Casio’s Smart Ring Is Actually a Watch on Your Fingers

If you’re familiar with watches, you’ve almost certainly heard of Casio. The legendary watchmaker, now celebrating 50 years of innovation, has marked the occasion with a groundbreaking launch. Meet the Casio CRW-001-1JR—a smart ring that blurs the line between smartwatch and jewelry. It functions like a smartwatch but is designed to slide onto your fingers like a (smart) ring.

CRW-001-1JR Is Truly a ‘Ring Watch’

At first glance, the Casio CRW-001-1JR looks like a miniaturized version of classic Casio Vintage watches, such as the G-Shock 5000 Origin Series (Square). It even reminds me of my A158W.

This smart ring is essentially a 1/10-scale watch, measuring just 25.2 x 19.5 x 6.2 millimeters and weighing 16 grams. This makes it larger and heavier than other smart rings, such as the Galaxy Ring, which is 7mm wide, 2.6mm thick, and weighs 2.3g.

It comes in a default ring size of 22, with an inner diameter of 20 millimeters. For flexibility, Casio includes two spacers, allowing adjustments to sizes 19 and 16.

The ring is crafted with a durable stainless steel frame, an LCD display, and three buttons—two on the left and one on the bottom right. Despite its compact size, it manages to pack a punch. It displays time with hours, minutes, and seconds and supports dual time zones. You can also view the date and day of the week, though not simultaneously with the time.

Additional features include a small light on the display, allowing you to view it in the dark. The light also supports flash alerts, meaning it can flash every hour or for 20 seconds at a preset time, similar to an alarm. However, it lacks an audible alarm sound, so it won’t help wake you up from sleep. In fact, it doesn’t exactly have any ‘smartwatch’ features.

The Casio Smart Ring is water-resistant, making it suitable for rain and light splashes. It also boasts a quartz movement with an impressive accuracy of ±30 seconds per month. Plus, you get support for a 24-hour time format, a 1/100-second stopwatch, and an auto-calendar with 28 days for February.

Powering this tiny marvel is a single SR621SW battery with an approximate life of two years. While this may sound short, it’s reasonable given the ring’s size. Afterward, you can have the battery replaced at any authorized Casio service center.

Its Only Available in Japan for Now

The CRW-001-1JR smart ring is scheduled to be sold exclusively in Japan in December 2024. It is priced at 19,800 Yen, including taxes, which roughly translates to $127, €121, or ₹10,800. We do not yet know if Casio plans to sell it outside of Japan, but who knows? They may expand distribution if it gains enough traction.

But think of this smart ring more as a novelty product rather than a practical or essential item. While it may not appeal to non-Casio fans, it can definitely serve as a conversation starter.

The ring was originally featured on Impress Watch. Japanese instructions for the CRW-001-1 (module 3573) are available on the Casio support page.

Ritik Singh

With over 7 years of experience in tech, Ritik currently heads content at Techwiser.com. His journey began by sharing his knowledge and helping other people in online communities. This passion led him to a career in tech journalism, fueled by a formal education in Electronic Media. He then went on to roles at GadgetsToUse and PC-Tablet, where he honed his skills as an editor. He's also contributed to popular publications like HowToGeek and TheWindowsClub. With a portfolio of over 2,000 how-tos, reviews, and in-depth guides, Ritik has helped millions of readers navigate their tech, from smartphones to smart homes.