For the unpressumable, the good old calculator is a gadget of yesteryears, as the smartphone does all the multitasking. However, for someone who works with numbers, this device is a no-brainer. Retail personnel, accountants, and professionals handling a high volume of calculations always reach for a calculator. The rugged device with its analog input doesn’t have the shenanigans of a touchscreen that misbehaves when touched with wet hands or with gloves on.
Casio pioneered the design of an all-electronic calculator dubbed 14-A (designed by the Kashio brothers) way back in the 1950s. The computing machine turned into a household name when the Casio Mini arrived in the early 1970s. The handheld device was a holy grail when it came to churning out numbers in professional circles as well as homes. Come 2026, the Japanese company has decided to give the trusted calculator a unique, handmade twist that carries a lot of substance.
Designer: Casio
Based on Casio’s flagship S100 calculator, the S100X Urushi Edition, a.k.a. The Special One, is a limited edition desktop calculator designed using century-old Japanese Urushi lacquer technique. To handcraft the body of the device, Casio looked up to none other than Yamakyu Shitsuki, a lacquerware workshop expertising in the craft since 1930. Mater crafter Ryuji Umeda himself handcrafted the design involving a technique called tamenuri, which took a month of perfecting. The craft involves layering laquer tree’s filtered sap on the milled aluminum housing and achieving a sense of depth with repeated applications over a period of a week. Finally, the calculator is polished for that mirror-like shine and luxury feel.
Each of the 625 limited edition calculator’s is handcrafted carefully at the workshop, rendering each one of them unique in their look depending on the viewing angle. To carry the premium feel, the machined aluminum body housing the buttons on top and the LCD screen ensures a satisfying presence. This display comes with a dual-sided AR coating for reduced reflections and the navy blue text color mimics the fountain pen ink. For enhanced tactile sensation of pressing the isolation-type keys, they come with the pantograph mechanism and an ergonomic shape nestling the fingers. The 3-key rollover tech ensures rapid typing as the keystroke is accurately recognized for up to 3 keystrokes.
This 12-digit calculator adapts all the functions vital for professionals, including four-law calculation, tax calculation, unit conversion, memory (x2), and grand total. It is powered via solar panels on the front or a CR2025 coin battery, which can last for around seven years. The decimal point selector lever has a spin finish design for a premium shine, and on the back side, there is a geometric pattern molded stopper for assuring stability. Each one of the S100X Urushi Edition calculators has a laser-engraved serial number and comes packaged in a themed black presentation box complete with gold foil stamping.
The S100X Urushi Edition Special One calculator is priced at ¥99,000, which coincidentally equates to around $625. Owning this one is going to be special for collectors.
