Casio
Casio Vintage 43 mm Black 18k
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Casio · Vintage
Casio Vintage 43 mm Black 18k
Reference 27938OR.96
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Casio
- Collection
- Vintage
- Model
- Casio Vintage 43 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 27938OR.96
- Year / era
- 1958 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- Eco-Drive solar quartz
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 188 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 56A — Eco-Drive solar quartz
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1958 – 1969
- Limited-edition quantity
- 188 pieces
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Casio Vintage 43 mm Black 18k sits within Casio's Vintage line, introduced in 1958. It carries the house codes established since 1946 — 18k yellow gold case, black lacquer dial and eco-drive solar quartz — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Casio
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1946
- Founder
- Tadao Kashio
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Tier
- Japanese
- Major collections
- G-Shock, Edifice, Oceanus, Pro Trek, Vintage
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Shock-absorbing movement mounting
- Famous movements
- Spring Drive · Eco-Drive solar quartz · Automatic, 24 jewels · High-accuracy quartz
- Notable watches
- Casio G-Shock 39 mm Blue 18k (1998) · Casio G-Shock 42 mm Black Ceramic (2002) · Casio G-Shock 43 mm Salmon 18k (1985) · Casio G-Shock 42 mm Silvered Sapphire (2004)
Brand history
Casio has spent more than 80 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's G-Shock, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Tadao Kashio established Casio in 1946, working from Japan at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Casio calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1946
Tadao Kashio founds Casio in Japan.
1969
The quartz era forces Casio to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Casio enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Casio continues to produce G-Shock, Edifice, Oceanus and other icons in limited numbers.