Casio is a Japanese brand with a long history of creating iconic analog and digital watches. In 1974, the company released the first wristwatch with an LCD. In 1980, it released its revolutionary calculator watch, followed up in 1984 with a watch with enough memory to store up to 10 phone numbers. And to celebrate 50 years of creating digital timepieces, Casio is releasing a digital smart ring watch that draws inspiration from its classic watches.
With a tiny LCD screen that can display hours, minutes, seconds, and the current timezone or act as a stopwatch, it's like a micro Casio watch for your finger. The casing and bezel are made from polished stainless steel, which even mimics the flexible wristband look of a classic silver-colored Casio watch from the 1980s.
It's a fantastic retro wearable that will undoubtedly be one of those things you either immediately fall in love with or brush off as silly and pointless. I fall into the former category; I've always thought Casio watches looked cool - even in calculator form.
Another cool feature of the Casio Ring Watch is that it includes a light and programmable alarm. The alarm flashes the light on the ring rather than playing one of those annoying high-pitched beep sounds from an electronic device from the 1980s. It's also waterproof and features a replaceable battery that will last roughly two years before running out of juice.
As for its availability, the Casio Ring Watch (CRW-001-1JR) currently only has a Japanese store listing. It's set to launch in the region sometime in December for ¥19,800 (around $128 USD), so here's hoping it makes its way to other regions in early 2025. Also, here's to Casio releasing a gold version, too.