What is it Casio sees in Kanoa Igarashi?
He looks like a pop star, was born in Japan, lives in California and is a world class surfer who competed on behalf of Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Oh, and he has 583,000 adoring fans on Instagram.
As I say, what’s not to like?
It is little wonder, then, that Casio is onto its second collaboration with Mr Igarashi. This time for a G-Shock GBX-100KI, based on the GBX-100 with a design and color theme created under Mr Igarashi’s supervision.
The all-black watch, retailing for £179, has different textures and shades for each part including the bezel, band, and LCD.
The bezel and glass have a graphic of Mr Igarashi tube riding a massive wave.
The dial, case back, and band tip carry his signature.
The band’s lug side showcases the number 50, which is the surfer’s number on the WSL Championship Tour.
It has on board Mobile Link functions that pair with a smartphone app so a user can select a location from approximately 3,300 preset locations worldwide and send the information to the watch, including tide data, sunset/sunrise times, and other essential data for surfers.
In addition to displaying tide graphs and moon data, the watch comes with a variety of functions that are useful in daily training, such as distance travelled, time, and pace.
