CST-01: $1M Kickstarter With Nothing to Show

Sage Lazzaro, writing for The New York Observer:

In January of 2013, a company called Central Standard Time launched a $200,000 Kickstarter campaign for CST-01, a sleek and minimal stainless steel wristwatch that is only 0.80 mm thick, making it the thinnest watch ever made. The watch (note: not a smartwatch) was an instant hit, and by campaign’s end, the creators had rounded up over $1 million in funding and more than 7,500 ecstatic backers.

It’s now been more than two years since the watches should’ve shipped, but backers are confused, skeptical, furious and above all, watch-less. Even the earliest supporters haven’t received theirs, yet the money is supposedly gone, and with it, the faith of the once incredibly loyal backers.

The world’s thinnest watch: so thin it doesn’t exist.

Crowdfunded products are gambles, especially hardware ones. My wife backed this gadget on Indiegogo to the tune of $450. It was originally supposed to ship a year ago, and so far she hasn’t gotten anything.

★ Tuesday, 28 April 2015