CW&T Solid State Watch UK - from £150

Last updated: 6 May 2026

What the Solid State Watch UK actually is

So, what exactly are you looking at? The Solid State Watch is the iconic Casio F-91W, the same digital watch your dad probably wore in 1992, dropped into a syringe of clear resin and cast forever inside a 3D-printed body. Once it sets, that's it. The watch is sealed for life. There are no buttons to press, no battery hatch to unscrew and no LED backlight to summon at midnight. It just tells time.

The piece is made by CW&T, a small Brooklyn studio run by Che-Wei Wang and Taylor Levy. They describe the Solid State Watch as an experimental art project rather than a conventional product, and that framing matters: each one is hand-poured in their studio, embraces its tiny imperfections (bubbles, fingerprints, the odd swirl) and ships in batches every week or two.

Why anyone would want a watch with no buttons

It sounds mad on paper. Why pay £150-plus for a £15 Casio you can never adjust? Because the Solid State Watch UK proposition isn't really about telling time more conveniently. It's about reframing the F-91W as a permanent, immutable object. Once your time is set, the watch becomes a tiny monument to that moment.

Plus, there are some genuinely useful upsides. The case is fully waterproof because there are no gaskets to fail. Battery life jumps to roughly 10 years because you're never using the alarm or the light. And because there's no air sealed inside, the display stays readable underwater from any angle, unlike a standard dive watch where the crystal acts like a mirror unless you look straight at it.

Specifications at a glance

• Movement: Casio F-91W (in production since 1989)
• Case: Hand-cast Formlabs Clear V4 and Art Resin two-part resin around a 3D-printed Form 3 body
• Dimensions: 32mm x 38.4mm x 10mm
• Weight: 19g
• Lug width: 18mm
• Battery: 3V CR-2016, estimated 10+ year life
• Strap: Lunar Grey Hook Strap by Nick Mankey Designs (handmade in California)
• Accuracy: Up to ±1 second per day worst case, usually much better
• Water resistance: 100% solid, no air gap, no gaskets to fail

How to buy the Solid State Watch from the UK

CW&T sells the Solid State Watch direct from their NYC studio for US$199. Shipping is free on orders over $100, so the watch itself ships at no extra postage cost. However, UK buyers should budget for import charges on top.

Specifically, parcels declared above £135 attract 20% UK import VAT on the goods value plus any handling fee from the courier (typically £8 with Royal Mail, more with private couriers). At current exchange rates, the all-in landed cost works out at roughly £180 to £210 depending on courier and how the parcel is processed. Worth knowing before you click buy. Lead times also matter: each batch is hand-finished, so expect dispatch within one to two weeks of ordering.

Order direct from CW&T

Setting your time before the watch is sealed

Here's the bit you cannot fluff. When you place your order, CW&T asks for the UTC time you want the watch set to. That's the time the studio will use when they start the curing process, and once the resin sets, the time can never be changed. So if you live in London and want your watch on UK clock time, you'll input UTC during winter (GMT) and UTC+1 during summer (BST), then mentally adjust the rest of the year. CW&T recommend the converter at time.is/UTC to get the right value.

The orange dot and the leap year quirk

You'll notice a small fluorescent orange dot covering the date window. The F-91W movement doesn't account for leap years, so the date drifts off by a day after every February 29th. Rather than try to hide that flaw, CW&T cover the date entirely with a deliberate orange dot. It's a neat design move: it acknowledges the limitation, masks the wrong number and gives the watch a signature visual marker.

Daylight Saving Time and other realities

British buyers should know upfront: the Solid State Watch does not adjust for DST. From late March to late October every year, the UK shifts to British Summer Time, and your watch will simply read an hour behind. CW&T are politely hopeful that DST will be abolished. Until then, you either do the mental maths or, as they jokingly suggest, buy two watches.

The strap is a serious upgrade

One detail that elevates the Solid State Watch UK package is the strap. Instead of the standard Casio rubber band, CW&T ship every piece with a custom Lunar Grey Hook Strap from Nick Mankey Designs, handmade in California. The Hook Strap is elastic, adjusts to micro-tightness in a way standard buckles never quite manage and absorbs strain on the spring bars. Nick Mankey straps have a cult following in the watch world for good reason.

How the Solid State Watch UK compares to other design watches

If you're drawn to wearable design objects rather than traditional horology, the Solid State Watch sits in a small but interesting club. The Nooka philosophy of designing time is a useful reference point: both projects treat the wristwatch as an opportunity to rethink what time on the wrist should look like, rather than refining a 19th-century template. The Solid State Watch goes further by removing function entirely and presenting the watch as an immutable artefact.

Who this is for (and who it isn't)

The Solid State Watch UK is right for designers, makers, watch nerds with a sense of humour, fans of Casio's underdog cult classic, anyone who likes objects that can't be tinkered with, and gift-buyers looking for something genuinely odd. It is not right for people who need a backlight, anyone who travels across time zones often, or buyers expecting a polished luxury finish (the small bubbles and resin marks are part of the deal).

FAQs

How much is the Solid State Watch in the UK?

The base price is US$199 from CW&T direct. After international shipping and UK import VAT plus handling, expect a landed cost of roughly £180 to £210 depending on courier and current exchange rates.

Can the time be adjusted later?

No. Once the watch is cast in resin, the time and date are locked permanently. You input your desired UTC time at order, and that becomes the watch's forever setting.

How accurate is the Solid State Watch?

It uses the standard Casio F-91W quartz movement. CW&T cite a worst-case drift of ±1 second per day, but in practice most F-91W units run far tighter than that. A YouTube analysis of 100+ F-91Ws running for 13 years backs this up.

Does it really last 10 years on one battery?

Yes, very likely. Casio rate the F-91W at seven years assuming daily alarm and light use. Since the Solid State Watch can't access either feature, the same 3V CR-2016 cell should easily clear a decade of timekeeping.

Is the Solid State Watch waterproof?

Fully. Conventional watches rely on gaskets that eventually fail under pressure. The Solid State Watch is solid resin throughout, so there's nothing to leak. Bonus: the display reads cleanly underwater from any angle.

Does CW&T ship to the UK?

Yes, CW&T ship internationally from their Brooklyn studio. Shipping is free on orders over $100, but UK customers should budget for import VAT and a courier handling fee on delivery.

How long does the Solid State Watch take to arrive?

Each watch is hand-finished in batches roughly weekly. CW&T quote a one to two week lead time before dispatch, plus international shipping time on top.

Affiliate disclosure

This page links to CW&T direct. We are not paid for purchases made via these links and CW&T do not run an affiliate programme at the time of writing. Pricing and availability accurate at the time of publication and subject to change.

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