Nearly two years after introducing its first ring-sized watch, Casio is back with a new model, this time based on the Casio A168 digital watch from 1995. The CRW-002 doesn’t do much more than tell time, but that also makes it perfect for anyone exhausted by the increasing complexity of modern wearables. A ring that’s functionally a watch is ultimately simpler than most smart rings, which look minimal on your finger but hide a pile of metrics in a companion app.
The CRW-002 features an injection-molded metal casing and band, complete with three working side buttons and a six-digit LCD screen with an LED backlight, all powered by a module Casio says is about one-tenth the size of a standard watch module. The watch can be set in either a 12- or 24-hour format, includes 1/100-second stopwatch functionality, is water resistant, and can even be set to pulse its backlight at a set time or at the top of every hour. Other than its size, that’s the majority of the features you’d get out of a normal digital watch.
The tradeoff for the CRW-002’s compact size is limited adjustability. According to Casio, the ring fits a size 10.5 finger (size 22 in Japan) and comes with spacers that let you adjust it to fit smaller digits, too. It’s also available in two finishes, a $135 silver version and a $155 gold version. Both models go on sale at select retailers and Casio’s website in November.
If you’re a Casio fan, the CRW-002 is a cute (and functional) way to commemorate an already recognizable watch. It’s also part of a larger project to reinterpret the company’s designs into new form factors. Following the release of the CRW-001 in 2024, Casio has made several other ring versions of its designs, including one inspired by its rugged G-Shock line. The company has also experimented with incorporating health-tracking features into its rings, starting with the CRW-H001 it launched in China earlier this year.
The CRW-002 is far more modest in comparison, but the ring’s relative lack of features could be a benefit in disguise. At the very least it won’t nag you for not standing enough.
