Core Devices Ships Pebble Time 2 as Founder Eric Migicovsky Reboots Open-Source Smartwatch Brand

Core Devices, the hardware startup founded by original Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky, has brought its $225 Pebble Time 2 smartwatch to market, shipping over 25,000 units across 93 countries, TechCrunch first reported. The device represents a commercial revival of the indie wearable brand, pairing low-power hardware with an open-source software ecosystem maintained by a dedicated developer community. Unlike mainstream touch-based smartwatches, the Pebble Time 2 emphasizes physical button controls, long battery life, and a color e-paper display.

The product release follows a turbulent multi-year history for the brand. Pebble originally debuted as a high-profile Kickstarter project, selling two million watches and generating $230 million in revenue before financial pressures led to an asset sale to Fitbit. Fitbit maintained the platform's cloud infrastructure until mid-2018, after which point the user community independently sustained the software platform without corporate backing. Fitbit was later acquired by Google, where Migicovsky—who also co-founded the messaging startup Beeper—worked alongside former Pebble employees to persuade Google to open-source the original Pebble operating system in 2025, paving the way for Core Devices.

Since securing access to the open-source code, Core Devices has established a multi-product hardware roadmap. The company previously produced a limited-run Pebble 2 Duo device before rolling out the Pebble Time 2. Looking ahead, Core Devices plans to begin shipping its third wearable model, dubbed the Pebble Round 2, in September.

In terms of physical design, the Pebble Time 2 pairs a stainless steel frame in black or silver finishes with a silicone strap, available in blue, red, silver, and black colorways. The watch features a 64-color always-on e-paper screen backed by a wrist-flick or tap-activated RGB LED light, allowing visibility in bright sunlight while conserving energy. Core Devices estimates the device can operate for roughly 21 days on a single charge, with a magnetic charger included in the box. The watch carries a 3 ATM water resistance rating for everyday exposure like rain, and includes four physical navigation buttons along its perimeter.

The Pebble software ecosystem features over 2,120 custom watch faces and applications, including more than 500 designs created during a spring developer competition. Through a dedicated companion mobile application, users can download custom displays, health trackers, and niche tools created by independent developers. These offerings range from Claude AI integrations and Strava activity synchronization to music controls and retro games. The device also retains Pebble's signature timeline layout, accessible via a physical down button, which aggregates calendar entries, weather forecasts, and app reminders into a chronological list.

Despite its custom software ecosystem, the smartwatch faces operational constraints when paired with Apple's mobile platform. Due to iOS system restrictions, users cannot take direct action on incoming notifications, reply to text messages from the wrist, or automatically sync native iOS system alarms to the watch. Basic health tracking functions, such as step counts, heart rate monitoring, and sleep tracking, run natively on the device alongside customizable phone notification mirrors.

Core Devices maintains a schedule of firmware and mobile software releases every few weeks, adding new application programming interfaces for third-party developers. Future software iterations are slated to activate dormant hardware capabilities built into the physical design, including a secondary microphone intended for active noise cancellation.