Pebble founder launches casual and affordable Apple Watch alternative with 30-day battery and custom faces


Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble, announced plans just 50 days ago to bring the beloved e-paper display smartwatch back to market this year, iPhone support included. Starting today, Pebble fans can pre-order the spiritual successor to the Pebble 2 and Pebble Time 2 smartwatches.

Migicovsky’s new firm Core Devices is out today with the cleverly named Core 2 Duo (talk about tech nostalgia) and the more advanced Core Time 2.

My new company (Core Devices) and I are proud to introduce two new watches that closely follow the original Pebble DNA. If you had a Pebble and loved it, or missed your chance 10 years ago but heard about it since, we think you will really enjoy these new devices.

For those unfamiliar with Pebble, it’s an e-paper smartwatch with simple functionality, long battery life and a fun, quirky design. It first launched on Kickstarter in 2012. The company was sold in 2016 to Fitbit. In January 2025, Google graciously open sourced PebbleOS, enabling anyone to build upon the amazing Pebble software foundation.

The more casual Core 2 Duo costs $149 in either a black or white polycarbonate case paired with a 1.2-inch black and white e-paper screen. Compared to the Pebble 2, the new Core 2 Duo has “an increase from 7 to 30 days of battery life” as well as “a speaker, linear actuator motor, compass and barometer” and improved buttons. I owed the original Pebble smartwatch in black and adored it at the time. This new Core 2 Duo version in white is totally calling my name.

For a more advanced smartwatch, Core Devices offers Core Time 2 for $76 more. Compared to the Pebble Time 2, the Core Device version adds a touch screen and a built-in speaker. Compared to the Core 2 Duo, it includes a 1.5-inch 64 color e-paper display, heart rate monitoring, a metal casing in various colors, and 202 DPI over 176 DPI.

Pre-orders are open starting today. The $149 Core 2 Duo watch starts shipping in July. The $225 Core Time 2 will take a little longer with orders shipping starting in December. Learn more about the successors to Pebble here.

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