Kikou Ibe is an unassuming superstar of the modern watch industry, but as the creator of the original G-Shock 35 years ago he is revered and idolised by collectors like a Marvel movie star at a Comic Con festival.
Those acolytes could be frothing at the news that the legendary Mr Ibe says that the next frontier for his G-Shock watches could be outer space.
In an interview with WatchPro at G-Shock’s London store on fashionable Carnaby Street, we asked what G-Shock might look like in 35 years hence, and how they will be sold.
We expected a dry answer about the evolution of a brand that is segmented into rugged watches for air, sea and land and sold through high street and online retailers. Instead the creative genius predicted that in 35 years — that will be 2053 — the world will have conquered space.
“I think we will see a G-Shock for space,” he predicted.
“And the watches will be sold in a Casio Space Shop, maybe to aliens,” he adds.
He laughs but, since the interview was conducted via a translator, is hard to tell whether he is entirely joking.
Read the full interview with Kikou Ibe in October.