Casio

Founded 1957 (origins in 1946) · Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan · The four Kashio brothers: Tadao, Toshio, Kazuo and Yukio

Casio grew out of Kashio Seisakujo, the workshop Tadao Kashio founded in 1946, and was formally incorporated as Casio Computer Co., Ltd. in June 1957 with his three brothers. It began in calculating machines, not watchmaking, and only reached the wrist in 1974. Today it is one of the largest watchmakers in the world, known for putting the digital watch within everyone's reach and for turning extreme toughness into a brand identity with G-Shock.

History

Its first commercial success was not a watch but the "Yubiwa Pipe", a finger-ring cigarette holder that let you smoke down to the stub, in the late 1940s. In 1957 Casio launched the Model 14-A, Japan's first compact all-electric calculator, built on relay technology, which defined the company for nearly two decades. In 1974 it entered watchmaking with the Casiotron, its first digital watch and a pioneer for the automatic calendar that adjusted month lengths on its own. In 1983 the engineer Kikuo Ibe presented the G-Shock DW-5000C after some 200 failed prototypes, built to a "Triple 10" brief: survive a 10-metre drop, 10 atmospheres of water pressure and 10 years of battery life. In 1989 the F-91W took the opposite philosophy to the mass market — a simple, light, very cheap digital watch that became the best-selling watch in the world. Over the decades Casio widened the catalogue with specialist lines such as Pro Trek (mountain, with sensors), Edifice (sports analogue) and Oceanus, cementing the idea of the affordable tool watch.

Iconic models

Casiotron (QW02)
Casio's first watch (1974), a pioneer of the digital calendar that adjusted month lengths automatically.
G-Shock DW-5000C
The first G-Shock (1983), origin of the square case and of the whole 'Triple 10' idea of extreme resistance.
F-91W
A minimalist digital from 1989, reckoned the best-selling watch in the world thanks to its reliability and rock-bottom price.
G-Shock DW-6900
Launched in 1995, it popularised the three-eye subdial and is among the most recognisable G-Shocks.
A168 (vintage metal)
A steel digital with retro looks that became a fashion icon on the strength of its eighties feel.

Worth knowing

Casio did not start out in watches: its first profitable product was the 'Yubiwa Pipe', a ring-mounted cigarette holder for hands-free smoking, and the company grew large making calculators before it launched a single watch in 1974.