It’s not every day that you get a chance to meet an industry icon, let alone sit down and have lunch with him. But over the weekend, dozens of G-Shock aficionados got to do that with Mr. Kikuo Ibe, the creator of that legendary watch line. One of just a few appearances in the USA this year, Mr. Ibe’s visit to Abt drew ardent fans of the brand from as far away as California.
Mr. Ibe started the morning off with a short presentation on the origins of the product. After one of his own mechanical watches broke in a fall, the Casio engineer set out to build a nearly indestructible wristwatch that would still be affordable. After countless prototypes and some unorthodox testing (the early models were dropped out of a window at the Casio facitily), Mr. Ibe settled on a final design. A collection of prototype models and other artifacts from the history of G-Shock were on display.
Guests patiently waited in line for the opportunity to meet Mr. Ibe, get their watches signed and grab a photo. After the event, a select group of customers who had purchased a G-Shock watch were invited to a private lunch with Mr. Ibe and the team from Casio. The event was a testament to the popularity of not just a well-designed product, but the visionary creator of that product.
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