Casio

Casio was established in April 1946 by Tadao Kashio (樫尾 忠雄, Kashio Tadao?), an engineer specializing in fabrication technology. Kashio's first major product was the yubiwa pipe, a finger ring that would hold a cigarette, allowing the wearer to smoke the cigarette down to its nub while also leaving the wearer's hands free. Japan was impoverished immediately following World War II so cigarettes were valuable, and the invention was a success. After seeing the electric calculators at the first Business Show in Ginza, Tokyo in 1949, Kashio and his younger brothers used their profits from the yubiwa pipe to develop their own calculators. Most of the calculators at that time worked using gears and could be operated by hand using a crank or using a motor. Kashio had some knowledge of electronics, and set out to make a calculator using solenoids. The desk-sized calculator was finished in 1954, sold for 485,000 yen and was Japan's first electro-mechanical calculator. One of the central innovations of the calculator was its adoption of the 10-key number pad; at that time other calculators were using a "full keypad", which meant that each place in the number (1s, 10s, 100s, etc...) had nine keys. Another innovation was the use of a single display window instead of the three display windows (one for each argument and one for the answer) used in other calculators. In 1957 Casio released the Model 14-A, the world's first all-electric compact calculator, which was based on relay technology. 1957 also marked the establishment of Casio Computer Co. Ltd. In the 1980s, its budget electronic instruments and home keyboards gained huge popularity. In the same decade the company also became well known for the wide variety and innovation of its wrist watches. It is one of the early manufacturers of quartz-crystal watches, both digital and analog. It also sold a calculator watch at one time. It was one of the first manufacturers of watches that could display the time in many different time zones and of watches with temperature, atmospheric-pressure, and altitude displays. Especially popular are its dual function (LCD and analog) watches, some of which, called Wave Ceptors, receive radio signals daily from an atomic clock to keep accurate time. These watches come with lengthy manuals(50 pages each in English and Spanish, each the size of a business card): those users who master all the intricate features will be able to tell time in many time zones, use alarms and timers, and even follow Daylight-Saving Time; those who ignore or misunderstand the manual can expect many surprises.

G-Shock

G-Shock is a style of watch manufactured by Casio, famous for its resistance to shock (e.g. hard knocks and strong vibrations). They were, and continue to be, designed primarily for sports and outdoor adventure oriented activity; for example, practically all G-Shocks have some kind of stopwatch feature, countdown timer, light and water resistance. However, recently many models have become more luxury and design oriented.  

History

"In 1981 Casio began designing a new kind of wristwatch, based on the "Triple Ten" concept: A minimum of 10 year battery life, 10 bar water resistance, and the ability to withstand the shock of a 10 meter freefall. This resulted in the "Gravity Shock" wristwatch, or G-shock series." The first model, the DW-5000 was released in April, 1983. [Source: Carlos Perez, Time-Zone, (August 2002)] Traditionally, G-Shock timekeeping displays were exclusively digital, intended to be sold at reasonable prices to the mass-market.

Today

"G"s have evolved remarkably since 1983. There now exists a manifold variation of G-Shocks, with atomic clock synchronization and Tough Solar functionality in the latest models. Current series such as The G rival that of so-called more prestigious watch brands in the fashion stakes, and the Cockpit Series G-Shock is currently the official timekeeper of Nismo Racing. Many newer G-Shocks feature metal (steel or titanium) banding, and ornate analog timekeeping. Nowadays two times a year (Sping/Summer and Fall/Winter collection) the basic models are updated, while nearly every month new limited models are introduced. As with the Swatch watches, G-Shocks have become collectors items. Arguably, the most sought after line is the Frogman. Limited edition Frogmans such as the Brazilian, Men in Yellow, Black Helios and Black Spots are some of the most desirable Frogmans. Different series were developed for different target groups. The G-Lide (in Japan called X-Treme) series are specially for extreme sports like Skatboarding, Surfing and Snowboarding. The Toughlabel series are special designed for the music scene. Casio also produces collaboration models, often with popular fashion brands, like A Bathing Ape (Bape), Stussy, Kiks Tyo, Nano Universe and even Levi's or other brands, like Coca Cola and Marlboro. Also there are special models released to put attention on the environment, like the International Catacean Education and Research Centre (I.C.E.R.C.)models, also known as the Dolphine and Whales models. G-Shock is very popular by rescue workers, police, astronauts, firemen and military. According to Mark Bowden's book Blackhawk Down, the DELTA Operators wore G-Shock watches during the combat events of Oct 3rd and 4th. Since then, G-Shocks watches have become very popular with Special Forces groups in both American and other NATO nation units, due to their being "battle tested". Casio released "G-Shock Official Book" in 2006 in Japan, reviving the interest of (mostly Japanese) G-Shock collectors.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How It Began

In 1983 Casio introduced the G-Shock. The watch world would never be the same.

