Following the release of their new CA53 calculator watch, Casio has another surprise for us.
To celebrate 50 years in the digital watch business, Casio has announced the CRW-001-1JR digital ring watch. The product will debut in Japan this December, priced at 19,800 yen (approximately $925).
The miniature design is this product’s most striking feature.
Within a case less than an inch wide, Casio cleverly incorporated a retro-style six-segment LCD display that clearly shows hours, minutes, and seconds. The watch moves from wrist to finger, redefining how we wear time.
The CRW-001-1JR features three function buttons for easy switching between date display, world time, and stopwatch functions, meeting everyday needs.
The ring watch includes a backlight design. Instead of traditional sound alerts, it uses gentle screen flashes, effectively providing notifications without disturbing others.
Don’t expect more – while there are many smart rings on the market, the CRW-001-1JR’s position is clear: focusing on timekeeping rather than blindly following current trends in fitness tracking or health monitoring.
Regarding battery life, the entire ring watch runs on a single battery. According to Casio, this water-resistant watch can operate for about two years and supports easy battery replacement.
For materials, the ring watch primarily uses finely polished stainless steel for both case and bezel, ensuring durability and quality feel.
To perfectly reproduce design details, advanced metal injection molding (MIM) technology was used in manufacturing. MIM combines powder metallurgy and plastic injection molding techniques, particularly suitable for producing small, precise, complex-shaped components with high performance requirements.
Starting from metal powder, through multiple processes, this delicate ring watch takes shape.
Unlike some similar products on the market using adjustable bands, the CRW-001-1JR opts for a fixed size design, corresponding to US ring size 10.5.
To accommodate different users’ wearing needs, Casio includes spacers for users with smaller fingers. However, if you have larger fingers, this product might not suit you – an inevitable limitation of the fixed-size design.
Last year, Casio released a series of rings commemorating 50 years of iconic digital watches, but these were primarily decorative pieces without actual timekeeping functions.
In comparison, the CRW-001-1JR fills this missing link.
▲ T80, image from official source
Casio isn’t alone in the concept of wearing time on fingers. Other brands have explored this area.
For instance, Timex’s latest T80 digital ring watch adopts a similar concept. This $180 product features a stainless steel expandable band that can adapt to different finger sizes, showing a different design approach.
Moreover, this product is a collaboration with French luxury brand Maison Margiela, demonstrating stronger fashion value and social attributes, winning favor among fashion enthusiasts.
While choosing between overlapping smart wearable devices can be difficult, digital ring watches might offer another option for fashion-conscious users.