It's not a bad watch to begin with, forgive it for being quartz and having a less than stellar strap. At $40 full retail, you can find them on sale or used for $20 and Omega Planet Ocean bezel inserts fit so you can build it out in silver, blue orange or green with commonly available inserts from eBay. At 200m water resistance it's a legit diver beating out higher priced entry level Seikos and higher priced Casio Edifice models. For a "beater" it's very hard to top.
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As much as I'd like a more interesting dial, I like the simplicity and the Marlin logo that is reserved for 200m+ rated Casios.
Little known mod, you can swap a Casio MRW200H movement and dial for a great looking retro looking watch on a meager budget and unlike the MRW, the case retains 200m water resistance. You can even pick up different hands from Ofrei and Raffles has some interesting dials.
As watches go, it's been largely ignored by the modding community but clearly deserves its place in the watch box. I have one now but I'd make good use of a couple more and while one could argue I'd be better off spending $150 on one watch of better quality, at this price having three different looks in watches that are easily replaced if they get damaged might be a better deal. I'll argue it's one of the best underrated budget divers on the market.
Images of stock watches are from Amazon and the WRH200 mashup images were found on a google search. The black and orange on the NATO strap is my own.
Glad I came across this blog. It has renewed my love for my Duro, which has been on the back burner since I got my SKX007. Awesome bezel insert swap! I see there different case sizes of the Planet Ocean listed on eBay. Which one would fit? I might have to snag that white dial MRW200 now for swapping too! I wish there were more mods for the Duro - it's such a great watch to start with!
ReplyDeleteI used a bezel made for the XL. It sits just a little proud of the crystal but I’ve been meaning to get a domed crystal anyway.
ReplyDeleteThe WRH200 swap requires a spacer but it’s easy enough to find them. There were some white dial Duros initially but they’ve long since dried up and fetch upwards of $200 if you can find one.
There are a bunch of different WRH models. Between those, Ofrei and Raffles you can change quite a bit but again, that puts you in range of a Seiko 5 or even a Citizen Promaster. It’s all fun in the end and I built a great bargain watch that performs well for diving and has that Planet Ocean look.
Thanks for commenting!
This is exactly what I want to do, swap a WRH200 blue dial movement into the MDV106. I have everything I need now except for the "spacer." Could you point me in the right direction for that item? Thanks kindly.
Deletegood looking watch
ReplyDeleteAny more info on the mrh 200 duro swap , I’m interested in doing it
ReplyDeleteYour mom's interested in doing it.
DeleteSorry, I felt like I had to. But yeah, same here. Is it as simple as placing MRH200 movement into duro case? Removing crown and adding spacer?
I did the swap a couple of months ago, orange PO Bezel and MRW200H-4BV "Neo" face and movement. It was a fast and easy swap. The only hitch was I had to lightly sand the edge of the MRW's dial to get it it properly seat in the case.
DeleteCan you tell me if you actually took the bezel off or just changed the insert?? If so how did you do it? What glue did you use etc etc... thanks
ReplyDeleteI did a similar mod, installing a Casio MRW200H-4BV dial and movement, Orange PO bezel insert and Orange NATO strap on my #2 Duro. It was a very straightforward mod that only added about $70 to the total cost of a watch I bought four years ago. It only required a light sanding around the edge of the dial to knock off enough brass for it to settle into the right position in the case.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone provide instructions for replacing the Duro movement. I have a replacement movement, but can't figure our how to remove the old movement. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIf it's a straightforward replacement using the same movement (Casio Module 2784/Miyota 2115) all you have to do is unscrew the back, remove the crown/stem, and the spacer to pull the movement out. Then it's just a matter of pulling the hands and then you can remove the old movement from the dial. Reverse the procedure to reassemble.
ReplyDelete