Ebe Keiko was still a rookie designer at the Casio computer company when, in 1981, he put forward a proposal that would lead to the popular G-Shock series of wristwatches. The proposal centered around one straightforward concept: to create a durable watch that could withstand a fall, and Ibe was inspired by his experience with timepieces that were not durable at all. He knew that many others had suffered the disappointment of a wristwatch smashing after falling to the ground or discovering that the watch glass had broken due to an accidental impact. So he was sure that people would accept to buy a strong watch that withstands shocks, all he had to do was succeed in developing a watch with these specifications.
Ebe Keiko heads the G-Shock design team at Casio and now works as a Senior Fellow at the company's Hamura Research and Development Center in Tokyo.
Looking back, Ibe is still in awe of what he has achieved. “I am the kind of person who gets an idea and goes with it to the end,” he says. When I started, I only had a vague concept in my head that I gradually started working on, but I never imagined that the watch would be so popular.”
Ebe recalls how the idea first came to him when he saw a group of hard-working workers working on a construction site near Casio's Hamura Research and Development Center. He watched them go about their work, and knowing that the vibrations and shocks of tools such as shovels, sledgehammers, and jackhammers would break any wristwatch, none of them wore a watch on the site. He knew that they undoubtedly wanted a durable watch that would help them tell the time so that they could tell when they had lunch breaks, rest and the number of hours left to work. Ippe's view was that if the watch was durable enough to be worn in harsh work environments such as construction sites, It will have a special attraction even if it is directed to a certain group of people and not to others.
Samples of G-Shock watches from Abe's personal collection. It switches the hours depending on the season.
Ippe puts together an eight-member team called Project Team Tough, and sets out to work on one goal: to create the “Triple 10”: a watch that can withstand a free fall From a distance of 10 meters, withstanding pressure up to 10 bar below the surface of the water, and its battery life lasts 10 years.
Progress was slow at first, and prototyping tests were often rudimentary, including Ebe dropping test models out of the third-floor bathroom window. The team tried wrapping the watch mechanisms with shock-absorbing materials such as rubber or polyurethane, but the results were disappointing. Every time they worked on enhancing an ingredient, they saw a new problem. A year later, Ippeh's team had worked on more than 100 test prototypes without producing any tangible results.
Ebeh's old “testing lab” was on the third floor and had a window from which he used to throw prototypes onto the sidewalk to test their durability.
Today, researchers at the Hamura Research and Development Center use specially designed equipment to test the impact of shocks on watches.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in the project, Ibeh decided to leave his job at Casio, and indeed he went to the company on his day off to collect his things, but during his break he went to a nearby park to clear his mind and while he was watching a group of children playing with a rubber ball, he was inspired . He realized that rather than trying to fortify the unit that houses the watch's sensitive interior, as the team had been doing, he could protect the delicate mechanisms by suspending them in something like a rubber ball that absorbs the force of impact.
Eppe and colleagues worked on a completely new design in which the unit was supported within the housing at only a select number of points, and this “floating” construction remains the basic structure of G-Shock watches today. In 1983, after two years and more than 200 prototypes, the first G-Shock model, the DW-5000C-1A, went on sale.
Traditional housing design compared to the 'floating' structure of the G-Shock watches (left) and a large ball-shaped prototype.
A presentation of the different components that make up the G-Shock watch. There is no doubt that designing the watches so that they are shock resistant and waterproof posed a great challenge for the team members.
At that time, thin watches were the vogue in Japan, so the Japanese initially didn't show much interest in the new massive G-Shock watches. Watch sellers were equally skeptical about the watch. “Repair was a profitable part of the watch industry, so the sellers made no secret of their fears that the unbreakable watch would hurt their profits,” says Ibe.
The first generation of G-Shock watches, the only one of its class kept at Casio's headquarters. The watch retailed for 11,400 yen and was advertised as being rugged enough to withstand the vibrations caused by a jackhammer.
The response in the United States was significantly more positive. Casio caused a stir when it aired a TV commercial that featured an ice hockey player banging a G-Shock into a goalkeeper's glove. The announcement was initially met with skepticism, but many well-known news programs validated Casio's claims when they recreated the hockey spectacle for their viewers, and with the proof of the strength and durability of G-Shock watches, sales of the watch in the US market skyrocketed.
Despite this early success, Ibe who was put in charge of a different project at Casio believed that the sales boom would not last long, the reason being 'the price of the watch. “The Casio brand was not yet known outside of Japan so customers were expecting high quality at a low price,” he explains, “One of our customers even warned us that any watch over 4,000 yen would not be sold, and the price of a G-Shock watch was over 10,000.” Yen, so I was convinced that sales would eventually stop and I never expected so much global success.”
The specially designed tester uses a five-kilogram hammer to test the G-Shock's ability to absorb shock by delivering a bone-crushing blow to the watch.
In addition to the G-Shock, Casio introduced a series of inexpensive digital watches with a price tag of about 3,300 yen.
In the 1990s, bulky G-Shock models with a round dial instead of the typical octagonal shape began to attract a broad youth base because they fit the loose-fitting style of clothing then popular among young people in the American Streets. The watches were also highly sought after by certain groups, such as surfers who loved a rugged look and durability, as well as surfers who wore them both in and out of the water. With the arrival of new fashion in Japan, Japanese consumers also began to show interest in the G-Shock brand.
