Casio: Why These Watches Have Remained Iconic for Half a Century

There are watch brands that become famous thanks to luxury, complex mechanics, or decades of tradition.

Casio took a completely different path.

For WATCHZ, Casio’s main strength lies in its ability to create practical watches with a recognizable character and useful functions at a reasonable price.

Casio can be:

• simple and digital;
• vintage;
• classic;
• everyday;
• sports;
• shock-resistant;
• solar-powered;
• synchronized with a smartphone;
• focused on motorsport.

And it is precisely this breadth that makes the brand unusual.

Casio

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A person does not have to be a fan of a particular style to find the right Casio.

The history of Casio watches began in 1974

The first Casio wristwatches are already more than half a century old.

In 1974, the company entered the watch market with the Casiotron model.

By that time, Casio already had extensive experience in electronics and calculator manufacturing. When developing watches, the company transferred its accumulated LSI electronics technologies into a completely new category for itself. The first Casiotron models were digital watches with an automatic calendar capable of independently accounting for the different lengths of months. Casio calls this function the world’s first for digital wristwatches.

This is an important point for understanding the entire brand.

Casio did not originally enter the watch industry with the idea of replicating traditional mechanical watches.

The company asked a different question:

what else can a wristwatch do for a person?

Functionality subsequently became one of Casio’s central characteristics.

Why does Casio remain relevant after 50 years?

In WATCHZ’s view, Casio’s popularity cannot be explained by a single characteristic.

The strength of the brand consists of several factors at once:

recognizable design + practicality + technology + variety + affordability.

And Casio knows how to combine these qualities in different ways.

In some models, the main thing is simplicity.

In others, it is protection.

In others, Bluetooth and Solar.

And in others, it is a design that has barely changed for decades.

This is exactly why Casio can simultaneously be a person’s first affordable watch and a model purchased by an experienced fan of the brand.

Casio is much more than its famous digital watches

When the name Casio is mentioned, many people first imagine a small rectangular digital case and a metal bracelet.

This really is an important part of the brand’s history.

But the modern range is significantly broader.

Conventionally, the Casio watch ecosystem can be divided into several directions, three of which are especially important for this article:

CASIO, G-SHOCK and EDIFICE.

G-SHOCK and EDIFICE are watch divisions of Casio, but each of them has developed such a pronounced character of its own that buyers perceive them almost as independent watch worlds.

Regular Casio: simplicity, versatility and recognizable design

The main Casio line demonstrates the philosophy of “do not complicate things where it is not necessary” particularly well.

Here you can find:

• compact digital models;
• vintage watches;
• men’s classics;
• women’s models;
• everyday analogue watches;
• modern digital models with additional functions.

Not everyone needs a shock-resistant case, a solar battery, or smartphone connectivity.

Sometimes you simply need comfortable watches that are easy to combine with clothing and use every day.

And Casio knows how to make exactly these kinds of models.

Vintage Casio evolved from old design into a style of its own

One of the most interesting Casio phenomena is its digital classics.

Many rectangular Casio watches today look almost the same as they did several decades ago.

But instead of being perceived as outdated, they became vintage.

A good example is the Casio A159WA-N1.

Casio A159WA-N1

523 000 UZS

The A159 series preserves a design whose history dates back to 1989. Casio continues to manufacture these watches in Japan at the Yamagata Casio facility. Officially, the A159WA-N1 model is equipped with a metal bracelet, stopwatch, alarm and backlight.

But the value of such watches today is not in the number of functions.

Their main advantage is recognizability.

The design does not artificially try to look modern. Its age and simplicity themselves have become part of its appeal.

Casio learned to combine vintage style with modern technology

At the same time, the brand does not limit itself to simply reissuing old ideas.

A good example is the Casio ABL-100WE-1A.

Visually, the model continues the aesthetics of traditional digital Casio watches with a metal bracelet.

But inside, the approach is already completely modern.

Casio ABL-100WE-1AD

1 293 000 UZS

The ABL-100WE is equipped with a built-in sensor for counting steps, while Bluetooth allows the watch to synchronize with a smartphone, automatically adjust the time, and transfer activity data to the CASIO WATCHES app.

The result is an interesting combination:

design from the past + functions of today.

And this is one of the reasons why Casio manages to maintain interest in its own heritage without turning it exclusively into nostalgia.

Casio is not only for fans of digital watches

Another common stereotype is to perceive regular Casio watches exclusively as electronic watches.

The brand’s range includes many traditional analogue models.

For example, for everyday use you can consider:

Casio MTP-1384D-2AVDF

1 038 000 UZS

The Casio MTP-1384D represents a completely different side of the brand: a metal bracelet, analogue display and a calmer everyday design.

