As legend has it, famed designer Gerald Genta scribbled the design of the Patek Philippe Nautilus on a serviette at a Basel restaurant within the ‘70s, taking simply 5 minutes to conceive one of many largest grails of all time. The story has caught round for thus lengthy as a result of it illustrates each the freewheeling creativity of the Raging Bull period of watch design and the informal brilliance of the designer himself. The story of the Casio G-Shock is a really completely different story, however it tells you simply as a lot about how this watch grew to become absolutely the legend it’s right this moment.
The time was 1981, the place was Japan, and the designer was Kazuo Ibe. Not like Genta, a painter who dreamed of sinuous traces and kooky shapes, Ibe was an engineer with a singular aim: create the hardest watch the world had ever seen. It must face up to a 10-meter drop and 10-bar of underwater strain and run for 10 years without having a brand new battery. After two years of failed experiments, smashed prototypes, and plenty of all-nighters, the G-Shock was born. It wasn’t sinuous just like the Nautilus, however it had a sure Volvo-like boxy appeal. It was additionally inexpensive and—most significantly—more durable than the LSAT in Dothraki.
Forty years later, the G-Shock is without doubt one of the most profitable watch designs in historical past, with numerous variations and particular editions, and the form of fanatical cult following often reserved for magnificence Youtubers and Toto bidets (additionally a Japanese invention, because it occurs). Whereas each G-Shock retains the sturdiness of the unique, the model has doubled down on the know-how inside, including every thing from satellite tv for pc timekeeping and photo voltaic cells to barometric sensors and step-counters. You possibly can spend a very long time nerding out over the 200-plus fashions within the present lineup, every of which comes with its personal distinctive mixture of options and styling, however the entire ones beneath are trustworthy successors to Kazuo Ibe’s authentic design, and proof that genius takes many varieties.
Need to brush up in your terminology and discover your subsequent dream timepiece? Do not miss GQ’s final information to watches for males.
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