The years were 1981 to 1983. Casio was emerging as king of the digital watch manufacturers through a process known as self-cannibalistic marketing. The idea was simple. By flooding the market with improved models of each watch, Casio would be its own fiercest competitor. If a model was improved or changed, the new version was immediately launched and sold alongside its predecessor. By the time the competition had an answer, Casio was several models ahead. This explains the vast diversity in Casio watches during the 1980s. The main fashion for watches was thin and delicate. Casio had engineers working on everything from watches that recognize images traced on the crystal with a finger to scientific calculator models. Most of Casios engineers were hard at work designing and creating wafer thin watches.

The G-Shock was the brainchild of Mr. Kikuo Ibe. Mr. Ibe had received a watch from his father upon entering high school. It was a symbol of his adulthood. He cherished this watch for many years. When he was 27, he dropped his precious watch. It fell on the tile floor of his office and shattered. The watch was ruined. Mr. Ibes sadness was immense. He decided there was nothing to do except make a watch that didnt break when it was dropped. Around the fall of 1981 he gathered his team. The team consisted of himself, Yuichi Masuda, Takashi Nikaido and a few others. They called themselves Project Team Tough.

Yuichi Masuda became involved in the G-Shock team when he noticed that Mr. Ibe was spending a lot of time in the toilet. Mr. Masuda noticed Kikuo repeatedly running out of the mens room and down the stairs. Naturally, Mr. Masuda was curious. He stuck his head out a window to see a dejected Kikuo slowly climbing back up the stairs. Kikuo had been testing prototypes by dropping them out of the window. Kikuo told Mr. Masuda about the project and invited Mr. Masuda to join as logistics manager. Mr. Masuda would be responsible for production schedules and other duties as they emerged. First they had to develop the watch.

Kikuo had been a Casio engineer assigned to developing and improving upon Casios thin and basic LCD watches. The G-Shock was not an official project. He could not use pressure chambers, centrifuges or any other sophisticated equipment. This is why he was seen tossing the watch from the mens room window. Kikuo had measured this window and had found it to be precisely 10 meters from the asphalt below. He figured that if the watch didnt break after being flung from the mens room it was a success. There were many trials. The problem was not with the case. Anyone can make an unbreakable case. The problem is with the transfer of energy to the delicate components within the case. Kikuo has said that he took each destroyed prototype home and put it under his pillow before sleeping. The idea was that this would help him find the answer in a dream. This did not happen though.

Kikuo had almost given up on the project until he saw a little girl playing with a ball at a park. It was a little rubber ball similar to a racquet ball. Kikuo noticed that the ball could be hit with extreme force and the rubber absorbed all of the impact. If he could float a watch module within that ball it would be safe upon impact. It was a brilliant revelation that rejuvenated his experimentations. Making a working model proved to be much harder than Kikuo imagined. Project Team Tough spent nearly two years perfecting a floating module configuration. Kikuo spent nearly two years going up and down the stairs near the mens room. One day the watch survived undamaged.

Then there was the problem of design. Kikuo initially went to Takashi Nikaido for the design. Takashis designs initially looked more like a small rubber tire lying sideways on the wrist. Yuichi Masuda and Takashi Nikaido tried to come up with a design that would sell. There was a period of merging form and function. It was finally agreed upon by Project Team Tough that function would slightly outweigh form. It was at this time that they came up with the Triple Ten requirements. The watch should withstand a 10-meter drop, be water resistant to a depth of at least 10 bars and last at least 10 years. These triple ten requirements would not be used in initial marketing. Although the group had faith in their product, they did not want others holding the team or the watch to the triple ten requirements. The team decided it was better to come up with a name that implied these standards. Takashi came up with the name G-Shock. The G stood for Gravity.

The first watch produced was the DW-5000. There were eight prototypes made with the words Project Team Tough in the lower-left-hand corner of the crystal. Kikuo Ibe still wears one of the original eight to this day.

Thanks to casionerd for the above info