You can now upgrade a retro Casio watch with Bluetooth, step tracking, and games

The Ollee Watch One makes respective Casio integer watches smarter. | Image: Ollee Watch

For the archetypal clip since it launched 36 years ago, the iconic Casio F-91W integer ticker is getting immoderate astute upgrades — but not from Casio. The Ollee Watch One is simply a replacement mainboard for the Casio F-91W, A158W, and respective different ticker models that tin beryllium installed without the request for a soldering robust oregon immoderate electronics know-how speech from being capable to region a fewer screws and clips. It doesn’t upgrade Casio’s timepieces to the constituent wherever they’re on-par with the Apple Watch, but it does adhd Bluetooth and app connectivity truthful the ticker tin acceptable the clip automatically, way measurement counts, play games, and beryllium much personalized utilizing an improved color-changing backlight.

The DIY mentation of the Ollee Watch one, which requires you to already person 1 of six antithetic supported Casio ticker models (including the F-84W, A159W, A171W, and W-59) is available present for $54.99. If you’re not assured successful tackling the upgrade yourself, which appears to instrumentality astir six minutes, the institution besides sells the Casio F-91W-1 and A158W-1 preinstalled with the upgrade for $99.99, but it’s presently sold out.

The upgraded mainboard includes an accelerometer for measurement counting and  an upgraded audio buzzer that volition alert you erstwhile you’ve reached a extremity you acceptable utilizing an accompanying iOS and Android mobile app. The upgrade besides adds a somesthesia sensor, an improved LED backlight that lets you set the colour oregon usage your ticker arsenic a flashlight, satellite clip functionality, and the enactment to make 5 timer presets.

There’s nary notifications, and portion the Ollie Watch One does see alternate ticker faces, it doesn’t upgrade the basal segmented surface that Casio includes. That being said, adjacent with those surface limitations you tin play a simplified mentation of Blackjack oregon a crippled called Ping that has you controlling a paddle to support a bouncing shot up successful the air. Battery beingness isn’t rather arsenic awesome arsenic the 7 years Casio claims for an unmodified F91W-1, but acknowledgment to its usage of Bluetooth debased vigor the upgrade kit lone reduces artillery beingness to astir 10 months connected a CR2016 battery.