Not to be outdone by its longtime rival, Casio has announced its own digital ring watch that brings more functionality than Timex’s wearable that debuted last month. Created to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of Casio getting into the digital watch business, the CRW-001-1JR will be available in Japan starting in December for ￥19,800, or around $128.
Although the tiny watch’s case is just shy of being an inch in size, Casio has managed to squeeze in a retro six-segment LCD screen that can display hours, minutes, and seconds. The ring also includes three functional buttons that can control additional features like displaying the date or the time in a different time zone, and a stopwatch.
The ring watch’s screen even has a light, and an alarm function that will flash the display instead of playing an audible sound. It’s powered by a single battery that Casio says will keep the waterproof watch running for about two years but is also easily replaceable when it does die.
To accurately recreate the design and intricate details of the larger digital watches the ring is based on, Casio says the wearable is manufactured as a single piece using a metal injection molding process that starts with powdered metal. As a result, unlike Timex’s watch ring that features a stretchable band to accommodate different users, the CRW-001-1JR is permanently a US size 10.5. If your fingers are smaller than that, Casio includes a couple of spacers to improve the fit. If your fingers are larger than that, you’ll need to find some other way to check the time.
Last year, Casio released a collection of ring watches featuring designs inspired by some of the company’s most iconic digital timepieces from the past 50 years. Unfortunately, none of them were functional, so it’s nice to see Casio following up with a ring watch that actually works. For the 75th anniversary, maybe we’ll even get a tiny calculator ring watch.
