Withstanding the Test of Time
Ah, the digital watch: domain of the dork, timepiece of the twerp. It was the perfect accessory for the man who wore a pocket protector and needed a wrist-based calculator to tally the odds of beating Rubik’s Cube.
Casio of Japan was the master maker of this disposable, plastic timekeeper. But then the Swiss came along and made the plastic watch fantastic with Swatch. Casio answered back in 1983 with a tough, water- and shock-resistant watch it called the G-Shock. Surfers immediately strapped it on, and the digital watch was nerdy no more.
Today, the G-Shock is quite smashing in clear plastic casing, racing colors or just handsome black. It is always high-tech, a watch to go with that notebook computer and flip phone. It has been seen on the wrists of everyone from Sting to Keanu Reeves, not to mention countless athletes who count on the tough timepieces to give them temperature, altitude and compass data.
There are roughly 200 models of the G-Shock, from the smaller, plastic Baby G favored by fashionable females, to the high-tech stainless steel and titanium models used by surfers, divers and snowboarders of both genders. Prices range from $79 for a basic Baby G to $250 for a full-featured G-Shock.
