Can a basic calculator with an old-school segmented LCD screen be beautiful? Casio's response to that question is its new S100X featuring a traditional Japanese hand-painted finish using sap from the lacquer tree, giving the calculator a glossy black finish with warm red highlights around the edges. It somehow looks even more luxurious than if Casio had simply gold-plated the S100X.
Casio enlisted Yamakyu Shitsuki, a Japanese company that's been making lacquerware since 1930, to give the calculator's milled aluminum alloy body the unique finish. It took master artisan Ryuji Umeda a month to complete the lacquering technique, according to Hy …
