| Sometimes things start out in the most | | | | been well known for the huge variety and |
| surprising ways. Take the watch company of | | | | innovation of their watches almost since the |
| Casio for example. If you were asked to | | | | beginning of production. They were one of |
| guess what the first product that was made by | | | | the first watch companies to manufacture the |
| Casio, you may think it was the calculator or | | | | now famous quartz crystal watches. The |
| some other type of electronic product. You | | | | quartz watches produced by Casio were |
| would be wrong. The Casio Company was | | | | available in both digital and analog styles. |
| started 1946 by Tadao Kashio. Understand | | | | It is possible that the most well remembered |
| that this was in Japan following World War | | | | watch produced by this company was the |
| II. The financial situation was dire in | | | | calculator watch. For those of you who don't |
| Japan at the time to say the least. When Mr. | | | | remember, it featured all of the amazing time |
| Kashio began his company, he was a | | | | keeping capabilities of the regular Casio |
| fabrication engineer hoping to catch a big | | | | watches, with an added feature. It had a |
| break. | | | | tiny calculator complete with miniature |
| | | | keypad built into the watch. During its hey |
| His big break showed up in a very unique way. | | | | day it was the bane of math teachers |
| Tadao Kashio developed a product called the | | | | everywhere and the savior of every math |
| yubiwa pipe. Its design allowed it to be | | | | deficient student. |
| worn on the finger. It was used to hold a | | | | |
| cigarette, allowing the smoker to smoke the | | | | Considering the calculator watch was so much |
| cigarette to the filter, all while still | | | | fun, Casio continued to raise the bar. This |
| being able to use both hands. In the | | | | company was also the first to design and |
| impoverished Japan of the times, cigarettes | | | | produce a watch that could provide its owner |
| were a hot commodity and the product was an | | | | with some interesting details. One such |
| overwhelming success. The yubiwa pipe is a | | | | watch could display the time of many |
| far cry from the calculators and watches that | | | | different time zones at the touch of a |
| were to follow, but it did start the company | | | | button. Others were equipped to give weather |
| down the road to success. | | | | details like the temperature and barometric |
| | | | pressure. Mountain climbers of ages past |
| Since it is obvious that Mr. Kashio was an | | | | particularly were fond of the version that |
| inventive sort of man, it only took a little | | | | came with a gauge to indicate the altitude. |
| while for him to decide to explore different | | | | While other watch makers were stuck on the |
| products. At the business show in Ginza, | | | | same old, same old, Casio consistently |
| Japan in 1949, he discovered electronic | | | | offered new and exciting variations on the |
| calculators. With the proceeds from the sale | | | | classic wristwatch. |
| of the yubiwa pipes, Mr. Kashio and his | | | | |
| brothers began to experiment with making | | | | With the true gadget geeks of the world in |
| their own calculators. At the time, most | | | | mind, Casio came up with a watch just for |
| calculators were run by the use of gears. | | | | them. It is the Wave Ceptors line of |
| With diligence and hard work, the Casio | | | | watches. They really outdid themselves with |
| Company came out with the first calculator to | | | | this one. These watches are equipped to |
| use solenoids. The new type of calculator | | | | receive radio signals that enable the watch |
| went on sale in 1954. This calculator also | | | | to keep accurate time. They also are able to |
| was the first to have the 10 digit keypad and | | | | tell the time in different time zones, the |
| had only one display window as opposed to the | | | | user can set alarms and timers. This line of |
| competitors' that had three. | | | | watches also came with an incredibly |
| | | | extensive user manual to provide all of the |
| As you well know, calculators weren't the | | | | necessary instructions to the owner. |
| only product manufactured by Casio. After | | | | |
| the release of the Model 14-A calculator, | | | | From the yubiwa pipe to the finest |
| many more products were designed and released | | | | calculators and watches in the world, the |
| to the general public. The same year as the | | | | Casio has come a long way from its humble |
| release of the 14-A, the company also became | | | | beginnings. They continue to challenge |
| the Casio Computer Co., Inc. This is about | | | | themselves and their competitors to new |
| the time when watches from Casio first made | | | | higher peaks and offer the best products |
| their mark on the watch industry. Casio has | | | | electronics can build. |