It’s a timepiece. It’s a ring. What makes it unique is that it’s more jewelry than either.
The last person on the planet in need of another watch is me. I always double-wrist the newest smartwatches because I’m the resident wearables reviewer at The Verge. After wearing six rings like a high-tech mafia wife for the whole summer, I am also the last person who needs another one. I have been wearing the $120 Casio CRW001-1, or perhaps more accurately, the Casio Ring Watch, for the past few weeks, but I never claimed to have good judgment.
There is no pretense here. This is a tiny Casio watch that sits on your finger. Casio made it to celebrate its 50th anniversary and to cash in on your retro design nostalgia for the halcyon age of our collective youth. It harkens back to the vintage watch rings of the ’80s and ’90s, which you can find on Etsy for $10. This particular one just happens to be fully functional.
As a normal person, my initial reaction upon opening the package is that nobody should purchase this. First of all, it costs more than $300 on eBay and isn’t accessible on Casio’s website right now. (That’s what happens to limited-edition tech accessories.) In a time when eggs cost $5 a carton (or $7 if you live in my area), you could spend your money on more useful items, especially since you most likely already have a dozen devices that can tell the time.
Additionally, there is just one 10.5 size available for this ring watch. One of the two spacers that are included will be necessary if your fingers are smaller. I apologize if your fingers are larger. No pleasure for you. Furthermore, how useful could such a thing be? Ignore the fact that it has dual timezone capabilities, an alarm, and a stopwatch. Since these are essentially ant buttons, you’re unlikely to utilize any of them.
Before I put on the ring, these were my responsible, grown-up thoughts. Regretfully, I changed into the hhhehehe lizard as soon as it touched my finger.
It simply looks awesome. The Casio Ring Watch has a dweeby-chic vibe that takes me back to my early years, before adolescence and the need to fit in, when it was actually cool to wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles watches and Disney princess tiaras. A random child who shared your interests would instantly become your best buddy when you wore your nerd gear to the playground.
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Friends, coworkers, and complete strangers have stopped me in my tracks to inquire about the Casio Ring Watch in recent weeks, making it seem like a sleeker, more sophisticated version of that. This little trinket has gotten more praise than my wedding band. At a work function, I met a Grammy Award-winning diva and cultural icon’s celebrity makeup artist. They had the kind of flawless threads that make you think, “God truly has favorites,” when you see them. How does having such a strong sense of personal style feel? That individual praised my sense of elegance, pointed to my ring watch, and inquired about its nature.I’m a fat pajama gremlin that wears leggings and hoodies smeared with coffee. I was peacocking for the rest of the day after the encounter, albeit maybe they were simply being courteous.
Maybe that’s the point, you might say. This is fundamentally a piece of jewelry. Yes, jewelry is frequently used for utilitarian purposes, but I’ll bet you don’t adore your go-to non-smart watch or ring for that reason. You adore the memories it brings back, the illogical joy it arouses whenever you look at it, and the way it makes you feel about yourself.
I would still adore the Casio Ring Watch if that were all it was. Despite how ridiculous it may seem, I’ve discovered that wearing a small watch on my finger is quite useful.
For example, looking at your phone or watch while speaking is impolite. Pretending to be lost in contemplation, looking down at your ring, and subtly checking the time is considerably simpler. I was wearing a long, tight-fitting winter jacket the other day, which prevented me from seeing either of my smartwatches. But I could see by looking at my hand that my bus was running a few minutes late and that the crappy NJ Transit app was a liar. I have been distracted by a draft on multiple occasions, looked down at my hands typing on the keyboard, and realized I was going to be late for a meeting.
It’s not flawless. Sometimes it’s in the incorrect mode when I look down. Sausage fingers, thank you. I’ve read the stopwatch’s instruction manual multiple times, but I can’t remember how to start it. It’s laborious to set the time. These buttons are really small, difficult to use, and have caused multiple press-on nails to fly. The backlight is so dim that it is ineffective in both direct sunlight and the dark. Nevertheless, this stuff always makes me smile.
More impressive, technically, are the dozens of smartwatches and smart rings I own. From telling the time to warning you when your health deteriorates, they can do it all. As previously stated, I have never truly need a ring watch. Other than the fact that I like it, I have no reason to own one. Nevertheless, I most eagerly await wearing this goofy little device every morning.
SOURCE: THE VERGE
