Casio’s fun cross between a smart ring and smartwatch is launching outside Japan – with a tempting price tag
- Casio recently unveiled a cross between a watch and a smart ring
- It is now officially launching outside of Japan in other countries
- US prices will be $120 / £105 (about AU$185)
Earlier in November, watchmaker Casio announced it would be launching a smart bezel designed to look like one of its classic timepieces, all to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. Initially it looked like the device would be limited to Japan, but Casio has now revealed that it will actually be available for purchase around the world.
The product, called the CRW001-1, is a bezel designed to look like a miniature Casio GMW-B5000 watch. It comes with a rounded design and a link bracelet, complete with a digital dial.
It can’t measure your body’s data and it will hardly compete with the best smartwatches, but it can show the time in two locations, set alarms, use a stopwatch and it also comes with a small built-in LED light. Additionally, Casio says it is “waterproof for everyday use.”
The CRW001-1 is now on sale on Casio’s US website for $120, while in Britain you can get one for £105. When the CRW001-1 originally appeared on Casio’s Japanese website, it cost 19,800 yen . Pre-orders aren’t open yet, but Casio says it’s expected to land in December.
Not the first ring watch
The CRW001-1 only comes in one size – the equivalent of the US ring size 10.5 – but you can get extra spacers to fit smaller fingers. It’s made of stainless steel, making it weigh a relatively hefty 16 grams – considerably more than the 3-gram Samsung Galaxy Ring.
Casio’s CRW001-1 isn’t the first ring to mimic a digital watch. Last month, rival company Timex launched the T80, a hybrid watch bezel that can tell the time (though it lacks some of the CRW001-1’s functionality). Before that, Casio released a series of watch-shaped rings in 2023, although these were purely decorative and could not tell the time.
If you’re interested in the CRW001-1, keep an eye on Casio’s website for the full release date. It may not match the best smart rings in terms of features, but it could be a nice little collector’s timepiece regardless.
