It’s not a reboot. It’s not a revival. It’s Pebble — for real this time.
In a surprise twist few saw coming, the original indie smartwatch that helped kick off the wearable revolution is officially back, trademark and all. The Core Devices team, led by Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, has successfully reclaimed the iconic Pebble name. Finally, the long-awaited Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2 smartwatches have been officially rebranded to something that feels a whole lot more familiar: Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2*. And, yes, that asterisk will likely end up being part of the name.
It’s all part of an extensive blog post Migicovsky posted today. Strap in, because there’s a lot to cover (via The Verge).
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After years in the wilderness — and a rocky acquisition history involving Fitbit and Google — Pebble is returning to its roots, both in name and spirit. According to the blog post, Core Devices quietly reacquired the Pebble trademark, making the rebranding a no-brainer. “People were going to call these watches Pebbles anyway,” he wrote.
Core Devices remains the company name, but the product identity is all Pebble, a nod to the brand’s cult-like fanbase and its minimalist, battery-friendly smartwatch ethos.
Where things stand for the upcoming smartwatches
If you preordered a Pebble 2 Duo, there’s good news and bad news. The bad: July shipping isn’t happening. The good: you might not be waiting much longer. Batch 1 is now expected to roll out by late August, with Batch 2 following in mid-September — delays driven mostly by waterproofing tweaks.
The team is pushing to exceed the original IPX8 spec (1 meter water resistance) to something closer to dive-capable durability. It’s ambitious for a startup team working with modern hardware constraints — especially one that added a speaker this time around — but it fits the Pebble ethos: build something simple, open, and useful.
Software progress and support for the DIY spirit
On the software side, the new Pebble app is nearing public beta for Android and iOS, built on an open-source foundation called libpebble3. It’ll even support legacy devices — except the original Pebble and Pebble Steel, which are coming later.
Plus, the classic Pebble SDK is back too, complete with a fresh VS Code extension. Devs can build watch faces and apps again with just a couple of terminal commands. It’s all very Pebble.
What’s next for Pebble
Pebble Time 2* is entering engineering validation, with the first fully assembled units arriving as we speak. The team also teased a sleeker design and confirmed that PebbleOS is already up and running on real hardware.
And for the Pebble faithful still flying the flag? There’s merch. Yes, “Meet Pebble” T-shirts exist now. If you’re the type to reminisce about timeline UI and week-long battery life, this one’s for you. Core Devices is making it clear: Pebble isn’t just back — it never really left.
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