Casio’s Ubiquitous Walmart Watch Has Never Looked So Sharp

The brand’s flagship analog timepiece looks like a luxury dress watch if you squint hard enough.

Silver Casio quartz watch with black dial and metal link band against gradient background.

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By Ethan Brehm

Published May 29, 2026

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Updated May 29, 2026

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Believe it or not, there are still plenty of people who don’t love resorting to their phones to tell the time.

Watchmaking can be an eloquent craft of putting tiny little mechanical miracles on your wrists. But it can also be completely utilitarian. That’s what Casio’s MQ-24 is all about. Typically priced in the ballpark of $30, the Japanese stalwart’s flagship analog model is the watch for doing absolutely nothing except telling the time. It’s been around since the late ‘80s and hasn’t changed much.

Four Casio quartz watches with metal bands in silver and gold, featuring blue, green, and black dials on gray platforms. — The new MQ-24DA collection upgrades the standard 24D in a few key ways.

In 2021, Casio decided to level it up a bit with the MQ-24D, swapping the resin strap with a stainless steel one and a steel-toned case to match. Finally the cheap but reliable quartz timepiece was ready for the office or dinner party, and for roughly the same price.

Little more than an aesthetic upgrade, the 24D wasn’t perfect. Now, it’s been treated to its sharpest upgrade yet.

Silver Casio quartz wristwatch with black dial and metal link band. — For starters, the matte dials get swapped for dressier sunray finishing.

Here comes the sun(ray)

Rolling out overseas first, the MQ-24DA (notice the “A”) expands the standard 24D in a meaningful way. It keeps the metallic charm but enhances the classiness. Matte dials are upgraded to a classy sunray finish that looks almost like a luxury watch if you squint hard enough.

Two Casio quartz watches with silver metal bands, one with a green dial and the other with a blue dial. — Along with the black dial, the new model is also available in green and blue.

Gold-tone Casio quartz wristwatch with black dial and gold hour markers and hands. — The gold-tone sibling MQ-24G also gets the updates.

While the 24D is typically made with silver or white dials, the 24DA comes in black, blue and green. There’s also the new MQ-24GA (evolving the 24G), which trades the standard steel bracelet for gold-tone steel and matching case.

Silver stainless steel Casio watch band and back case with clasp and crown on a white background. — Casio stick with the same steel bracelet and clasp as well.

A noticeable difference

The other major upgrade comes from the hour markers. Instead of black printed indices, the 24DA (and 24GA) feature raised metallic markers to match the case. This gives the timepieces depth and a seriously elevated appearance. Anyone who’s ever worn a budget watch with flat indices knows how cheap it looks in person.

Silver Casio quartz wristwatch with a minimalist dial and metal link band. — For comparison, this is from the standard MQ-24D line, which debuted in 2021. Notice the flatter aesthetics all around.

The rest of the specs carry over: 34.9mm case size, 3-year battery life and quartz movement. Even the bracelet format is the same, with the folded link clasp Casio is known for. The watch is still water-resistant, but now the bottom of the dial denotes this with a “WR” symbol.

Availability and pricing

So far, the MQ-24DA is only available in certain Asian and European regions. Casio Japan’s store has this listed at ¥6,050 (~$38), so the price is right on point.

While there’s a very good chance this will land in North America sometime soon, nothing’s been reported yet.

Casio MQ-24DA

$38 at Casio Japan

About the Author: Ethan Brehm is an associate editor at Gear Patrol writing about footwear, watches, spirits, EDC and more. When he’s not shopping for his next G-Shock, he spends his time watching movies and planning a future road trip with his family. He firmly believes CDs sound better than vinyl.

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