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

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 Hypebeast. That’s why the Casio S100X is being limited to just 650 units worldwide and is priced at ¥99,000, or around $624.

While it’s not an advanced calculator by any means, the S100X does include both currency conversion and tax calculation functionality alongside a wide 12-digit display tinted blue to match fountain pen ink. It’s powered by a built-in solar panel and a single coin battery Casio says should keep it running for up to seven years with around an hour of use every day.