CST-01 - the world's slimmest watch

Thinner than a credit card: CST-01, the world's slimmest watch

A new watch known as the CST 01 redefines the meaning of slim times. It’s a slimline digital watch unveiled at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas, and it is believed to be the world’s thinnest timepiece. CST stands for Central Standard Timing, a company founded by Dave Vondle, an interaction designer and electrical engineer, and Jerry O’Leary, an industrial designer and mechanical engineer.

Weighing just 12 grams and measuring 0.5mm in depth, the CST-01 is assembled by laminating thin, flexible components into a single piece of flexible stainless steel. In order to make the watch as thin and as possible, there are no buttons or knobs on the watch itself. Charging and setting the time is done on the included base station, and for those outside the US who prefer a 24 hour time format, this is also user selectable from the base station.

The CST-01 resulted as a collaboration between Central Standard Timing and E Ink. Thinner than a credit card, its electronic components are far slimmer than any mechanical or quartz movement.

The concept behind the watch was inspired by the qualities of E Ink segmented displays; key features are its ultra thinness, readability, ruggedness, flexibility, and low power consumption. The watch runs on a Thinergy Micro-Energy cell with a lifetime of 15 years, with a battery that is charged through a base station that is included with the watch. The design is a sinuous bracelet style piece of stainless steel.

Time adjustments are made at on the underside of the watch, and it’s fully charged within ten minutes. Driven by a Seiko Epson Microcontroller, a chip allows the watch “to do everything [it] needs to in a tiny package and sips power in order to achieve the desired battery life”.

The watch has been financed by a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign, and as of today $181, 478 has been pledged to bring the watch to fruition. With 43 days to go it looks likely the target of US$200k will be met and massively exceeded.

Early birds could pre-order the watch for just $129, and orders are expected to be fulfilled in the second quarter of the year – but that offer quickly sold out, so if nothing else, the price tag is likely to get a little fatter. 

See the Kickstarter campaign site

CST-01 charging station