Leong Wong 23 August 2019

You can almost taste the saltwater with Casio’s latest tie-up.

Usually, when a traditional watch brand does an ocean-themed piece, we can expect a fairly literal interpretation skinned in blue. So, trust Casio—the bane of the Swiss horology industry during the quartz crisis of the 1970s—to do something out of the box for its latest collaboration with surfing prodigy Kanoa Igarashi.

For starters, the GLX-5600KI-7 has a translucent case and band with a silver metallic mirror face. Igarashi says these elements represent his relationship with the sea because when he “thinks of the ocean, he thinks of clear water and blue skies.” Serendipitously, it also gives the timepiece an almost surreal quality when submerged in water.

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The light, thin, square-shaped design, based on that of the GLX-5600, also does not obstruct the wrist—another key consideration for Igarashi. Clearly pleased with the result, he comments, “The watch is like a part of me. It becomes like a part of your body. Something like this feels so natural. It’s one of those watches that I won’t take it off.”

And in case you were wondering, here’s the lowdown on Kanoa Igarashi. At just 21 years’ old, the California native has been in the pro-surf scene for over a decade. He caught the surfing bug when he was only three years old, and by the time he was 11, had set a new record for the most victories in a single season. In addition to notching up several major surf-competition wins since then, he is currently a fixture in the world’s top surf league WCT.

Fittingly, the limited-edition watch—part of the G-SHOCK G-LIDE series of extreme sports-ready models—has every function a keen surfer would need, most notably Tide and Moon graphs and Moon Age data for anticipating tide and surf swell at a current location.

In a personalised touch, the mirror face has Igarashi’s “Kanoa” signature inscribed at the top, as well as on the band keeper and stainless steel caseback. It also comes up in red illumination when the watch’s backlight is activated at the press of a button.

The GLX-5600KI-7 is a cool and reliable surf buddy that you’ll want to chase waves with. And even if you prefer keeping your feet firmly on dry ground, it could be a fun addition to your weekend rotation as its clear case is right on trend this season.

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Leong Wong

Editor

A familiar face in Malaysia's horological publishing scene, Leong has been involved in lifestyle journalism since the mid-1990s. Besides watches, he takes a keen interest in cars and men's fashion.