Casio’s Latest Budget Watch Looks Like a Bauhaus-Designed Masterpiece

Do not adjust your screen; the watch you see here is most definitely from Casio.

The MTP-VT06 is the latest in a line of minimalist timepieces from the Japanese brand that started back in 2019 with the VT01. However, the sixth iteration in the family introduces a brand-new feature that sets it apart from its predecessors.

Casio

Function over form

Inherently minimalist in its approach, Bauhaus-style timepieces are relatively easy to spot. And Casio seems to have been inspired by this philosophy with its VT series.

Casio

The Bauhaus was a famed art school in Germany that operated until 1933 when pressure from the Nazis forced its closure. Nevertheless, its design philosophy of function over form has lived on. The ethos is shared with several German watchmakers today, including Nomos, Junghans and Stowa, to name a few. 

However, a watch from one of these aforementioned brands will range anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars. While there’s no price on the VT06, past VT watches hover around $50.

Casio

Dialing it in

If you’re familiar with the range, you’ll notice the VT06 is much different from its progenitors. For starters, the watch does something unique with its dial that’s only been seen with the VT03 before it. 

Past models either remove the numbers entirely or keep Roman numerals at the 12 and 6. Only the VT03 alternated between Arabic numerals and stick indices for the hours (with the exception of the 3 spot). But a new dial font on the VT06 perfectly masks it as a Nomos dupe (that is, if you ignore the large “Casio” text on the dial). It’s not exactly identical to the German brand’s proprietary text, it’s pretty darn close.

Likewise, the minute track gets numerals this time around too, counting every five spaces. 

Casio

Don’t call it a chronograph

The other major update here is the trio of day-day indicators, which has never been put on a VT model before. These track the day of the week and the date, while the dial at the bottom is a 24-hour indicator.

Surprisingly, these don’t make the watch feel too busy, preserving the minimalist intent. One of my colleagues said that it “looks like someone stuck subdials on a Nomos.” The Casio piece most closely resembles the watchmaker’s Tangente.

Four models are available at launch, in either cream- or black-colored dials. Each color is paired with either a black leather strap or three-link stainless steel bracelet. However, the cream option on a strap features blue dial text, while the bracelet version features black text.

The dimensions are the same for all four, with a smaller 37mm case diameter and slim 8mm thickness. These models are water resistant and are powered by a quartz movement with a 2-year battery life.

Availability and pricing

The MTP-VT06 models have been popping up on Casio’s international site but pricing hasn’t been announced yet. Based on past VT releases, these should land around the $50 or $60 range, at least for the leather strap variants. It’s unclear if the watches will get a US rollout.

Casio

Casio MTP-VT06

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