Most of the people I know who lived through the ’80s aren’t super psyched to see that decade’s aesthetic making a comeback. But for the rest of us, hey — bring on the denim.
In that teased-hair, Day-Glo, acid-washed vein, consider the Casio A120WEST-1A. This timepiece dares to ask, “What if your favorite piece of Netflix-owned intellectual property involving dimension-hopping adolescents had a digital watch tie-in?”
Behold: Casio’s “Stranger Things” watch.
Yes, the 10-year-old you that thought a digital watch was a pretty neat idea would be over the moon about this thing. It’s got all the hits: the primary colors, the big chunky buttons, the graphic design. Forgive me for mixing my ’80s pop culture references, but you could see a Ninja Turtle wearing one of these bad boys. Not Raph, for sure, but Mikey? Cowabunga.
“The ’80s and Casio are synonymous — so joining forces with Netflix on a Stranger Things collaboration timepiece was a natural fit,” said Tadashi Shibuya, vice president of Casio’s timepiece division, in a press release. “We are thrilled to bring fans a retro timepiece that will not only turn heads but also transcend the upside down.”
If the awkward phrasing of “transcend the upside down” gives you the impression that this corporate executive has (perhaps) not actually watched “Stranger Things” — be gentle. He’s presumably a busy guy who did not spend most of the pandemic day drinking in his underwear and bingeing Netflix like … some of us.
1980 Called. It Says You Can Have Its Watches
My favorite feature is the ’80s-horror-novel-inspired “Stranger Things” font revealed (upside down, natch) after illuminating the watch face.
And don’t forget the vine styling on the band and back panel, a nod to the upside down’s persistent intrusion into our heroes’ Kate Bush-saturated reality.
The A120WEST-1A’s more pedestrian features include a calendar, a stopwatch, and an alarm. Find it come June 21 on Casio’s website for MSRP $99.95.
Once on your wrist, you can use that calendar feature to schedule your D&D sessions while you wait for season 5 to drop.
