The inside story of Casio Ring Watch module development

Casio recently published an article about the development of the CRW-001-1 stainless steel ring watch and its miniature module, as told by Casio Shenzhen General Manager Koki Arita. The article provides some additional information about the ring watch that is not found on the casio.com product page.

The idea to make a watch-shaped ring was introduced in March 2023 with the intention of using the metal powder injection molding process that Casio’s Chinese factory specializes in. It was then decided to make it a functional watch, and the module development began in April. A product concept proposal was presented at the end of September 2023.

The main challenges in developing the ring watch were miniaturization, cost reduction, and mass production. (See the original article link below for more information and photos.)

The mineral glass display is attached with double-sided tape, which provides everyday water resistance against splashes and makes it removable so that the battery can be replaced. Other options that were ruled out for various reasons included hot melt, gasket, and glue.

Arita states that the module can be used in products “of other shapes” and they do not consider this the final form. He says, “We hope to further evolve it and create something even more surprising.” That seems to hint that it may be used in something that is not a ring. The article also shows an image of the modules with an inverted LCD display.

You can view the original article (using Chrome to translate it from Japanese) at the Casio corporate site at casio.co.jp.

The limited edition CRW-001-1 ring watch is sold out in Japan and China and will be released in other countries soon, but the exact dates and times were not announced except for Australia (January 13, 10:00 a.m. AEDT).