Casio celebrates 50 years of watchmaking with new Casiotron

Casio is celebrating 50 years of watchmaking with a new version of its iconic Casiotron.

A limited-edition recreation of the original, the new watch features the same circular case housing a rectangular digital display. The striking blue and gold accent colours are said to evoke the sky, sea and sunlight.

Other nods back to the half-century-old original Casiotron include the fluted pattern surrounding the display, along with four buttons on the outside of the case and the prominent ‘Casiotron’ inscription at the six o’clock position.

The rear of the stainless steel case features a screw-lock back finished in blue, with a 50th anniversary logo in gold. The precious metal colour is also used on the folding mechanism of the clasp, which also offers a glimpse of an engraved triangle pattern and ‘50th anniversary’ lettering when opened.

The rest of the watch is much like other members of the Casiotron family. It has a stainless steel case that measures 42.7 x 39.1 mm and is 12.3 mm thick. It's water resistant to 50 metres – making it safe for showering and swimming but not diving – and a solar panel on the dial keeps the battery topped-up indefinitely. Even when stored in total darkness, Casio says the watch will survive for up to 22 months.

There’s also Bluetooth for smartphone connectivity. This automatically adjusts the watch’s time as you travel between time zones, and a Casio app can be used for changing watch settings. Features of the watch include a stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second, up to five daily alarms and a countdown timer that can be set for between one second and 24 hours. There’s also a full calendar that’s accurate until the year 2099.

Casio says the watch is a limited edition, but hasn’t revealed how many it intends to produce. It is priced at $550 in the US, with prices for the UK and other markets to be confirmed.