Casio is celebrating 50 years of TOM’s Racing with the release of a new racing-inspired chronograph. The Casio Edifice Sospensione TOM’s 50th Anniversary builds on Casio’s long history of technical, multi-function watches to deliver a fittingly contemporary watch that also references half a century of racing history.
TOM’s Racing, for those not overly invested in the world of JDM tuner cars or Super GT, is a longstanding aftermarket parts manufacturer and tuner, primarily focused on Toyota and Lexus models. TOM’s Racing has also been heavily involved in competitive racing since day one, often acting as a tuning partner for factory race teams across racing divisions, and they have served as an official tuning shop for Toyota since 1975, just a year after their founding.
This latest release from Edifice draws inspiration from one of TOM’s most iconic cars, the KP47 Starlet, which helped launch the brand onto the racing scene, winning touring car series championships in 1975, 1976, and 1978. With its vibrant livery, the KP47 has become somewhat of a mascot for the race house over the last five decades, so there’s no more fitting car for Casio to choose as inspiration for this limited edition.
Edifice often gets overlooked by enthusiasts in favor of Casio’s other brand known for technical, multi-function watches, but pay close attention in the real world and you’ll see Edifice watches everywhere. Affordable, capable, and dripping in multi-functional goodness, Edifice watches make a real case for themselves, even if sometimes it takes a limited edition like this to force us to pay attention.
The carbon fiber reinforced resin case of the EFS-S641 Sospensione measures 44.5mm across, 13.3mm thick, and 50.1mm lug-to-lug. It’s certainly not small, but not all that overwhelmingly large, especially not for what is meant to be a bold racing chronograph. The Edifice Sospensione is 100m water resistant, and powered by a Casio solar-powered chronograph movement.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the Edifice Suspension will not be for everyone, but for fans of TOM’s racing, the watch is replete with easter eggs calling back to the very special race car on which it is modeled — details like the purple-backed honeycomb dial motif and livery-inspired strap keeper are sure to delight. The Casio Edifice Sospensione TOM’s 50th Anniversary is available today from Casio for $300. Casio
