This $56 Casio watch is a retro step tracking dream

In high school, all I wanted was a Casio Baby-G watch because it was a fun color and all the cool kids had one. When I finally convinced my mom to buy me one, I loved it until the battery died. It’s been over 20 years, but as Y2K fashion makes its way into my TikTok algorithm, I often think back to when my watch was just a watch. saw That’s cool. Sometimes I feel like going back to those days… but I remember the main reason I got into smartwatches was to track my steps.

Then I found out about the Casio WS-B1000, which was only $55.95 and could sync the time with my phone. and Track your steps. What?!

It’s no wonder that today’s Casio watches are superior to the analog watches I used in my youth, but I never thought to check. A tougher Casio Wear OS watch A few years ago, it was a chunky multi-sport watch, back when the Wear OS bus was constantly punctured. But after a bit of research, Casio is Modernized some of the watches It maintains the classic Casio design while adding a bit more fitness tracking capabilities.

The WS-B1000 is one such watch, but it’s very simple. There’s no optical heart rate monitor, no OLED display, no advanced health sensors, no contactless payments, and no LTE connectivity. The device has Bluetooth for connecting to your phone, an accelerometer for tracking steps, traditional stopwatch and timer functions, an alarm, movement reminders, and an LCD screen with backlit buttons. In other words, it has enough smarts to count as a fitness tracker (but just barely).

A few years ago, that feature set probably wouldn’t have appealed to me. But recently, I’m at a stage in my fitness journey where I’m recovering from the mental and physical fatigue of prolonged overtraining. It’s a frustratingly long process, and surprisingly, what’s getting me through it are devices and apps that prioritize rest and simplicity over “pushing yourself too hard.” Many current smartwatches bombard users with active minutes, standing goals, calorie burn goals, and other goals. With so many goals to hit each day, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m so happy the WS-B1000 is only Does it track your steps or act as a stopwatch? That’s a plus.

And the three weeks I tried the WS-B1000 were fun. I’d forgotten how great it was to set a simple step goal and try to reach it. With this watch, I can just look down and say, “Oh no! It’s 4pm and I’ve only walked 2,000 steps. I need to go for a walk.” If I want to check the history, I can open the Casio app and see a rough log. Nothing special, just what I wanted. In terms of accuracy, it was within 500-1,000 steps of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is a pretty big margin of error considering you’re wearing it on a different arm and using your hands to talk. But if you’re picking a watch like this, the general goal is to simply walk more, and this watch really excels at that.

There were a few other things I liked about it: The watch is incredibly lightweight, since it doesn’t require any smartwatch-like sensors, chips, or huge batteries. It weighs just 36 grams, so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a giant hockey puck on your wrist. And there’s no need to worry about charging it; it runs on a CR2016 coin cell battery that lasts for about an hour. 2 years.

The great thing about the Casio app is that it automatically syncs the time for you, so you don’t have to fiddle with buttons to reset the time or set alarms. (I terrible With an old clock, you can’t remember how to set it or which drawer you put the user manual in.) Those things can be programmed from your phone.

Of course, this isn’t a watch for people who want to get the most out of a smartwatch. But if, like me, you want a break from the monotony of fitness tech every once in a while, or you’re drawn to the ideal of low-key, low-tech fitness, this is a great option. And it’s only $56. Most basic trackers in this price range are fitness bands, but this is a cute, retro-chic Casio watch.

Unfortunately, I only have two wrists, so as a wearable reviewer, I’ll have to rotate the Casio as the next smartwatch in my testing queue, but I have a hunch that I’ll be reaching for this watch with each new product release.