Event at Juwelier Willer: G-Shock inventor Kikuo Ibe as a guest in Vienna
A special event for G-Shock fans: the inventor of the iconic Casio watch, Kikuo Ibe, is currently on a European tour. One of the few exclusive stops on his journey was Vienna - as the guest of honour at an event organised by jeweller Willer, who enthusiastically sells the Casio brand's robust watch models.
Left: G-Shock inventor Kikuo Ibe at the event at Juwelier Willer in Vienna. © Insight Luxury
A story full of innovative spirit and perseverance
The story of the invention of the G-Shock watch is probably already known to many, but to hear it from the mouth of the inventor, Kikuo Ibe, was a special experience. And for several reasons: Strictly speaking, the Japanese is already retired, but his passion for the subject is anything but extinguished - which is why Ibe is still travelling tirelessly. During his current European tour, he has already been to Lyon, Paris, Frankfurt and Hamburg. After the stop in Vienna, he will speak again in Copenhagen. His time is limited and the audience of fans and connoisseurs is restricted to a few hundred people. But the passion and enthusiasm are alive and well.
Kikuo Ibe took the opportunity to honour his audience by telling his story not in English or Japanese, but in the native language of his listeners - German. His presentation was probably memorised, some of the words were difficult for the Japanese to pronounce and Ibe occasionally said "sorry", but anyone who was there could feel how the hearts of his listeners flew to him. In his presentation, the father of the G-Shock lived the same mentality that helped him to succeed with the invention of his watch: Persevere towards the goal, even if it's hard - because the result is worth it!
Throwing watches out of the window
Kikuo Ibe's story of the G-Shock, accompanied by colourful and humorous illustrations in the background, begins with the destruction of his own wristwatch, which came off his wrist and shattered into a thousand pieces on the ground. This was the initial impetus for the invention of the watch, which is now appreciated worldwide by private individuals as well as special police and military units for its robustness and reliability.
It is not entirely clear how many clocks Mr Ibe actually threw out of his office window during his test. However, it is clear how difficult and lengthy the process from an innovative idea to a realisable concept can be - and that the brilliant idea is sometimes waiting for us where we don't even expect it.
When Ibe observed a girl playing with a ball in the park, he came up with the solution of storing the digital movement of the Casio watches in a kind of cavity, as if it were floating, because like the rubber ball of the playing girl, the movement inside remains completely untouched and is protected from shocks and vibrations. This was the starting signal for G-Shock's 42-year success story, which has since undergone many developments and editions - all with a reliability and robustness that has enabled the watch to withstand the role of an ice hockey puck or being driven over by a tipper lorry. Not to mention hammer blows and falls from great heights.
This success story and the efforts of Kikuo Ibe and his engineering team are based on a strong motto, which the G-Shock father also repeated several times in his presentation: "Never, never, never give up!"
A motivating story that will certainly make the G-Shock fans and invited guests of Juwelier Willer even more grateful and the appreciation for Casio's quality awareness all the more profound. Marc Czemper from Casio Europe also emphasised this in his closing words: Casio manufactures numerous components for the G-SHOCK premium collection "MR-G" produced in Yamagata in-house, because this requires special expertise and particularly sophisticated production methods. In short, "we believe that we can do it best ourselves!" The independence and self-confidence of the Japanese watch brand are both refreshing and beneficial.
