When I was in high school, all I wanted was a Casio Baby-G watch, partly because it came in fun colors and partly because all the cool kids had one. When I finally convinced my mom to get me one, I loved it until its battery died much later. It’s been over 20 years since then, but as Y2K fashion takes over my TikTok algorithm, I’ve been thinking a lot about how my watches used to be just watches that weren’t… look at Sometimes I want to go back to that time… and then I remember that the main reason I got into smartwatches was step tracking.
And then I discovered the Casio WS-B1000, which costs just $55.95, syncs with your phone for time, And follow the steps. What!?
It’s not inconceivable that today’s Casio watches could be more than the analog watches of my youth. And yet, it hadn’t occurred to me to check. Never mind that I tested a more rugged Casio Wear OS watch a few years ago—it was a hefty multisport watch at a time when the Wear OS bus had a perpetual flat tire. But after a little digging, it turns out that Casio has modernized a few of its watches to have a bit more fitness-tracking functionality while still retaining that classic Casio design.
I appreciate that it doesn’t overload my wrist.
The WS-B1000 is one of those watches, though it’s still very basic. It doesn’t have an optical heart rate monitor, an OLED display, fancy health sensors, contactless payments, or LTE connectivity. This device has Bluetooth to connect to your phone, an accelerometer to count steps, your standard stopwatch and timer functions, alarms, activity reminders, and an LCD display with a backlight button. In other words, just enough smarts to be considered a fitness tracker, but barely.
A few years ago, these features probably wouldn’t have appealed to me. But now, I’m at a point in my fitness journey where I’m recovering from mental and physical burnout from prolonged overtraining. It’s a frustrating and time-consuming process, and to my surprise, what’s kept me going are devices and apps that prioritize rest and simplicity over “effort.” Many of today’s smartwatches give you active minutes, stand goals, calorie burn goals, and other goals—so many daily goals to hit that it can be overwhelming. That’s why the fact that the WS-B1000 can only track steps or act as a stopwatch? That’s a plus.
The Y2K vibe is impeccable.
And you know what? The three weeks I tested the WS-B1000 were great. I had forgotten how nice it was to set a simple step goal and try to hit it. With this watch, I could just look down and say, “Uh-oh! It’s 4 p.m. and I’ve walked 2,000 steps. Time to go for a walk.” If I wanted to check my history, I could go to the Casio app and look at a rough log. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, which is exactly what I wanted. In terms of accuracy, I was generally within 500-1,000 steps of my Apple Watch Ultra, which is a reasonable margin of error considering they were worn on different arms and I talk with my hands. But if you’re going for something like this, the overall goal is just to move more, and this watch is perfect for that.
There are other little details I appreciated, too. Because the watch doesn’t need the sensors, chips, and giant battery of a smartwatch, it’s remarkably light to wear. It weighs just 36 grams, and for once, I didn’t feel like I had a giant hockey puck strapped to my wrist. I also didn’t have to worry about recharging it: it runs on a CR2016 coin cell that lasts about two years.
The advantage of the Casio app is that it automatically syncs the time, saving you from having to fiddle with buttons to reset the time or set alarms. terrible (on older watches; I can never remember how to do it or which drawer I put the user manual in.) You can program things like that from your phone.
Close-up of a person wearing a Casio WS-B1000Close-up of a person wearing a Casio WS-B1000Close-up of a person wearing a Casio WS-B1000Close-up of a person wearing a Casio WS-B1000
$56
The Casio WS-B1000 combines retro chic with step tracking, Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, and classic wristwatch functions like a stopwatch, alarms, and timers.
Obviously, this watch won’t be for people who want to get the most out of their smartwatch. But if, like me, you want an occasional break from the hectic pace of fitness tech or the ideal of laid-back, low-tech fitness appeals to you, this is a great option. And may I remind you, it’s only $56?! Most entry-level trackers in this range tend to be fitness bands, whereas this one is a pretty retro-chic Casio watch.
Alas, I only have two wrists, and as a smartwatch tester, I have to replace the Casio with the next smartwatch on my review list. But I have a feeling that between two products, this is the one I’ll choose.
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