Casio's A168 ring watch is clever, but I want the wristwatch

I like the ridiculous amount of work Casio has put into making a tiny A168, and I would still rather wear the actual wristwatch. The CRW-002 has the face, buttons and miniature bracelet shapes of a familiar digital Casio wrapped around a finger. It makes me smile in a way most branded novelty watches don't, but I can't picture reaching for it regularly.

There are silver and gold-tone versions, identified on Casio's product pages as CRW-002D-1A and CRW-002G-9A. They belong together here because the finish changes while the little A168 idea stays the same. I would take the silver one. It looks closer to the ordinary object being shrunk, and that resemblance is most of what I find entertaining about it.

A functioning miniature

Casio's own announcement describes a module roughly one-tenth the size of a standard watch module. Metal injection molding reproduces the small case and band shapes, with contrasting finishes across the metal. This is a working digital timepiece, with a six-digit display and three buttons, rather than a ring cast to look like a watch.

The maker lists dual time, a one-hundredth-second stopwatch, an automatic calendar, 12/24-hour display and an LED backlight. A separate pulsing-light feature can mark a preset time or the hour. That is a surprising amount to fit into something this small. I haven't used the buttons, checked the display on a hand or verified how practical it is to set, so the feature list isn't a usability verdict.

I also wouldn't transfer a familiar Casio wristwatch's durability claims to this ring. The US release mentions water resistance without supplying a numerical rating in the text I checked. My enthusiasm for square G-Shocks doesn't automatically carry across either. I like a substantial watch on my wrist; a miniature watch on a finger is a very different thing to live with.

One clear price and one reference conflict

Casio America's November 2 announcement lists the silver CRW-002D-1A at $135, checked November 7, 2026. It quotes $155 for gold but calls that model CRW-002C-7A, which conflicts with CRW-002G-9A on the product page. I am retaining that conflict instead of assigning the quoted gold price to an unconfirmed alias. November retail availability is announced; exact US stock and delivery remain unverified.

I'm giving it 47 out of 120 bezel clicks. I enjoy the miniaturization and the faithfulness to the A168, and I would happily look at one. Buying a second place to check the time on the same hand is a much harder sell for me.