The world's thinnest watch

The CST-01 is presented as the world's thinnest watch, with an e-ink display and flexible battery embedded in a stainless steel band less than a millimeter thick.

Weighing 12 grams, the cuff is designed to be 'forgotten' while being worn, according to the designers at Central Standard Timing: "Everything about the design and engineering was thoroughly considered for its functional and aesthetic benefits. The CST-01 is the most minimal expression of a timepiece."

With no controls on the watch itself, it is recharged and set using a supplied base-station.

Central Standard Timing was founded by engineers Dave Vondle and Jerry O’Leary, both formetly of successful design outfit IDEO. A recently-launched Kickstarter project for the CST-01, seeeking $200,000, has already blasted past its goal. It's currently at $637,847 with 31 days left to go—preorders are $129.

• [dioptase]

  About time!

  I’m tired of all the watches the size of bagels. I want a watch that tells time and otherwise stays out of the way.

  • [nixiebunny]

     As the creator of the thickest watch in the world, I take umbrage.

• [Rob Beschizza]

  I want it in leather.

• [royaltrux]

  Dear Lord the last thing I want is yet another charger/docking station/ wall wart in my home.

• [nixiebunny]

  The display is sideways.

  Is this watch supposed to be used, or is it just a design project?

  • [royaltrux]

     I looks like it should be a ring.

  • [Funk Daddy]

     No it is correct.

    It is in that direction because the only proper way to reference that watch is to raise your arm upright while saying aloud, “Hmm, wonder what time it is, I think I will just look at my AWESOME WATCH to learn the time”

  • [hypnosifl]

    Maybe it’s designed to be used by people who don’t normally like to wear watches because they find them uncomfortable, so they haven’t already been trained to look at their watch with some standard gesture. As a non-watch wearer it seems intuitive to me, if I want to look at my wrist I’m naturally going to hold out my arm at something like a 45 degree angle (I bet if you asked most non-watch wearers to look at their wrists they’d do something similar), not stick my elbow out so that my arm is perfectly horizontal, like a 1930s guy in a tux offering his arm to escort a lady.

  • [tyr]

    It’s not dissimilar to this Diesel watch. Apparently some people like that sort of thing.

  • [Little Mouse]

    It’d be at a good angle for glancing down whilst typing on an equally futuristic computer keyboard. It’s all part of the machine plan!

• [vonbobo]

  What time is I I S 8?

  And that cuff design would drive me crazy… But then again I haven’t worn a watch in 24 years, so I’m not the person to be asking.

  • [nixiebunny]

    There are many ways to display numbers using segmented displays that look better than this. But the point here is not readability, it’s fashion.

    • [vonbobo]

      But can it deflect bullets?

      3.bp.blogspot.com/-VF8U-KncTqI/TqT6tuq5olI/AAAAAAAACQw/b8Q461Mt7eE/s1600/Lynda-Carter.jpg

  • [nixiebunny]

    Design your own E-ink display module! The instructions are here.
    http://www.eink.com/sell_sheets/segmented_design_rules.pdf

• [Joshua Ochs]

  Thinner, because I want a knife’s edge digging into my wrists all the time.

• [jandrese]

  How durable is that?  Wrist watches tend to get banged up quite a bit and ultra-thin curved e-ink displays don’t scream “impact resistant” to me. 

  • [vonbobo]

    The website admits they are still testing it for daily use, and still working on the best materials to do it.

    Another problem they are still working on is water proofing.

• [Matthew Petty]

  Don’t lose it, or you won’t be able to teleport back to the Liberator.

• [TheOven]

  To read it you have to perform the old Roman Salute. I predict poor sales Israel. Or perhaps you’re meant to wear it the other way around and read it by putting the back of your hand under your chin with your elbow pointing out – like a violin. Both totally natural ways to hold your arms to read a watch.

• [s2redux]

  There’s some Russians 7 posts higher who will make that thing even thinner for ya….

• [teufelsdrochk]

  For me, this was an, “of course!” moment.

  Of course! E-ink will replace LCDs.  Provided, of course, that watches aren’t an anachronism by the time the tech gets there.

  In other news, Apple has a beautiful new iPod which won’t download music! At last we have a perfect solution to the problem nobody has anymore!

• [NI MEN HAO-DY TRAMPOLINA]

  Want. Also, want the thickest watch. I’d wear them together.