The Loadout Room
Menu
  • Shooting
        • Pistol
        • Pistol Accessories
        • Rifle
        • Rifle Accessories
        • Shotgun
        • Machine Guns
        • Air Guns
        • Ammunition
        • Optics and Sights
        • Weapon Lights
        • Tips & How-To
        • Concealed Carry
        • Holsters
        • Suppressors
        • Precision Rifle Shooting
        • Firearms Training
        • 1A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686
        • The Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventuresThe Tristar folding shotgun is ready for your wilderness adventures
        • maxim defense cqb stock (8)The Maxim Defense CQB Stock: Short and Sweet
        • Perfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG wayPerfecting your zero | A little help goes a LONG way
    • Close
  • Gear Reviews
      • Mission Gear
      • Camping Gear
      • Survival Gear
      • Medical Gear
      • Adventure & Travel
      • Knives & Tools
      • Overland
      • Disaster Preparedness
      • Footwear
      • Womens Gear & Clothing
        • RIP-MVehicle Preparedness: Fast access to essential items | Grey Man Tactical RIP-M
        • Midland radioOverland Essential | Midland Radio MXT275 | GXT1000
        • ppGrab your gear and go | Here’s everything you’d need to build an adventure go bag
        • Scrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the fieldScrubba Washbag: Keep your clothes clean in the field
    • Close
  • Men’s Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • EDC
      • Eyewear
      • Watches
      • Electronics & Technology
      • Downtime
      • Mens Clothing & Accessories
      • Manly Skills
      • Style & Grooming
      • Gentleman Drinks
      • Crate Club
        • The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stingerThe Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
        • How to determine how long you have before the sun setsHow to determine how long you have before the sun sets
        • fireWilderness survival expert breaks down how to build a fire
        • 5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt5.11 Tactical Expedition Long Sleeve Shirt, SWAT Tested and Approved
    • Close
  • News
  • Video Demo
  • Shop

The story of the world’s first G-Shock watch

The story of the world’s first G-Shock watch

January 6, 2019 by Matt Jin Leave a Comment

In 1980, Kikuo Ibe was a watch designer and engineer for Casio. Years later, he would later be known as the innovative mastermind behind G-Shock watches. The story of the world’s first G-Shock begins with Ibe at his workplace where he accidentally dropped the watch his father gave him. He would witness the watch hit the ground and shatter apart into pieces. Ibe then set out to accomplish a seemingly simple goal, design a watch that wouldn’t break if it were accidentally dropped.

Casio had been manufacturing wristwatches for several years at this point. Ibe pitched his idea in a meeting and began his project with a small developmental team. The inspired Ibe and his team entertained their ideas and designed various watch prototypes. The team tested the shock-resistance of their prototypes by dropping them 10 meters to the ground from a third-story window. As each prototype fell to its eventual demise, Ibe and his team would make observations, administer improvements to additional prototypes, and drop them through the window again. Early prototypes of the watch are claimed to have been so overly padded that they were literally the size of a softball.

After incessant trial and error, Ibe was on the verge of giving up until he experienced an epiphany. He observed children bouncing around a rubber ball and realized a hollow watch case would withstand shock better than a dense one. Ibe and his colleagues succeeded in engineering a hollow-structured design with adequate cushioning and protection to withstand a 10-meter drop. After a couple years of refinement, Casio released the world’s first G-Shock in 1983, the DW-5000C. Fast forward a few decades to the present day and G-Shocks still have a reputation for being some of the toughest watches around.

Watch the video below to hear Kikuo Ibe illustrate about his own experience, or you can read the unabridged story from the official G-Shock website.

*Featured image courtesy of gshockeu YouTube Channel

Share This

Filed Under: Watches Tagged With: casio, DW-5000C, G-Shock, Kikuo Ibe, Matt Jin, Shock Resistant, the loadout room, timepiece, Triple 10, Watches, wristwatch

About the Author

Avatar

Matt Jin Matt Jin is a writer for The Loadout Room and a former U.S. Army infantryman who has served as a radio telephone operator, automatic rifleman, and fire team leader. Matt is a graduate student pursuing his M.A. in communication studies at California State University, Fullerton where he also earned his B.A. in American studies. In his spare time, he practices photography and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He also enjoys traveling, watch collecting, and shooting guns. You can follow his work on Instagram (@U.S.Matt).

See All Matt Jin Articles

More From The Loadout Room

Comments

What’s Hot

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review
Featured

Top 8 upgrades every Kel-Tec Sub 2000 owner needs: MCARBO parts review

Ammunition

The Reasons Why FBI Went to Back to 9mm

Why .45ACP is an outdated caliber
Ammunition

Why 45 ACP is an outdated caliber

Dogs

Tactipup Extreme Collar and Leash: Tactical dog gear, Perfected

What Do You Really Need in Your Trauma Kit?
Medical Gear

IFAK - What do you really need?

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

In Case You Missed It

Gear Reviews

A Gun to Ride the River With: The Smith & Wesson 686

October 9, 2019 Leave a Comment

Camping Gear

The MSR Pocket Rocket | Your little camp dragon

October 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger
EDC

The Outdoor Edge ParaClaw: A concealed stinger

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Gear Reviews

A plate carrier for the big boys: AR500’s Testudo Gen 2 is a good pick for large frames

October 7, 2019 Leave a Comment

Get it on Google Play

© Copyright 2021 Crate Club Group · All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers