Back in the
day, watchmakers were in constant competition for the slimmest or most
lightweight watch in the market. At that time, most people considered watches
to be fragile instruments, including Casio’s then head of watch design, Kikuo
Ibe.
One day, on
his way to work, Kikuo Ibe accidentally dropped his precious watch that was
given to him by his father. He watched it break into pieces and suddenly had a
vision to build a watch that wouldn’t break –even when dropped. That day marked
the beginning of the G-SHOCK story.
Never,
never, never give up
The road to
success turned out to be unimaginably difficult. Apart from protecting the
exterior of the watch, Ibe and a team of three members, also had to figure out
a way to protect the engine, or electronics of the timepiece, which would often
break due to the drop. He could not find a way to absorb the shock and feared
that the project would be a failure.
Ibe, who
first gained inspiration to build a shock proof watch through first-hand
experience, decided to search for the solution in his daily life. Ironically,
he found the answer while observing a little girl play with a bouncing ball. He
imagined the engine floating inside the ball. This discovery allowed for Ibe
and his team to develop a watch with a hollow structure with the module
suspended inside.
The first
G-SHOCK model DW5000C was launched in 1983, following the “Triple 10” concept
–10-year battery life, 10-bar water resistance, and 10-meter dropping shock
resistance.
Absolute toughness
Since it’s
development in 1983, G-SHOCK has taken pride in being a tough watch, being able
to withstand the most severe conditions. Its Shock-Resistant Structure is the
core technology underlying G-SHOCK’s success, and has been passed down to every
G-SHOCK model for three decades.
The
Shock-Resistant Structure comprises of the following technologies: a hollow
case structure, to lessen the force of external shocks; key part protection
with cushioning material, to prevent errors in operation or damage from shock;
200-meter water resistance, to enable users to wear the watch during water-related
activities; and an all-directional guard structure, for protection against
shocks resulting from drops in all directions.
In 2012,
G-SHOCK introduced the Triple G Resist, which is a super-tough structure built
to withstand three types of gravitational acceleration: shocks, centrifugal
gravity, and vibrations. And just last year, G-SHOCK developed the Core Guard
Structure, which maintains the watch’s external shape without placing stress on
the case.
SHOCK THE WORLD
With 2013
marking the 30th anniversary of G-SHOCK, Shock The World events
have been held all over the world. On February 28, it’s finally touching down in Manila to
give fans of the brand a chance to celebrate the milestone.
For more
information, visit www.shocktheworldmanila.com
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