You know you’re getting old when something you still own becomes “retro.” Even worse when your children come home with one thinking they just found something really new and great.
The Casio digital watch was fashionable when I was young. More than that, it was cutting edge technology and a kind of space age. When Christmas and birthdays arrived in the 1970s, we all wanted a personal casio calculator (the size of a paperback book) or a little later, the latter. An almostotronic keyboard.
I can remember being really jealous of my uncle who used the first digital watch I saw in the 70s, complete with a screen calendar. Now I know it must have been a Casiotron, which was the first digital watch manufactured.
Digital watches from the early 80s were more affordable and attractive and I really wanted one. When I turned 21, it was very disappointing to end with a traditional gold bracelet for Bulova ladies.
The trend of electronic watches with digital display has come and gone during my life, but for some reason I never threw away the one I finally bought. A Casio Digital watch with a large square face and multiple display of day, date and time, which has been relegated to the back of my old jewelry box for approximately 20 years.
When my son came with one who was almost exactly the same and proudly showed it, he surprised me. Apparently, the Casio Digital Watch is wanted and has street credibility. Of course I didn’t want to look like I wasn’t a trend watcher, I took out mine and said I had saved it to leave it in my will. He took it immediately for his girlfriend, duh!
All jokes aside, they say that everything old is new again and that older Casio Digital watches are collectible, and most Casio pre-1990s are considered old watches (I guess that makes me an antique). Casio made innovative, cheap and interesting products that exceeded the limits. The market for these other (sometimes crazy) devices, such as the cigarette lighter calculator, is in its infancy, so they are still relatively easy to find.
The disposable nature of many Casio products has created a lucrative market, because despite the fact that tens of thousands of Casio digital watches and other digital products were sold, few remain. Which is great news for budding collectors!
Casio was a hotbed of technological innovations, and if you can find some of these older and rarer conceptual elements in working conditions, then you can have the beginning of a lucrative collection. The oldest Casio products were manufactured in Japan and are very desirable. Each watch had a model and module number and the manufacturing location can be found by tracking these. Casio collecting is still a relatively new hobby, so go to the sales of car boots and get in while you still have the chance. How many times have you wished you had the foresight to start collecting something while still being easily in jumble sales? Here is your chance. Do some homework and check some of the forums, such as the digital surveillance forum, for more information.
If you are interested in starting a collection, take a look at the Casio G Shock or G Force models. Particularly Limited Edition models.
Casio’s market share plummeted for a while as digital clocks declined in popularity. They returned to the market with revenge in the mid-1990s when they faced Timex in the sports watch market with the updated and more exclusive Masters Casio G Force and G Shock models.
The G Force with solar energy had existed since 1985, when its titanium is relatively expensive with a superimposed overlay layer designed for divers, it was nicknamed Frogman. The innovative design that was resistant to mud became known as the Mudman. The word “man” in the title of the G Force models has been used for 20 years.
G Force through the years:
- Antman, current –
- Fisherman, current –
- Frogman, current (2008) GW-225E.
- Sailor, current
- Gaussman, current –
- Gulfman, current (2007) G-9100, GW-9100 and GW-9125C.
- Lungman, current –
- Mudman, current (2007) G-9000, GW-9000 and GW-9025C.
- Riseman, current (2008) GW-9200.
- Wademan, current –
Casio Digital Watch Master of G models (above) use a steel case covered by a thick neoprene or polyurethane bezel. All, apart from the original “Frogmen” of 1985, have the illuminated display of Casio that allows them to read in depth. All models are water resistant to 200 meters, and are an excellent diving watch.
G Force Casio digital watch models have become a favorite watch for divers and navigators, and have recently taken to the street market with a new and original advertising campaign aimed at teenagers and in the early 20’s. Casio redesigned the line for Surfers, skaters and break dancers really pushing the indestructibility of the clock.
The new designs added bright colors and male velcro bands to give them an urban appeal. The new advertising campaigns used hip hop stars to promote the brand. Prices increased and also sales. What is coming around and suddenly the children want a Casio digital watch for their birthday or Christmas again.