G-SHOCK Development Story
Challenging accepted notions and shaping the new normal
When Casio entered the timepiece business in the 1970s, a watch was a delicate piece of equipment that could not be dropped. The shock-resistant G-SHOCK, launched in 1983, overturned the accepted notion of what a watch is.
The inspiration for the development of G-SHOCK came from an engineer who wanted to make “a tough watch that doesn’t break even when dropped.” He conducted repeated tests by dropping a watch from the third floor of the research and development center to analyze how it broke and redesign the structure. As the result of much trial and error, he created a structure that could absorb shock from all directions by combining soft materials that reduce shock with a hard material frame.
That still left the problem of shock being transferred to and breaking the module which is the key component of a watch. The engineer devoted himself to thinking about the problem, but could not find a solution. He even put the parts from a broken watch at the head of his bed and tried to solve it in his dreams.
Inspiration finally came to the engineer, who had never given up experimenting, on a day off just before the development deadline. After going out to lunch feeling low, he was watching some children playing with a rubber ball in the park next to the research and development center when the idea of the module floating in the space inside the ball suddenly came to him. In order to realize this concept, he came up with a hollow structure in which the module is supported at just a few points with a slight space around it.
Since then, Casio has continued to pursue the evolution of its G-SHOCK watches based on the concept of “toughness.” There are G-SHOCK watches durable enough to withstand any conceivable “tough environment,” including being water-proof, dust-proof and mud-proof. Casio has also pursued performance and design features considered essential in a “tough environment” such as radio-controlled solar powered functions that run on light and display the correct time, and compass bearings and altitude measurements using sensor technology. To date, more than 100 million G-SHOCK watches have shipped worldwide.
We believe that customers universally value durability, which allows their watches to be used constantly for years without breaking, so we have positioned durability as one of Casio’s core technologies. At Casio, we deliver universal value by making the most of our original ideas, planning capabilities, and advanced technologies to make entirely new products possible.