I’m the final particular person on earth who wants one other watch. As The Verge’s resident wearables reviewer, I’m at all times double-wristing the most recent smartwatches. I’m additionally the final one that wants one other ring after spending a complete summer season carrying six of them like a high-tech mafia spouse. However I by no means stated I had good sense, so I’ve spent the previous couple of weeks carrying the $120 Casio CRW001-1 — or maybe extra aptly named, the Casio Ring Watch.
There isn’t a pretense right here. This can be a tiny Casio watch that sits in your finger. Casio made it to have a good time its fiftieth anniversary and to money in in your retro design nostalgia for the halcyon age of our collective youth. It harkens again to the classic watch rings of the ’80s and ’90s, which yow will discover on Etsy for $10. This specific one simply occurs to be totally purposeful.
Unboxing it, my first thought as an affordable particular person is that nobody ought to purchase this. For starters, it’s at present unavailable on Casio’s web site and goes for upward of $300 on eBay. (Such is the destiny of limited-edition gadgety baubles.) In an age when eggs value $5 a carton — $7, for those who reside in my neck of the woods — your cash could be spent on extra sensible issues, particularly because you in all probability already personal a dozen devices that may additionally let you know the time.
To not point out, this ring watch solely is available in a single 10.5 measurement. In case your fingers are smaller, you’ll want one in all two included spacers to make it match. In case your fingers are larger, sorry. No enjoyable for you. In addition to, how sensible may one thing like this be? By no means thoughts that it has a stopwatch, an alarm, and twin timezone options. You’d in all probability by no means use any of them, as a result of what are these, buttons for ants?
These had been my mature, accountable grownup ideas earlier than slipping on the ring. Sadly, the second it was on my finger, I morphed into the hhhehehe lizard.
It simply appears to be like cool. The Casio Ring Watch is the kind of dweeby stylish that jogs my memory of childhood: earlier than puberty and the consuming want to slot in, when carrying Disney princess tiaras and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles watches was legitimately cool. You’d put on your nerd gear to the playground, and a random child who preferred the identical stuff would all of the sudden develop into your greatest buddy.
Up to now few weeks, the Casio Ring Watch has felt like a sleeker, extra refined model of that, as associates, colleagues, and strangers alike cease me in my tracks to ask about it. I’ve obtained extra compliments on this lil’ doodad than my wedding ceremony ring. I bumped into a celeb make-up artist for a Grammy Award-winning diva and cultural icon at a piece occasion. They had been the kind of particular person with impeccable threads, somebody you see and assume, “Wow, God actually does have favorites. What’s it wish to have such a robust sense of non-public fashion?!” Nicely, that particular person pointed at this ring watch, requested me what it was, and complimented my fashion. Me, a schlubby pajama gremlin who lives in coffee-stained sweatshirts and leggings! Maybe they had been simply being well mannered, however the expertise left me peacocking for the remainder of the day.
You could possibly argue that perhaps that’s the purpose. At its core, it is a piece of jewellery. Jewellery is usually purposeful, certain, however I’d wager you don’t love your favourite non-smart watch or ring as a result of it’s sensible. You like the best way it makes you are feeling about your self, the recollections it evokes, and the irrational pleasure it sparks each time you gaze upon it.
If that’s all of the Casio Ring Watch was, I’d nonetheless adore it. However as foolish as it would sound, I’ve discovered it surprisingly sensible to have a tiny watch on my finger.
Working example, it’s impolite to look at your watch or cellphone throughout a dialog. It’s a lot simpler to faux to be deep in thought, look down at your ring, and discreetly grok the time that approach. The opposite day, I used to be bundled in a winter parka with sleeves so lengthy and tight that I couldn’t take a look at both of my smartwatches. I may, nevertheless, peek at my hand and make sure that the craptacular NJ Transit app was a unclean liar and my bus was a number of minutes late. Greater than as soon as, I’ve been engrossed in a draft, glanced down at my fingers typing on the keyboard, and realized that I used to be about to be late for a gathering.
It’s not excellent. Often, I look down and it’s on the unsuitable mode. Thanks, sausage fingers. I can’t, for the lifetime of me, keep in mind methods to begin the stopwatch, regardless that I’ve learn the handbook a number of instances. Setting the time is tedious. These buttons are so tiny, they’re annoying to make use of, they usually’ve despatched a number of press-on nails flying. The backlight is so faint, it’s ineffective in the dead of night and in direct daylight. Even so, I smile each time I take a look at this factor.
Technically, I’ve dozens of smartwatches and sensible rings which can be way more spectacular. They do all the pieces from telling the time to alerting you when your well being takes a nosedive. As I discussed, I’ve by no means really wanted a hoop watch. I’ve no motive to have one, apart from I prefer it. And but, each morning, this foolish little gizmo is what I look ahead to carrying most.