Since 1974, Casio has been producing watches. As part of an ongoing celebration to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its first timepiece, the Japanese producer has unveiled a hoop watch that emulates the seems of the normal sq. G-Shock. Whereas Casio’s entry-level watches are primarily constructed from resin, the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch is crafted from stainless-steel with a mineral glass crystal, and it is powered by a tiny digital quartz movement that gives the whole related choices as a result of the mannequin’s full-size wristwatches.
The Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch isn’t the first ring-based produce that the Japanese producer has put forward, and the very first invention by Casio founder Tadao Kashio was the “yubiwa pipe” from 1946, which was a tiny ring-mounted cigarette holder that allowed people to make use of every of their arms whereas smoking. Although Casio is now well-known for the whole thing from calculators to synthesizers, watches are one in all many main pillars contained in the mannequin’s stylish portfolio, and the CRW001-1 Ring Watch circuitously pays tribute to Casio’s very first product, whereas solely reimagining the concept to mix with the rest of the mannequin’s stylish catalog.
From a visual standpoint, the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch mirrors the seems of the G-Shock GMW-B 5000 D-1, which is a full-metal expression of the G-Shock’s genuine square-shaped silhouette. Crafted from stainless-steel, a single aspect varieties the watch case and band, with the internals of the watch mounted in from the doorway and coated by a flat mineral glass crystal. A selected glass adhesive technique secures the crystal into the case to create a water-resistant seal, although it moreover presents a serviceable design with a view to facilitate routine battery replacements. With that in ideas, no depth rating is specified for the CRW001-1 Ring Watch, which means that it’s simply guarded in opposition to splashes and incidental contact, fairly than being designed to be worn inside the water.
The doorway of the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch measures 19.5mm in diameter by 25.2mm inside the vertical route, and the thickness of its case is on the market in at 6.2mm. The within of the ring half measures 20mm in diameter (62.8mm in circumference), which interprets to a United States/Europe ring dimension of 10.5. With that in ideas, as a result of the band of the ring is simply not adjustable, Casio includes a pair of spacers with the CRW001 Ring Watch, and each one shrinks the within diameter by an extra millimeter to accommodate smaller fingers. Three buttons are located alongside the aspect of the case to produce entry to the movement, whereas the load of CRW001 Ring Watch is on the market in at 16 grams, and surrounding the doorway LCD show is a brick-pattern physique that remembers the seems of the dial plate from the very first Casio G-Shock.
On account of its compact dimension and very intricate kind, machining the chrome steel case of the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch wasn’t a danger, and the housing of the timepiece is as an alternative manufactured by means of a metallic injection molding (MIM) course of, which is a know-how primarily used contained in the firearms, electronics, and medical/dental industries. All through the metallic injection molding course of, stainless-steel powder is blended with a resin bonding agent after which injected proper right into a mould. From there, the resin binders are eradicated sooner than the aspect will get sintered to fuse its metallic molecules collectively, and the tip outcome’s a small and very superior kind constituted of sturdy stainless-steel that will in another case be unattainable (or not lower than cost-prohibitive) to render on a normal CNC machine.
Arguably the one most spectacular aspect in regards to the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch is that it features a fully-fledged digital quartz movement usually known as Module 3573, which presents a number of the same options that you will notice on Casio’s full-size wristwatches. Working on a single SR621SW vitality cell with a battery lifetime of roughly two years, the miniature quartz movement exhibits the hours, minutes, and seconds using its 7-segment LCD show. Nonetheless, the three buttons located on the aspect of the case allow clients to entry utterly completely different modes, and this tiny digital movement includes a stopwatch, dual-time attribute, computerized calendar, and an LED backlight with a novel hourly flash attribute that briefly emits a fragile flashing gentle at set situations all through the day.
Most stylish ring watches are low-quality objects that are little better than wearable novelties; nonetheless, the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch makes just a few compromises with regards to how they stack up subsequent to the mannequin’s full-size wristwatches. Furthermore, attributable to its stainless-steel constructing and mineral glass crystal, Casio’s ring watch presents superior provides than what you get from a number of its entry-level timepieces; nonetheless, with an official retail value of $120 USDthe Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch moreover costs nearly as lots as a solar-powered G-Shock. Although the concept of a hoop watch is inherently significantly of a novelty, people nonetheless want a robust and well-crafted product, and the Casio’s offering inside this home strikes a pleasing steadiness of being an accurate feature-packed timepiece, whereas nonetheless sustaining a categorically accessible value degree. For further information on the Casio CRW001-1 Ring Watch, please go to the mannequin’s website online.