Casio's Ring Watch Puts a Tiny Display Where Oura Can't

Imagine a ring that tells the time without you needing to pull out your phone. It sounds almost nostalgic, like a 90s digital watch shrunk and reborn for the finger. Casio just did that with the CRW-H001M-8, a smart ring that openly borrows the logic of a classic digital watch but pairs it with modern health sensors.

Small face. Big idea.

At first glance the CRW-H001M-8 is an exercise in restraint. The ring measures 25.3 x 19.5 x 6 mm and weighs 19 grams. Ceramic and stainless steel give it a premium feel, and mineral glass protects the tiny display. Water resistance handles daily splashes. It fits an inner ring diameter of about 20.1 mm, which will suit many wrists but is worth checking before you buy.

What makes this ring unusual is the screen. Unlike most smart rings that rely entirely on a phone or app to surface information, this one carries a micro digital display that shows the time and simple alerts right on your finger. That changes one small user habit: glance at your hand instead of your pocket.

Under that little face sits a familiar roster of sensors. Heart rate, blood oxygen, body temperature, sleep tracking, step counts, calories burned, and basic workout detection all appear in the spec sheet. The companion app extracts training logs, workout breakdowns, health summaries, and even menstrual cycle tracking. It will buzz for incoming calls, notify you of messages, wake you with silent alarms, and remind you about custom tasks.

Battery life splits into two narratives. The smartwatch module runs about four to six days on a full charge and can sit in standby for roughly 25 days. The simple watch display—think the tiny LCD in old digital watches—has a rated life of around two years before it needs replacement or major service.

Casio hasn’t turned this into a full-blown smartwatch ecosystem. You still get world time, a stopwatch, alarm, automatic calendar, LED backlight, and the option of 12- or 24-hour formats. It’s a hybrid: classic watch utility with wearable health data layered on top.

Price and availability are straightforward and narrow. The CRW-H001M-8 is sold only in China for about €240, and after-sales support is currently limited there as well. That makes it more of a regional curiosity for now than a global challenger.

Is it better than the Oura Ring? That depends on what you want. Oura focuses on passive wellness tracking with a refined app experience. Casio’s ring brings a physical display and a more watch-like interaction. One prioritizes subtlety. The other insists on showing you the time.

This is a lifestyle-forward wellness gadget, not a medical instrument; its health features are intended for general fitness and well-being rather than clinical diagnosis.