Casio is a Japanese electronics company that became one of the world’s largest watchmakers almost by accident. In India it sells G-Shock, Edifice, Vintage and the plain Casio collection, from a few thousand rupees to around ₹50,000, with the bulk of what people actually buy sitting between ₹3,000 and ₹15,000. The most important recent fact about the brand here is that in 2025 it stopped importing everything and began making watches in India.
Casio started making watches in India in 2025 — 28 models, on sale from the end of July that year — and the price tag has not visibly moved. A G-Shock GA-2100-1A1 still carries an Indian MRP of ₹9,195, and the company has not said which models are made here. An imported watch pays roughly 49% of assessable value in duty and tax, so the saving is real; whether any of it reaches the buyer is still unanswered.
Snapshot
- Founded
- April 1946 as Kashio Seisakujo; Casio Computer Co., Ltd. established June 1957
- Founder
- Tadao Kashio, with his brothers Toshio, Kazuo and Yukio
- Headquarters
- Tokyo, Japan
- Current owner
- Casio Computer Co., Ltd., listed in Tokyo. Not owned by any larger group
- Category
- Watches — G-Shock, Edifice, Vintage, Baby-G and the Casio collection
- Price band in India
- Roughly ₹2,000 to ₹50,000. The core range sits around ₹3,000 to ₹15,000, which is Mid-range for watches
- Available in India
- Official — casio.com/in, Casio exclusive stores, Helios and authorised multi-brand retailers
How it started
Casio was founded in April 1946 as Kashio Seisakujo by Tadao Kashio and his three younger brothers, Toshio, Kazuo and Yukio. It was not a watch company and did not intend to become one. The business that made its name was calculators — Casio Computer Co., Ltd. was formally established in June 1957 after the brothers completed the 14-A, an early electric calculator.
Watches came later, and they came out of the same engineering culture: cheap, mass-produced, digital, and built around a component the company already understood. That heritage still explains the brand. Casio approaches a watch as an electronic device with a specification, not as jewellery with a movement inside, which is why its watches are unusually honest about what they do and unusually plain about how they look.
G-Shock is the line that turned that engineering into an identity, and it remains the reason most Indians know the name.
- April 1946Founded as Kashio Seisakujo by Tadao Kashio and his three brothers
- June 1957Casio Computer Co., Ltd. established after the 14-A electric calculator
- End of July 2025Sales of locally manufactured Casio watches begin in India
- 13 August 2025Casio India announces 28 India-made models, with no pricing detail
Watches came out of a calculator company’s engineering culture, not a jeweller’s.
What they actually make
Four things matter in India. G-Shock is the shock-resistant resin line and the brand’s anchor. Edifice is the metal, analog, chronograph-led range aimed at office wear. Vintage is the small steel digital range that became a fashion object. And the plain Casio collection covers cheap everyday digitals.
The specification on a mainstream G-Shock is genuinely strong for the money. The GA-2100-1A1, the model usually called the CasiOak, is 48.5 by 45.4 by 11.8 mm, weighs 51 grams, carries 200 metre water resistance in a carbon and resin case, and runs about three years on its batteries.
Compare that with what Indian brands offer at similar money and the difference is not styling, it is engineering tolerance. 200 metre water resistance and shock resistance are not decorative claims; they are the reason a G-Shock survives a decade of being knocked about while a fashion watch does not.
The manufacturing picture changed in 2025. On 13 August 2025 Casio India announced it had begun selling locally manufactured watches, with 28 selected models made in India and sales starting at the end of July that year. The managing director framed it as being “better equipped to design and deliver products that truly resonate with the Indian mindset and lifestyle”.
What the announcement did not say is where the watches are made, which 28 models they are, or what any of it does to the price. Those omissions matter, and the next section explains why.
What Casio costs in India
A G-Shock GA-2100-1A1 carries an Indian MRP of ₹9,195, inclusive of all taxes, on Casio’s own India site as of August 2026.
Historically the reason that number is what it is has been duty. An imported wristwatch entering India pays 20% basic customs duty, a cess at 20% of that duty, a social welfare surcharge at 20% of the two combined, and then 18% IGST on the whole landed value — roughly 49% of assessable value before an importer, distributor or retailer takes anything.
- Assessable valueThe landed value of the watch before any duty
- Basic customs duty20% of assessable value
- Cess and social welfare surcharge20% of the duty, then 20% of both combined
- IGST18% on the whole landed value
- Roughly 49%Total incidence before importer, distributor or retailer margin
The diagram shows why an imported watch reaches an Indian shelf so much dearer than it left Japan.
That is the whole point of making watches here, and it is why Titan has been able to hold about 55% of the Indian market below ₹25,000 while imported brands fought over what was left.
So the honest question for Casio is whether any of that saving reaches the buyer. As of August 2026 the company has not said. The announcement disclosed no pricing effect, and Casio does not identify which 28 models are locally made, so a shopper cannot tell in the store whether the watch in front of them still carries an importer’s duty bill or does not.
