casio creates sauna watch that doesn't get hot using resin

Casio sauna watch with elastic band and resin-made exterior

Casio Japan unveils a sauna watch with a springy band and exterior parts made of resin so wearers don’t suffer skin burns. Because of the resin material, the sauna watch doesn’t get hot, and Casio Japan protects the metal components inside the timepiece from heat. Avoiding the use of steel for the exterior is a problem solved, so the elastic spring replaces the band. It doesn’t have a clasp, and users just stretch it to remove or wear the Casio sauna watch. There’s a sauna and normal timer mode, and users can switch between those in a single click, positioned on the upper left of the timepiece.

Visibility is essential in a dim room like a sauna, so Casio Japan’s teams enlarge the numbers on the dial and make the watch hands luminous. The watch has a 12-minute counter, minutes and seconds included, to let the wearer know how long they’ve been in the sauna. The 12-minute limit is drawn from the general take of the brand that people stay in sauna rooms for an average time of ten minutes. There’s still a small metal screw that holds the watch parts all together, but it doesn’t come into contact with the user’s skin. The design team adds that by using resin as their main material, which is also resistant to moisture, the glass topping the dial is less likely to fog up.

all images and video stills courtesy of Casio Japan

wear it on the arm for no more than 15 minutes

At the moment, the Casio sauna watch is only available in Japan. The brand started its crowdfunding on December 2nd, 2024 using the platform Makuake, with the intention of running it for three months. But within the day, they ended it after more than 2,000 people supported it. For the sauna fans who have plans to acquire the Casio watch, the brand says they can’t be in rooms where the temperature is set above 100 degrees Celsius.

That kind of heat can damage the watch and the user’s skin. There’s also a heads-up to ‘wear it on the arm for no more than 15 minutes at a time.’ This is to prevent damaging the product and any skin burns because when the watch is not worn, the temperature of the accessory rises faster. The Casio watch is brought to life by the brand’s very own sauna-loving employees, who have noticed the lack of a timepiece suitable for extreme temperatures. So far, the model is offered in three colors – orange, black, and Ikitai blue – and is only available in Japan.

Casio Japan unveils a sauna watch with a springy band and exterior parts made of resin