... mostly). So, I decided to share it here with a community that’s more open to design experiments.

At first, I thought this specific aesthetic was entirely unique to watch design.

Later, I discovered that during WWI, "Trench Watches" used shrapnel guards with a similar concept. Their vibe was totally different, and they had a real practical need (crystals were fragile back then). For my design, crystal protection is just a happy side effect; the core motivation was purely

aesthetic.

Technical details & Tech Stack:

- Workflow: Designed in Blender.

- Hardware: Printed on a Bambu Lab A1 Mini (0.2mm nozzle, 0.1mm layer height).

- Material: I used PETG, making the piece elastic, impact-resistant, and durable enough for daily wear. It springs back perfectly if bumped.

- Engineering: I calculated a micro-gap between the shroud and the crystal, so the bezel still fully rotates and clicks perfectly.

- Functionality: Yes, readability took a hit, but it’s not critical the watch still fulfills its primary function of telling time. Plus, since this is strictly a snap-on external styling, the original 200m water resistance is completely preserved.

I know prioritizing brutalist aesthetics over perfect readability is a controversial move. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on the "Duro Grille" and the balance between form and function in this context!