One limitation of this audit, stated plainly. Casio does not publish prices in a readable form on its US, UK or Japan sites, so a like-for-like global price against the Indian MRP could not be verified at the time of writing and is not quoted here rather than estimated. This section will be updated when a sourced foreign price is available.
For a company moving production inside a 49% duty wall, silence on whether that saving is shared is a choice.
Who Casio is actually for
Casio is for the buyer who wants a watch to survive things. A G-Shock at ₹6,000 to ₹10,000 is the most durable object you can strap to your wrist at that money in India, and for site work, travel, sport, or a teenager who will drop it, nothing from an Indian fashion brand is close.
Vintage and the cheap digitals are a different purchase: styling-led, light, and priced so that losing one is not a disaster. Edifice makes sense if you want a metal chronograph for office wear and do not want to pay Swiss prices for it.
Skip Casio if you want a dress watch. The brand’s design language is technical, and its attempts at elegance are its weakest work. Skip it if resale matters — outside a handful of collector references, Casio watches are worth very little used. And below about ₹3,000 the comparison flips: an Indian brand made inside the duty wall will usually give you more metal and a better strap for the money than an imported Casio at the same price.
Reputation and controversies
Casio has no major documented controversy in India as of August 2026. No regulatory action, product recall, advertising adjudication, labour finding or pattern of consumer commission orders against the brand or its Indian subsidiary could be sourced.
The fair criticism is one of disclosure rather than conduct. Casio announced Indian manufacturing as a strategic milestone but withheld the three details that would let a customer act on it: the location, the model list, and the price effect.
The other issue is counterfeiting, which is not Casio’s fault but is very much its problem — covered below.
Buying it in India
Counterfeit risk is high, and higher for G-Shock than for almost any other watch brand at this price. G-Shock is among the most copied watches in the world precisely because the design is recognisable and the resin case is cheap to imitate.
Buy from an authorised seller
Use casio.com/in, a Casio exclusive store, Helios, or an authorised multi-brand watch retailer. On Amazon, Flipkart and other marketplaces you are buying from a seller rather than the platform, so check that seller is authorised.
Weigh the watch
A genuine GA-2100-1A1 weighs 51 grams. A copy usually does not, and the difference is easy to feel in the hand.
Press the buttons and read the printing
The tells are consistent: module response speed and button feel, and the quality of the printing on the dial and case back. Check the packaging too.
Treat a steep discount as a warning
Price remains the clearest signal. A G-Shock offered well below ₹9,195 by an unknown seller is a “first copy”, the common Indian term for a counterfeit.
Do not assume a foreign purchase still wins
Buying Casio abroad has traditionally saved an Indian buyer money, because duty is what inflated the Indian price. Local manufacturing should narrow that, but until Casio names the models and their prices, the calculation is unverifiable.
Common questions
Are Casio watches made in India now?
Some are. Casio India announced on 13 August 2025 that it had begun selling 28 locally manufactured models, with sales starting at the end of July 2025. The company has not published which models these are or where they are made, so you cannot identify them in a store.
Why are Casio watches expensive in India?
Import duty. An imported wristwatch pays 20% basic customs duty, a cess, a social welfare surcharge and 18% IGST, coming to roughly 49% of assessable value before any margin. Watches assembled in India pay 18% GST and none of the rest.
Is a G-Shock worth it in India?
For durability, yes. The GA-2100-1A1 at ₹9,195 gives 200 metre water resistance, shock resistance and about a three-year battery. Nothing from an Indian fashion brand at that price matches it. For a dress watch or for resale value, look elsewhere.
How do I spot a fake G-Shock?
Check weight, button feel and printing quality. A genuine GA-2100-1A1 weighs 51 grams. Examine the dial and case back printing under light, and buy from casio.com/in, a Casio store, Helios or a verified authorised seller. A steep discount from an unknown seller means a counterfeit.
Who owns Casio?
Casio Computer Co., Ltd., a Japanese company listed in Tokyo and founded by the Kashio brothers. It is independent, not part of a larger watch group like Swatch Group or Richemont, and it started as a calculator maker rather than a watchmaker.
How we research and verify brand audits: our methodology.
References
- Casio, corporate history — founded April 1946 as Kashio Seisakujo by Tadao Kashio and his brothers, and Casio Computer Co., Ltd. established June 1957
- Casio India, G-Shock GA-2100-1A1 product page — the ₹9,195 Indian MRP inclusive of all taxes, 200 metre water resistance, 51 gram weight, case dimensions and approximately three-year battery life
- Casio India press release, 13 August 2025 — 28 locally manufactured models, sales beginning at the end of July 2025, and the managing director’s comment. No location, model list or pricing effect was disclosed
- The Hour Markers, customs duty guide — 20% basic customs duty, the AIDC cess and social welfare surcharge, 18% IGST, and the approximately 49% total incidence shown in the diagram
- Business Standard, 3 June 2026 — Titan holding about 55% of the Indian watch market below ₹25,000
Buy a G-Shock for durability at any price between ₹6,000 and ₹15,000; but ask which watches are now made in India, and why the price tag has not moved.
