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Casio Computer Company will enter the smartwatch market, says new company president Kazuhiro Kashio. Unlike the Apple Watch or Google鈥檚 Android Wear, Mr. Kashio says that the Casio smartwatch will be a watch first "that tries to be smart.鈥�

Kashio became president of the company last week, taking over for his father. This shift in leadership might be one of the factors leading Casio to develop wearable technology; for four years, the younger Kashio led a team researching the possibility of a Casio smartwatch.

The Japanese electronics company, which is also known for its calculators, keyboards, instruments, and office equipment, saw initial success with its first digital watch 40 years ago. Since then, its G-Shock line of timepieces has become popular, and the company, which remains profitable, has focused on more minimal, analog displays. Casio maintains steady market growth for its timepieces, and the company鈥檚 entry into the smartwatch industry signals what looks like a natural movement for watch manufacturers.

However, the Apple Watch will capture a majority of the smartwatch market for 2015, according to several analysts, so there is some concern whether Casio can properly compete in this new market already dominated by tech giants.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the smartwatch will be an instant success but we want it to grow in the long term,鈥� says Kashio to the Wall Street Journal.

This isn鈥檛 the first time that Casio has tried entering the wearable technology market. Over the past few decades, the company has developed 鈥済adget鈥� watches that included heart-rate monitors, dictionaries, and remote controls. The company unveiled the first 32 megabyte audio playing watch in 2000.

All of these saw mixed, if any, success.

鈥淎t times we just showed off with quirky features and then pulled those products when they didn鈥檛 sell well,鈥� says Kashio. Now, 鈥渨e are trying to bring our smartwatch to a level of watch perfection: a device that won鈥檛 break easily, is simple to put on and feels good to wear.鈥�

Casio isn鈥檛 the only watchmaker introducing a smart device. Tag Heuer recently announced a partnership with Google and Intel, and Guess partnered with Silicon Valley-based Martian to release smartwatches.

But Casio and other timepiece monarchs such as Swatch are distinctive in that their smartwatches may not be completely tied to any smartphone operating system.

And as a watch company first and a smart-device company second, Casio may find a more comfortable ground in the industry. Watches, after all, have not been historically equipped to deal with the rate of change or obsolescence that smart devices face. The factor of timelessness is important to watchmakers, and may explain why so few manufacturers have entered the market. To some, this minimal approach to wearable technology may allow watch companies and single-use wearables 鈥� or 鈥渂asic wearables鈥� 鈥� to succeed without compromising their business models.

鈥淪mart wearables are about to take a major step forward,鈥� says Ramon Llamas, a research manager at International Data Corporation, a technology market intelligence research group, in a company statement. 鈥淲e anticipate continued growth here as many segments of the market seek out simple, single-use wearable devices.鈥�

Mr. Llamas attributes much of the industry鈥檚 growth to the Apple Watch. 鈥淭he Apple Watch raises the profile of wearables in general and there are many vendors and devices that are eager to share the spotlight,鈥� he says.

Casio鈥檚 smartwatch is expected for release in March 2016 to both Japan and North America. At this point, its price is unknown, but Kashio says that it will have an affordable price tag comparable to its competitors.