This Casio no longer looks like a sports gadget or retro accessory.

It is simply a versatile wristwatch.

It is precisely this variety that allows the brand to appeal to a very broad audience.

Women’s Casio: from everyday design to classics

The brand’s range cannot be viewed as exclusively for men.

Casio produces a large number of women’s models, and they also differ in purpose.

For everyday use, you can consider:

Casio LTP-1302SG-7AV

967 000 UZS

This is an example of a women’s Casio that makes more sense to perceive as a versatile everyday watch.

If a more formal and classic design is needed, the direction is already different:

Casio LTP-V007L-1BUDF

419 000 UZS

And this is where an important principle of choosing Casio comes in.

You should not start with the question:

“Which Casio is the best?”

It is better to first determine:

“Which Casio best suits my particular style and use scenario?”

G-SHOCK — the watches that changed the perception of durability

If regular Casio is largely associated with practicality, G-SHOCK built its identity around protection.

The history of G-SHOCK begins in the early 1980s.

In 1981, a team of Casio developers began a project to create a watch that could withstand drops. After approximately two years of development and more than 200 prototypes, the first DW-5000C model appeared in 1983.

This became the starting point for an entire direction.

Today, G-SHOCK is recognizable even before a person reads the name on the dial.

Massive shapes, pronounced protective elements and a sporty character have become the visual language of the brand.

G-SHOCK is not just a massive case

It is a mistake to think that the whole point of G-SHOCK is simply that the watch is difficult to break.

Modern G-SHOCK simultaneously develops:

• shock-resistant constructions;
• high water resistance;
• digital and analogue-digital displays;
• Bluetooth;
• sports functions;
• Solar;
• sensors;
• special models for different types of activity.

In other words, protection remains the foundation, but around it Casio builds completely different products.

GA-2100: a modern G-SHOCK without excessive bulk

A good example of the development of G-SHOCK design is the GA-2100 series.

Casio G-Shock GA-2100K-1AD

2 148 000 UZS

The Casio G-SHOCK GA-2100K-1A uses a shock-resistant Carbon Core Guard construction and has 200 metres of water resistance. At the same time, the case retains the characteristic relatively slim shape of the 2100 series for a G-SHOCK — the thickness of this version is 11.8 mm.

This model clearly demonstrates the evolution of the G-SHOCK philosophy.

Shock-resistant watches no longer necessarily have to look visually enormous.

They can remain recognizable G-SHOCK models while fitting more easily into an everyday wardrobe.

A modern G-SHOCK can work together with a smartphone

In another part of the G-SHOCK range, functionality goes even further.

For example:

Casio G-Shock GBX-100-2AD

2 488 000 UZS

The Casio G-SHOCK GBX-100-2A belongs to the G-LIDE sports line and supports Bluetooth connectivity with a smartphone.

The model offers a highly readable MIP display, sports functions, tide and Moon phase data, as well as 200-metre water resistance and a shock-resistant construction. Through the app, the watch can work with activity data and automatically adjust the time.

This is already a good example of how far the modern G-SHOCK has moved beyond a simple stopwatch and alarm.

EDIFICE — another side of Casio

If G-SHOCK answers the question:

“How can a watch be made as resistant as possible to active use?”

then EDIFICE develops another idea:

“How can sporty character, automotive aesthetics and technology be combined in a more traditional watch case?”

Casio officially launched the EDIFICE brand in 2000. Its concept is closely connected with cars and motorsport, and the brand itself uses the slogan Speed & Intelligence.

Visually, EDIFICE usually looks much closer to traditional men’s analogue watches than G-SHOCK does.

But inside, the functionality can be thoroughly modern.

• EDIFICE can be functional even without Bluetooth

For example:

Casio Edifice EFV-C110L-1A

1 738 000 UZS

The Casio EDIFICE EFV-C110L-1A is an analogue-digital model that combines analogue hands with digital displays.

The official specifications of the series include world time, a stopwatch accurate to 1/100 of a second, a timer, several alarms, and a battery with a stated life of approximately 10 years.

Such watches suit a person who likes a sporty and technical character but does not want to switch to a fully digital design.

EDIFICE and solar power

The modern EDIFICE line also demonstrates Casio’s technological side.

For example:

Casio Edifice ECB-2000DC-1BDF

4 140 500 UZS

The Casio EDIFICE ECB-2000DC-1B uses Tough Solar technology, which converts light into energy to power the watch. The model also belongs to the Smartphone Link direction of EDIFICE and can interact with a smartphone.

