Drop Test         12-12-2003
 

 

Casio's "Team Tough" was formed in 1981 to construct an indestructible watch. This resulted in the tipple ten philosophy. The watch should withstand the shock of a 10 meter free fall, is at least 10 bar (100 m) water resistant and the battery should at least last for 10 years. After at least 200 prototypes thrown  from rooftops and out of the window of the 3rd floor of Casio's  head office in Tokyo, the first watch was produced in 1983. It was the DW-5000. The watch was named after it's most severe criteria: Gravity Shock.

After 20 years, I decided to test the first criteria. I found Jolien studying in the cantina, and asked her if she had a little time for me.

 

 
 

 
Here you see Jolien standing on a table on the first floor of our cantina. It was the highest possible freefall I could find and the watch, a worn DW-069 Street Arts, would make a 7 meter drop on the concrete floor. I had released the watch band, because I had preformed a "tennis test" earlier, and one of the pushpins of the Double Velcro Watchband adaptors was pulled off. Watch the guy in the bluish decorated shirt! He didn't know this was a serious test and didn't wanted the watch to crash on the floor...
 

 

Yep, that guy had fast reflexes. While I took the pictures, he popped out of nowhere and saved the G-Shock from hitting the floor. He didn't understand why I was upset about. He thought he helped me saving a G-Shock's life...

I explained the purpose of throwing a G-Shock down. I threw the watch back to Jolien, who seemed by the way to be a better thrower than a catcher and preformed the test again.

 
 
I must admit, it's hard to see, but here's the DW-069 in flight, just before impact on the concrete floor. Again I was lucky to shoot the picture when the watch was about half way.

 
There it lay, face down, on the floor. I wonder if it's still intact?
 

 
Yesssss, It still works! Sorry for the bit blurry photo. There was not much light, so my camera had problems with focusing. Later on it appeared that the last pushpin broke off by the force of the impact. The watch itself worked flawless.