From left: The DW-6000GJ-1 appeared in 1990 and was the first model with a circular design, then the DW-6100W-9 featuring dolphins and whales came out in 1994, followed by the DW-8400-1 Mudman for the first time in 1995 (courtesy of Casio)
The massive success of G-Shock marked the beginning of a new era for Casio. Ibe says he and his team haven't had the chance to enjoy their long-awaited achievement. “Demand was through the roof and sellers were pressuring us to speed up production of new watches,” he recounts. “The company ramped up production but consumers were snatching these models off store shelves faster than the company could manufacture. Everyone was in such a panic that the executive office of the company banned employees.” Buy G-Shock watches.
Ebeh recounts the moments of despair and victory experienced by the difficult project team.
After the overwhelming success achieved by G-Shock watches, Ippeh decided to focus on building new public awareness of the Casio brand, as the company had been selling for years only a group of cheap digital wristwatches . But after the launch of the more expensive G-Shock watches, Ibe was determined to make Casio a global brand.
One of the production team's goals in this new period was to launch an all-metal G-Shock watch designed specifically to be worn in the office or on business trips. The shift from using resin to using materials such as stainless steel while retaining the shock-resistant design was a major challenge, but Ibe and his team succeeded in overcoming this hurdle, and the new model reached store shelves in 1996, and because the target group was young employees, the price of The new model, the MRG-100, costs about 40,000 yen, and was the first Casio watch destined to break into the mid-range watch market.
Besides G-Shock, Ibe also contributed to the development of high-end series such as the Casio Oceanus, which was launched in 2004 with a price tag of 60,000 yen and also featured an all-metal body which was technically difficult to achieve, as well as a power charging unit Solar and wirelessly controlled automatic time correction.
From left: The 1996 G-Shock MRG-100 and the first 2004 Oceanus Manta OCW-S1000. (courtesy of Casio)
The process of building the Casio brand took up all of Ebe's time even outside the company as well. Since 2008, he has appeared regularly at "Shock the World" fan events held in various cities around the world. He explains his point of view, saying, “It is important to know the back story of the product because it raises the value of the brand in the eyes of people.”
Ibe has visited more than 30 countries and is known for his keenness to present his performances in the local language to form a deeper relationship with the listeners. “I am actually very bad at languages, but people come expecting to hear me speak in their tongues, so there is no way to give up now,” he admits. During his presentations, he always stresses the importance of being daring. “I try to convince the audience that they should never give up.” Ibeh feels that presenting his performances in the language of the listeners helps get his point across.
Ibeh throws a G-Shock watch at a board during a G-Shock fan event “Shock the World” in Vietnam in 2011. His performance, which is very popular, has become one of the most important reasons people are keen to attend the event (Photo courtesy of Casio).
Casio continues to enhance the G-Shock series with new designs and functions. Thanks to the success of its mid-range models, the company broke into the luxury market with the MR-G series, which features watches priced at 300,000 yen or more. On its 35th anniversary, the company released a limited edition “solid gold” G-Shock watch, G-D5000-9JR, at a whopping 7.7 million yen. The 35 watches quickly sold out after being bought by fans of the G-Shock series.
Ebeh points to the continued strength of G-Shock watches even after smartphones came to replace many of the items that people once relied on. “Watches have evolved beyond their practical function into fashion items, but I have no doubt that the brand will maintain its wide fan base for many years to come.”
From left: 88,000 yen G-Squad Pro GSW-H1000-1JR can be used as a fitness tracker, unique 330,000 yen MRG-B2000B-1AJR, traditional kachi-blue iro, G-D5000-9JR 18K Solid Gold Limited Edition for Casio's 35th Anniversary (Courtesy of Casio).
There is no doubt that the sales of G-Shock are true to Ibe's predictions, as the first decade of the 21st century was the most successful decade for the brand to date. Arguably, the arrival of smartphones has really helped boost the brand's popularity by making people more aware of the time. This has piqued the interest of people who might not be accustomed to wearing a wristwatch and inspired them to look for a model that matches their fashion inclinations.
Durability is what attracts many people to G-Shock watches, but Ibe insists that this is only part of the brand's appeal, “G-Shock fans trust the durability of our product, and perhaps that is why many of our customers buy multiple models To match their different outfits or their mood that changes from day to day.”
The G-Shock lab has more than 200 specialized testing machines, including this water-filled machine used to test the durability of buttons on mud-resistant models. Every G-Shock model must successfully pass more than 100 trials before it can be authorized for shipment.
Looking to the future, Ibe tries to inspire the next generation of engineers, running inventor workshops for primary school children and others and encouraging young designers and engineers to think outside the box. In a world full of options, he stresses that seeking new ideas is paramount, and warns that “engineers today are incredibly talented, but lacking in daring.” He also points to his collaborations with Japanese artisans on the etched-glass Oceanus Manta models, Edo Kiriko, and other series. Inspired by traditional indigo dyeing. “I never cease to admire the skills and techniques of Japanese artisans, this rich store of talent and creativity provides us with an endless source of innovation. I hope the next generation will understand this and use it to their advantage.”
But Ibe isn't quite ready to hand over the G-Shock torch just yet. His next goal is to create a model tough enough to withstand use in outer space, and who knows, maybe sell it at an orbital watch store. If he succeeds in his quest by 2035 as he hopes, he will be 83 years old. Like his iconic watches, there is no doubt that as a developer, even at that age, his curiosity will remain strong.
The showroom at Casio's headquarters in Tokyo with diagrams and graphics explaining the company's history since its founding in 1946 (courtesy of Casio).
(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: G-SHOCK watch developer Ibe Keiko at the company's Hamura Research and Development Center in Tokyo. All photos via Nippon.com)