For the owner, the meaning of Solar lies primarily in practicality.

The watch receives energy from light, so regular conventional battery replacement becomes a significantly less relevant part of ownership.

Casio technology continues to evolve, but the brand does not abandon simple watches

In our view, this is one of the main reasons for Casio’s longevity.

The brand could have moved entirely toward complex Bluetooth models, sensors and solar technologies.

But that did not happen.

Today, side by side, there are:

Casio A159WA-N1 — simple vintage digital watches.

Casio ABL-100WE-1A — similar aesthetics, but now with a step counter and Bluetooth.

Casio MTP-1384D — a traditional everyday analogue model.

G-SHOCK GA-2100K — shock-resistant sports watches.

G-SHOCK GBX-100 — a sports model with smartphone connectivity.

EDIFICE EFV-C110L — a functional analogue-digital option.

EDIFICE ECB-2000DC — Solar and Smartphone Link.

These are not seven versions of the same watch.

They are seven completely different answers to the question:

“What should a person have on their wrist?”

Casio does not force you to choose between design and functions

Many functional products face a problem: the more capabilities they have, the more their design begins to resemble an electronic device.

Casio knows how to work differently.

Functionality can be open and obvious — as with G-SHOCK.

It can be hidden behind a traditional sports case — as with EDIFICE.

Or it can be almost visually invisible — as with the vintage ABL-100WE with Bluetooth and a step counter.

That is why the same brand can satisfy completely different aesthetic preferences.

Why affordability became part of Casio’s iconic status

An iconic product does not necessarily have to be expensive.

Casio is a good example.

In WATCHZ’s view, one of the reasons for the brand’s popularity is that recognizable design and real functions are available not only in the upper price segment.

A buyer can enter the world of Casio with a simple basic model.

Later, move on to G-SHOCK.

Then become interested in EDIFICE with Solar or Bluetooth.

But the brand remains the same.

This creates a rare effect: Casio can accompany a person at different ages and with different needs.

One Casio cannot represent the brand’s entire range

Because of the enormous number of models, it is incorrect to judge all of Casio by one specific product.

For example, a person may not like a massive G-SHOCK.

That does not mean Casio is not right for them.

Perhaps they need an MTP.

A person may not like a vintage digital case.

Perhaps EDIFICE will be much closer to their taste.

And conversely, for a buyer who needs a simple lightweight digital accessory, a technological EDIFICE may simply be excessive.

Casio’s main advantage is not the existence of one universal model, but the ability to choose different watches for different tasks.

Which Casio should you choose?

If the choice is simplified as much as possible, WATCHZ recommends focusing on the use scenario.

If you need simple recognizable digital watches

Consider the vintage direction.

Casio A159WA-N1

523 000 UZS

If you like vintage design but need modern functions

A Casio with a step counter and Bluetooth will be more interesting.

Casio ABL-100WE-1AD

1 293 000 UZS

If you need regular everyday men’s watches

Consider Casio analogue models.

Casio MTP-1384D-2AVDF

1 038 000 UZS

If you need women’s watches for every day

You can start with the more versatile everyday line.

Casio LTP-1302SG-7AV

967 000 UZS

If you need more formal women’s watches

It is better to look toward classic design.

Casio LTP-V007L-1BUDF

419 000 UZS

If shock resistance is the main priority

The logical choice here is G-SHOCK.

Casio G-Shock GA-2100K-1AD

2 148 000 UZS

If you need a sports G-SHOCK with Bluetooth

Consider the GBX-100.

Casio G-Shock GBX-100-2AD

2 488 000 UZS

If you need a functional men’s EDIFICE

The analogue-digital direction will be suitable.

Casio Edifice EFV-C110L-1A

1 738 000 UZS

If you want an EDIFICE with Solar

You can move on to more technological models such as the ECB-2000DC.

Casio Edifice ECB-2000DC-1BDF

4 140 500 UZS

Casio at WATCHZ: more than 300 models in the range

The breadth of Casio is revealed particularly well when there is an opportunity to compare different directions at the same time.

WATCHZ offers more than 300 original Casio models in stock and in its range.

It includes:

• basic Casio;
• Casio Vintage;
• men’s models;
• women’s models;
• everyday watches;
• classic watches;
• G-SHOCK;
• EDIFICE;
• current trending models;
• fresh releases.

This makes it possible to choose Casio not only from a photograph of one popular model, but to compare different sizes, styles and sets of functions within one brand.

All Casio models at WATCHZ come with a 2-year warranty.

The watches are supplied with the original box, and delivery is free throughout Uzbekistan.