In this lovely interview with Yusuke Suzuki, the CEO of Casio America, I got the skinny on how Casio sees the American market and what’s next for the brand.
Suzuki is the incoming President and CEO of Casio America, a role he stepped into after more than three decades inside the company. He joined Casio in 1993 in Tokyo, starting out as a watch planner before taking on responsibility for other lines, including digital cameras. Over time he kept coming back to timepieces. Watches became the thread that ran through his career.
Most of his working life has been spent abroad. Suzuki ran Casio Benelux in the Netherlands, then Casio Italy, then Casio UK, spending more than eleven years in Germany along the way. That mix of markets gave him a clear view of how Japanese watchmaking can stand out in regions dominated by Swiss brands. He talks often about G-Shock’s “absolute toughness” and its “never give up” story, and he sees that attitude as a bridge to musicians, athletes, and younger buyers. In America, his goal is simpleL to make Casio one of the coolest names on the wrist, not only through G-Shock but also through core lines like Edifice and the vintage inspired collections that bring new customers into the brand.
What follows is an edited interview with Suzuki but you can find an unedited version above.
WWR: Welcome, Mr. Suzuki. We’re huge Casio fans. Can you introduce yourself!
Yusuke Suzuki: My name is Yusuke Suzuki. I am the President and CEO of Casio America, Inc. I moved to this role in June after working in Europe for many years. Before coming to the United States, I was Managing Director of Casio UK, before that Managing Director of Casio Italy, and before that Managing Director of Casio Benelux in the Netherlands. I started my career at Casio headquarters in Tokyo and also spent about eleven and a half years in Germany. So most of my professional life has been in Europe.
WWR: How did you get into watches in the first place?
Yusuke Suzuki: I have been with Casio for more than 30 years. I joined in 1993. At that time I did not know which division I would join. What I knew was that I wanted to work in an overseas role. I was then assigned to the timepiece division. That is where my long history with watches began. Over the years I have also overseen other product lines, like digital cameras, but timepieces have always been at the center of my work.
WWR: Among all those product lines, what is your favorite now?
Yusuke Suzuki: Now it is clearly watches. I have spent most of my career in this field. Casio has a very wide range of timepieces, from very affordable models to higher price segment watches. I enjoy that variety. We launch new products every month, which keeps the work exciting and keeps us in close contact with many different customers and end users.
WWR: You have worked in several regions, especially across Europe. What differences did you see in those markets when it comes to what sells and how you position Casio?
Yusuke Suzuki: In Europe, Swiss brands are very strong. It is their home ground. Japanese brands like Casio, Seiko, and Citizen are more like visitors there. So our first challenge was how to face these strong European and Swiss manufacturers. One common point across markets is that our collection has a very different profile. While much of the market is heavy on analog and mechanical pieces, we bring a different mix, with strong digital offerings and a unique design language. That gives us a special position. This difference, this unique product range, is what lets us compete with those long established brands.
WWR: Casio, and G-Shock in particular, has a strong place in youth and counterculture, with musicians, skaters, ravers, and so on, but at the same time the watches are very technical and very tough. How do you build watches that speak to both toughness and youth style at once?
Yusuke Suzuki: The product philosophy of G-Shock is “absolute toughness.” Behind that there is also a strong “never give up” story. The creator of G-Shock, Mr. Ibe, kept throwing prototypes from the third or fourth floor of a building, hundreds of times, to reach a watch that would not break. That spirit of never giving up matches the mindset of many musicians and athletes who refuse to be beaten by their challenges. So first, there is a natural connection in attitude. On top of that, we work on both sides, technology and emotion. We build strong functions, but we also put a lot of effort into design and emotional value. That mix of functional value and emotional value is what makes G-Shock attractive to such a wide range of users.
WWR: How do you think about selling new G-Shocks in the American market today? What is the strategy?
Yusuke Suzuki: G-Shock already has a long history in America. In fact, one of the big early booms for G-Shock in Japan started from a TV commercial made in America, where the watch was used as an ice hockey puck and did not break. Over the years, the team here has built strong recognition and support. At the same time, markets always change, and users now are more diverse and always looking for something new. A key task now is how to connect with Gen Z. We work on direct communication through our own direct to consumer platforms and G-Shock stores. We want closer contact, more surveys, more understanding of their customer path, so we can serve this new generation better.
WWR: What do you hope to achieve in America in this role? Are there changes or new directions you want to push?
Yusuke Suzuki: In simple terms, I would like Casio to be seen as the coolest brand in the minds of end users here. That does not apply only to G-Shock. In recent years we have also seen strong support for other Casio lines, like Edifice, Vintage, and more basic models starting around 30 or 40 dollars. These watches offer good value for money and designs that work for adults, younger users, and women. Our vintage style casual collection, for example, is doing quite well. So one of my goals is to grow not only G-Shock, but also these other Casio lines in the United States.
WWR: Do you remember your first Casio watch?
Yusuke Suzuki: I have to confess that when I went to my first interview at Casio, I was not wearing a watch at all. I borrowed one for the interview. I think it was an F-30 or a similar basic digital model. After I joined Casio, of course, I started wearing G-Shock. Today I am wearing an MR-G. My colleagues in the UK engraved a message on the case back when I left that office, so it has personal meaning. In daily life, for more than ten years now, I often wear a basic 5000 series resin G-Shock. So yes, I am a real Casio user.
WWR: In an age of smartphones and smartwatches, how does Casio keep people wearing traditional watches instead of just checking their phone?
Yusuke Suzuki: For at least 10 to 20 years people have said that when smartphones arrived the watch market would shrink. It is true that unit volumes in traditional watches went down a bit and that smartwatches grew. But now smartwatch shipments worldwide are flattening. On our side, we have not seen a big negative effect from smartphones. I think that is because our watches are not only tools to tell the time. They become part of your body, like an extra hand, something you feel attached to. The designs speak to our users, and the value for money is strong. There is a clear difference from a smartwatch. And when you wear a watch on your wrist, it shows something about you. That helps keep our category strong even in a very connected world.
