Hi Huneybees,
From New York to Berlin and Paris, to Tokyo and Dubai, the
“SHOCK THE WORLD” movement has brought together thousands of people since its inception in 2009 across continents and cultures to celebrate the brand and its legacy of trendsetting innovation in timepieces.
And this July,
Casio G-SHOCK returned with the highly anticipated
“SHOCK THE WORLD 2013” tour, in celebration of the iconic timepiece’s 30th birthday across major cities worldwide. We had the honour of meeting
Mr Kikuo Ibe, the father of these indestructible watches!
Ibe-san made a really kawaii animation to explain to us the whole R&D process where in the end, it lead to him creating a huge ball with a watch face within. He knew he was going the wrong direction and everything came to his mind when he was looking at a little girl playing with ball. He knew he could "suspend" the watch within a rubber encasing shown below...
Ibe-san even did a demonstration on stage, whacking his watch hard against a board. It was safe and sound and functioning as usual. In fact, at the press conference, watches were dropped sky high and it did not affect them too. That's how durable G-Shock is!
“When we first started G-SHOCK, we wanted to challenge conventional wisdom that a wrist watch always had to be handled with care. Each G-SHOCK watch is the perfect embodiment of the latest in shock resistance technology with cutting-edge design. As we now celebrate G-SHOCK’s successful 30-year history, it is about sharing our vision and journey as we remain committed to continually innovate and evolve our design to excite the world" --- Mr Kikuo Ibe, Creator of G-Shock
To mark G-SHOCK’s milestone 30th anniversary in Singapore, G-SHOCK has collaborated with two of Singapore’s most talented designers and unveiled 2 limited edition stylized G-SHOCK watches designed by local design icon, Keith Png (who has dressed international movie stars like Zhang Ziyi) and the design collective duo, Andrew Loh and Kenny Lim of DEPRESSION, who are known across Asia for their signature bold, monochromatic designs.
Since its inception, G-SHOCK has played a key role in shaping the world’s various sports, arts, fashion and street cultures, making the brand a vital part of youth culture. Hosted by MTV VJ and popular television personality, Max Loong, the “SHOCK THE WORLD 2013” Singapore party featured adrenaline-pumping performances by AOS Collective together with Beatboxer Dhani.
Yohei Uchino, winner of last year’s G-SHOCK presents Real Toughness dance competition, Tsutomu Kitayama, winner of Voodoo Jam 2013, UK Bboy championship winner, 2goo, alongside popular Malaysian singer Shi Xing Hui and local rapper and celebrity Sheikh Haikel were also those on stage to perform for us. Everyone were high to the max under the Singapore heat!
Other program highlights included the exciting battle of local dance talent in the Absolute Toughness Dance Xtreme finals. The grand winner, from each dance genre was not only rewarded with a return trip and accommodation to Japan but also a chance to battle it out with the rest of the world.
At the event, there was also an introduction to some new models of watches that can only be found at the G-Shock premium store at Marina Bay Sands (MBS)...
Woohoo! The new generation G-Shock is Bluetooth v4.0 Enabled, where you can link it to your iPhone through an app. Not only does it alert you when you get Facebook or Twitter notifications, the watch also helps you locate your phone through a simple button. What's more is that the time is synced via the iPhone! Talk about high tech!
The Gravity Defier comes complete with a construction capable of standing up to the forces of impact, vibration, and three G-forces - Shock Resistant, Centrifugal Force Resistant and Vibration Resistant. The hand that indicates direction is made of carbon fiber and it comes with Tough Solar powering system, a sapphire crystal glass with anti-glare coating, a resin band, a water resistance of 200 meters, an easy to read display.
MT-G meaning Metal Twisted G-Shock is made up of composite structure of Metal and Resin, it is definitely anti-shock and solar powered, water resistant and dual time ready.
Mr-G is the ideal watch for the business man who keeps flying non-stop. Made of anti-scratching Titanium body, this watch is not only an analog watch, it also auto syncs to the local time wherever you fly to. Super smart right?
GIEZ are new model watches that are the first to pack event-hand chronograph modules plus World Time with date indication into a G-SHOCK shock-resistant configuration. Their features include a 1/20-second stop watch and 27-city World Time, and more. The seven hands provide display of a wealth of information at a glance. Metal and resin parts create a contrast for a look that is elegant and sporty.
Ok, I'm leaving you with a showcase of watches specially designed.
Note: they are not for sale...
More photos from the press con and event can be found here in
my album...
