DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
We managed to catch up with Kikuo Ibe, the inventor of the Casio G-SHOCK when he was in Singapore recently, and talked about various things. Any discussion with a watch otaku will promise to be entertaining, and this one with the Chief Otaku of G-SHOCK does not disappoint. Key takeaways here.
He was fun to talk to, relaxed, and candid. Though we have seen him making presentations in English to good effect, he was more comfortable taking questions and answering them in Japanese, and during our short discussion, we had an interpreter.
We will not go into the invention of the G-SHOCK, that story has been covered in various media. The official version is found on this link.
Kikuo Ibe and Reddit AMA
Hanging out and talking tech is what nerds love doing best, and despite being a world famous character and an idol to many for inventing the extremely popular G=SHOCK, Ibe-san found time to do a Ask Me Anything session on Reddit 4 years ago, for the G-SHOCK 30th Anniversary. Here is the link to the AMA, which we found to be very interesting.
Kikuo Ibe, photographed with his beloved Casio G-SHOCK DW5600 in white.Photographed in Singapore, September 2017.
G-SHOCK Development: what’s next?
We talked about the continued development of the G-SHOCK, from the original intended market for the use by construction workers to the eventual fashion icon a decade later. This development as a fashion accessory was completely unintentional, and the opened the world of colours, and designs. The watches remained large, tough, and incorporate as much technology as is possible. New innovations included the use of solar power, the addition of sensors like barometers, altitude sensors, GPS.
But the original Gravitational Shock (G-SHOCK) system remained largely unchanged. The core engine where the original ideas were expressed have remained. The only adaptation is the use of newer and better technology in elastomers and plastics which have been gradually introduced.
Relaxed and chatty, and very candid, Ibe-san was a model otaku.
Will it break?
We participated in the G-SHOCK Absolute Toughness test and subjected the watch to rather extreme measures. Here is our video report. During the test, when the car rolled over the G-SHOCK, the bracelet broke. We asked Ibe-san why. And indeed there was an interesting explanation.
“It is easy to make the bracelet from a material and construction which is unbreakable.”, he says. But as the original intent of the G-SHOCK was for construction use, an unbreakable bracelet might be a safety concern. If the watch is caught in a bit of machinery, and the bracelet is unbreakable, it will hurl the wearer toward the machinery, possibly endangering his life. “So, I designed the bracelet to come apart under a certain force,” Ibe-san continued, “so instead of the wearer’s arm being ripped off, the bracelet gives way.”
Always with his signature Casio G=SHOCK DW5600 in white on his wrist.
What about Connected and Smart Watches?
Of course, Casio is a player in the connected watch arena. Their Pro Trek range offers interesting connectivity and options. And to his […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Peter Chong
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