Casio S100X Japanese Lacquer Edition Calculator Costs $626 and Took a Month to Finish

The Casio S100X Japanese Lacquer Edition is covered in layers of traditional Japanese lacquer from top to bottom, right down to the borders. The end result is a deep, glossy black surface with a hint of red tones peeking out along the edges. This shining finish is created by meticulously collecting sap from lacquer trees and applying it with a centuries-old technique that has been perfected.

Master artisan Ryuji Umeda of the Yamakyu Shitsuki studio in Echizen was in charge of all of this artistry, personally overseeing each piece. He spent a month meticulously applying the lacquer by hand to a body made of machined aluminum alloy. Every single application required a whole month of meticulous labor before each calculator was finished. There are only 650 of these limited edition calculators available around the world.

The keys curve up beneath the surface, making them comfortable to press, and they operate in a three-key rollover mode, which is useful when inputting numbers quickly. The large 12-digit screen is at an ideal position for working at your desk, and it has a very high contrast display with unique coatings on both sides to reduce reflections, as the numbers appear in a deep navy blue, similar to fountain pen ink.

It’s powered by a small solar panel and a single coin battery, which Casio claims will last up to seven years with around an hour of use every day. Currency conversion and tax calculation are incorporated, in addition to all of the fundamental features, and the overall dimensions are 183mm deep, 110.5mm wide, 17.8mm thick, weighing 265 grams.

Every single unit gets its own unique serial number laser engraved on it. The calculator is packaged in a beautiful black presentation box with gold foil embellishments all over. The price is a whopping 99,000 yen, or around $626 in US currency as of today, and it can be purchased via the official Casio store in Japan. A few importers plan to bring it to other markets starting in early April.