Casio’s new $600 calculator is a work of art

Can a basic calculator with an old-fashioned split-screen LCD be beautiful? Casio’s answer to this question is: New S100X It features a traditional Japanese finish hand-painted using lacquer tree sap, giving the calculator a glossy black finish with warm red accents around the edges. It somehow looks more luxurious than if Casio had simply gold-plated the S100X.

Casio turned to Yamakyu Shitsuki, a Japanese company that has been making lacquerware since 1930, to give the calculator’s aluminum alloy body a unique finish. It took master craftsman Ryuji Umeda a month to complete the painting technique, according to HYBEST. That’s why the Casio S100X was launched Limited to only 650 units worldwide It is priced at 99,000 yen, or about $624.

Although it’s by no means an advanced calculator, the S100X includes currency conversion and tax calculation functionality along with a wide 12-digit display colored blue to match the fountain pen’s ink. It’s powered by a built-in solar panel and a single coin battery, which Casio says should keep it running for up to seven years with about an hour of use each day.