Kikuo Ibe mentions continued development of sapphire G-Shock concept and possible future announcement

In a recent visit to the Philippines, Casio engineer and G-Shock creator Kikuo Ibe spoke about the continued development of a 5000 series G-Shock concept made of a sapphire crystal exterior. Prototypes of this concept were originally revealed before the G-Shock 35th Anniversary.

While a G-Shock with a sapphire exterior may seem counterintuitive (as sapphire is known to be less shatter-resistant but more scratch-resistant than mineral glass), many high-end G-Shock watches use sapphire crystal for the displays and Casio now uses exposed sapphire bezels on series like the Oceanus Manta OCW-S6000. It is also worth mentioning that the original sapphire G-Shock prototypes had four non-sapphire bumpers on the corners of the bezel and also appeared to have additional (resin?) protection on the sides of the bezel and band.

In an interview with Mantle Magazine, the author quotes Ibe and observes his demeanor regarding the sapphire concept, “‘We still haven’t found success in our testing, but we’re seeing a clearer direction for it. Soon, we hope to make an announcement for the final concept, and I hope you’ll be around to see it when we reveal it,’ Ibe tells me with a smile and a glint in his eye.”

It sounds like the sapphire G-Shock may actually see a final release someday, but it’s not known when Casio will make another announcement about it. The development and release of such an unusual G-Shock concept wouldn’t be unprecedented. Casio previously did this with the solid gold G-D5000-9, which started as a prototype in 2015 and was developed and sold in a limited quantity of thirty-five in 2019.

Read the original article at mantlemagazine.com.

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