The World’s Thinnest Watch CST-01

The fundraising site, Kickstarter, has once again made it possible for an innovative product idea to become a reality.  Thanks to those who have backed the project on Kickstarter, “the world’s thinnest watch” will soon become a reality.  The CST-01 is a 0.80 millimeter thin flexible wristwatch.  It has an E ink display that is housed in a single strip of stainless steel. According to a statement on the company’s website, the idea came when one of the founders taped an E ink display around his wrist.  From that inspiration, has come the reality of this flexible, thin, stainless steel watch.

In order to give the watch a minimal aesthetic, there are no buttons or knobs on the watch itself. Instead, the watch is set and charged on a base station, which is included with the purchase of the watch. The watch is powered by a micro energy cell.  The micro energy cell can be recharged 10,000 times and has a life expectancy of 15 years. Incredibly, the watch can charge in only 10 minutes and each charge can last for a month. The assembly process for the CST-01 involves laminating flexible components into a 0.5 millimenter pocket that is etched into a single piece of flexible stainless steel. The company promises that the watches will be assembled in the United States.

The company that designed the watch, Central Standard Timing, set its fundraising goal at $200,000.  Within a week they had raised more than double the initial goal amount. By the end of the campaign they had raised $1,026,292. In an update to backers on the Kickstarter website, the company stated that “Because of the enthusiastic support, we have enough funding to have our pick of the best assembly partners and component suppliers to make the watch as good as it can possibly be.”  If you missed the Kickstarter campaign, you can still pre-order your CST-01 at the company’s website, centralstandardtiming.com.