“Casio comes out with miniature version of its first digital watch—in ring form” was not on my bingo card for 2025. At least not in America. We tend not to get a lot of the most fun shit, so when Casio announced this baby for Japan, I wasn’t surprised that it was left of the U.S.’ dance sheet. But because 2024 has been a rollercoaster year of surprises, look at what just showed up for sale on these shores this December.
put a finger on that familiar design
If the display looks familiar, it’s because it mimics (in miniature) the iconic display of Casio’s first digital watch, the Casiotron QW02. It was 50 years ago in November 1974 that Casio unveiled this harbinger of the future that’d eventually become the bane of mechanical watchmakers all over the world. Once as futuristic as a Lamborghini Countach, the Casiotron itself has become a classic style to be emulated.
“Creating a ring-sized, full-metal version of the Casio watch’s complex form is no easy feat,” Casio writes. The case, case back, and ring itself are all molded in a single piece, and the whole thing is water-resistant. Casio seems particularly proud of that the part of the ring on either side of the display that encircles the rest of the finger faithfully reproduces the metal-link design of the Casiotron’s watch band. It’s a US-size 10.5 (an inner diameter of 20mm) and includes two size-adjusting spacers that are 1mm and 2mm smaller.
“We downsized the standard watch module by a factor of 10 and combined it with a small button battery to create a three-button digital watch that fits on your finger,” says Casio. It’s telling that Casio thinks of it as a tiny watch first and a ring second. The LCD display shows not just the time, but the date as well. You can enable dual time mode or stopwatch, too.
Limited Size, Limited Release
The CRW001-1, aside from desperately needing a new name, is already sold out on the U.S. Casio website. That’s thanks, in part, to its $120 price tag—a pleasant surprise because when brands play around with limited-release items like this, they’re usually accompanied by crazy high prices. Kudos to Casio for pricing this thing within the reach of normal people.
As a limited-run item, it isn’t destined to be a fixture in Casio’s catalog. It sold out fast, though, so I’m hoping that it comes back into stock, at least for a little while. Casio has a winner on its hands… excuse me, on its finger. And it would be too much of a buzzkill if it arrived and disappeared like a mere flash of lightning. Here’s to hoping the CRW001-1—screw it, I’m calling it the Casio Ring—gets to take another lap before it’s retired to the collector’s bin.
The post Casio’s Most Iconic Digital Wristwatch is Now… a Ring? appeared first on VICE.
The post Casio’s Most Iconic Digital Wristwatch is Now… a Ring? appeared first on VICE.
