Casio had existed for nearly three decades before releasing their first digital watch, the CASIOTRON. Originally founded in April of 1946 as Kashio Seisakujo by fabrication technology engineer Tadao Kashio, the legendary Japanese company enjoyed early success with a cigarette-holding finger ring called the yubiwa pipe. The profits from this obscure non-electronic device allowed the Kashio brothers to develop calculators, which would go on to serve as a foundation for their digital watches we’re all familiar with today.
First Appearances in F1: Honda
By the 1980’s, Casio had made multiple appearances in Formula One. Early watches of note include the F-90 Honda Racing Williams, F-85 Honda Racing Team F1, and F-86 Rothmans Honda. Introduced in 1983 and now a strong brand in its own right, the G-Shock line was immediately folded into the Formula One world with the DW-5000C-Honda. This rare timepiece was issued to Honda engineers who developed the engine run by Spirit Racing in the 1983 Formula One championship. The following year a second collaboration was issued: the DW-5200C-Honda.
G-Shock: Williams F1, Kawasaki MotoGP, and Suzuki MotoGP
1997 saw the release of the Casio G-Shock DW-6600-Williams, that happened to coincide with the end of the Adrian Newey era of the Williams F1 team and back to back drivers and constructors championships.
G-Shock also made an appearance in the MotoGP world in 2005 with the Kawasaki Racing team in the form of their G-300KRT-1AV and G-300KRT-3AV models. Another Team Green G-Shock was released in 2007 in the form of the G-7710KRT-3, although it isn’t clear if was in reference to the Kawasaki MotoGP or World Superbike team. Fast forward to 2017 and we got the G-Shock GA-110MC Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP edition. While not outwardly related to Grand Prix motorcycle racing, the existence of the G-Shock DW-6600-Yamaha and DW-6900FS Kawasaki Ninja 25th Anniversary is also worth noting.
Casio Edifice: Red Bull Racing
Casio launched the Edifice line in 2000, which quickly became synonymous with motorsports. Formula One driver and multiple race winner David Coulthard became an Edifice ambassador in 2008, and a sponsorship deal was made with Red Bull Racing the following year. This proved to be good timing for Casio as Red Bull Racing went from a difficult 2008 season where they were overhauled in the final standings by their Ferrari-powered junior team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, to taking a strong second in the constructors’ championship behind the unbeatable Brawn GP team. What followed was a string of four consecutive constructors’ and drivers’ championships with Sebastian Vettel.
Casio Edifice: Scuderia Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri
When the senior Red Bull team switched to TAG Heuer for 2016, Casio Edifice continued the Red Bull relationship by pivoting to Scuderia Toro Rosso the same year. Casio would remain with the team through their rebranding to Scuderia AlphaTauri until the end of the 2022 season. A slew of racer and team-branded Casio Edifice models was the result, from the Casio Edifice Red Bull Racing EFE-504RBSP to the Casio Edifice AlphaTauri EQB-1200AT-1A.
Casio Edifice: Honda
Working directly with the manufacturer, the Casio Edifice EQW-A2000HR-1AJR was released to commemorate 60 years since Honda’s first ever world championship motorcycle Grand Prix win in the 250cc category at the West German Grand Prix in 1961. The Casio Edifice ECB-S100HR was also released in the same year to commemorate Honda’s first ever Formula One car, the RA271.
References
http://www.gsking.net/uebersicht-modell-geschichte-der-g-shock-dw-5000er-screwback-serie-1-generation/
https://www.rideapart.com/news/496801/honda-casio-rc162-commemorative-watch/
https://www.autoracing1.com/pl/247927/vettel-signs-casio-deal/
https://casioau.com/blogs/edifice/automative-inspired-design-the-latest-honda-racing-watch-from-edifice
https://masterhorologer.com/2008/11/05/casio-edifice-ef-529dc-david-coulthard-signature-watch/
https://casioblog.com/edifice-efe-504rbsp-i-ef-550rbsp-2
https://www.isportconnect.com/red-bull-racing-extend-casio-sponsorship-deal/
https://sponsorship.sportbusiness.com/news/red-bull-racing-gives-more-time-to-casio/
https://www.burnpavement.com/article.php?id=798
https://casiofanmag.com/edifice/efr-550/
https://casiofanmag.com/news/edifice-infiniti-red-bull-racing-limited-edition/
https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/toro-rosso-reignite-casio-partnership/
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/g-shock-made-for-drivers-or-driving-enthusiasts.4726975/
https://casiofanmag.com/g-shock/g-300krt/
https://casiofanmag.com/news/g-7710krt-3-g-shock-kawasaki-racing-team-limited/
https://casiofanmag.com/news/ecb-s100hr-honda-racing-collaboration/