A legend of time

AS the father of G-Shock, Kikuo Ibe recently made an appearance at the MR-G's 20th Anniversary celebration in Malaysia.
The founder, who started his career at Casio, has 40 years of experience in developing timepiece structures.
In 1981, he began developing shock resistant structures, and this eventually led to the development of the first G-Shock watch in 1983.
Since then, he has been involved in product development and developed Casio's first ever radio-controlled and solar powered watch, as well as Casio's OCEANUS range of radio-controlled solar powered analog watches.
In an exclusive interview with theSun, he talked about watches, his watchmaking journey and the future.
If you have to introduce GShock watches to someone who knows nothing about it, how would you do it?
I'll tell the person that G-shock watches are the toughest watches in the world.
In your opinion, what are the three characteristics of a good watch?
I believe that you need to judge a watch by these aspects: technology, cost and style.
So, do you think G-shock watches have the aforementioned features?
Of course, but many other brands boast of watches with these traits too.
G-Shock has been around for about three decades now. Where do you see its future?
As of now, all G-Shock watches can and have been used on earth. In the future, I envision that it can be used not only on earth, but also in outer space.
You've developed watches for many, many years. Is there any life lesson that you've learnt from doing so?
The research and development for G-Shock commenced about 33 years ago and, throughout this period of time, I have met with various struggles. Hence, I learnt to never give up. Besides that, many other people – from marketing executives to sales personnel to members of the media – are involved in the success of the brand. Hence, The limited edition MRGG1000HT. communication skills and interpersonal relationships are vital.
How do you feel about your achievements?
Frankly, I don't think G-Shock's success is solely attributed to me. While I did invent the watches, many people have helped me along the way. They, too, have contributed to the continuation of the brand. Thus I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts.