A couple of weeks ago, at the electronics show in Las Vegas, a company named Central Standard Timing has presented what is considered to be the world’s thinnest watch ever produced: the CST-01.
This amazing new time telling gadget is incredibly lightweight, as it measures only 12 grams (less than 5 pennies). The watch boasts only 0.80mm in thickness, which makes it even thinner than the credit card! The CST-01 is assembled by laminating thin and elastic components with a piece of bendable stainless steel. Everything about it is minimalistic - there are no buttons or crowns on the watch-body and the piece is adjusted and charged on the separate base station. The screen is based on the e-ink technology, which is a proprietary type of electronic paper manufactured by E Ink Corporation. The e-ink is typically used for mobile devices and e-readers, but it occasionally finds its use in watches as well. One of the greatest advantages of this material is its ultra-low power consumption, but it is also very thin and provides excellent readability.
CST-01 white and black
The CST-01 wristwatch is powered by the Thinergy Micro Energy Cell (MEC) batteries, which are very thin, small, eco-friendly and rechargeable. These batteries are designed to outperform all other types of batteries in the terms of their energy density and their recharge cycles. In other words, the Thinergy Micro Energy Cell can support more recharge cycles and it can hold the charge longer, while retaining its full capacity throughout its life. The battery in CST 01 watch can be recharged about 10,000 times and it is designed to last for more than 15 years. The charging session lasts for about 10 minutes, and it keeps the watch running on power reserve for about a month. The charger itself is powered from micro-USB, which means it will work in all countries.
CST-01 disassembled
The core of the CST-01 wristwatch is not a complex mechanical movement, but a Seiko Epson Microcontroller, which are typically used for small sized apparatus such as clocks, timers and thermometers.
CST-01 on the dock station
The CST-01 wristwatch will be available in different sizes, to fit the whole spectrum of differently sized wrists. However, despite of its casual and sporty look, it is not intended to be used with sports activities or as a dive watch. At the moment, there is no information on how waterproof it could be, except that it will be able to withstand normal usage. What can be troublesome in the terms of legibility is that the CST-01 wristwatch has no blacklight. Reading at low light conditions could, therefore, be an issue. On the other hand, the display is high-contrasted and the numbers are very large, so this may not be as serious problem as it seems.
Central Standard Timing is currently asking for funding for the project on Kickstarter, where you can also preorder CST-01 watch for a minimal pledge of $129. The shipping for the USA is free and if you want this watch to be delivered outside the US, add $15 on top of the bill. Estimated delivery date is September 2013. The funding ends on Friday Feb 22, 7:50pm EST.
Author: Marina Milojevic
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