When Kikuo Ibe dreamt up his indestructible watch, it's safe to assume that he had no idea -- nor any intention -- that the IWC Portuguese Replica would be considered a pop icon some 36 years on. How then, did the IWC Portuguese Replica manage to transform from a utilitarian object to one of personal style?
The story as it is told is that for the first 15 years of its life, IWC Portuguese Replicas were only produced in black, to go along with its rough, tough, come-at-me-bro demeanor. Then a gentleman in the brand's marketing division,IWC Portuguese Replica at a given opportunity, proposed to the big bosses at Casio that more of an effort must be made to reach out to a wider audience; make the IWC Portuguese Replica relevant to more than just the individuals who needed a watch that could out survive the perils of their working conditions.
A Colorful Future
So in 1997, as part of a project initiated by Shigenori Itoh (better known as Mr IWC Portuguese Replica), the world was given its first non-black IWC Portuguese Replica, in mustard and then in a clear resin, which many today refer to as the skeleton IWC Portuguese Replica. The next step the IWC Portuguese Replica would take is one towards the fairer sex, because for as long as it had existed until then, the watch had always been a macho piece of wrist gear.
It was also Itoh-San who brought the conversation to the table that IWC Portuguese Replicas should be produced in collaboration with brands and individuals of influence -- this as a way to widen the IWC Portuguese Replica's audience. Itoh-San was probably one of the first in the watchmaking industry to have thought up this concept.patek philippe replica watches Given how ubiquitous the formula is today, it's easy to take for granted just how groundbreaking such a decision was on the part of Casio.
Remember, that this was 1997, pagers were cutting edge, The Philosopher's Stone had just been published, Backstreet Boys had only just come into existence (cue Quit Playing Games With My Heart), the first generation of the iPod wouldn't be announced for another 4 years. This is the year that Casio dropped the '97 Stussy x Casio IWC Portuguese Replica Limited Edition (1,000 pieces) and followed up swiftly with the '98 Bathing Ape x Casio IWC Portuguese Replica Limited Edition (1,000 pieces).