Some comebacks feel forced, a desperate grasp at nostalgia. This? This feels like the return of a legend. The Pebble Watch—the scrappy, ahead-of-its-time smartwatch that built a cult following in the early 2010s—is making a comeback. Well, sort of.
Eric Migicovsky, the guy who gave us the original Pebble, is back with a new company, Core Devices, and two unapologetically Pebble-inspired watches: the Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2. They run on PebbleOS, support over 10,000 classic Pebble watch faces and apps, and bring back the e-paper displays and insane battery life that made Pebble special in the first place.
The catch? They’re not officially called Pebbles. But let’s be honest—no one cares.
A Classic, Reimagined
Migicovsky can call them what he wants, but make no mistake—these are Pebbles in everything but name. Even the preorder page is practically winking at fans, stuffed with nods to Pebble’s legacy. If it looks like a Pebble, works like a Pebble, and runs PebbleOS, it’s a Pebble. Period.
The Core 2 Duo is essentially a modern Pebble 2. It’s got a 1.26-inch monochrome e-paper display, physical buttons, and a lightweight plastic body. And here’s the kicker: it lasts up to a month on a single charge. In a world where we’re expected to charge our smartwatches daily, this feels downright rebellious.
Then there’s the Core Time 2, a long-overdue take on the unreleased Pebble Time 2. This one upgrades to a 1.5-inch color e-paper display, swaps plastic for a premium metal chassis, and—get this—adds a touchscreen. It even has a built-in heart rate monitor, something that Pebble fans once dreamed about but never quite got.
A Different Kind of Smartwatch
Modern smartwatches all feel the same. Apple Watches, Galaxy Watches, Fitbits—they’re all packed with fitness tracking, notifications, and features most people barely use. And the trade-off? You’re stuck in a never-ending loop of daily charging.
That’s where these new Pebbles—yeah, I’m calling them that—stand out.
- Battery life measured in weeks, not hours.
- Always-on e-paper display that’s crystal-clear in sunlight.
- Simple software with a community that actually cares.
- Support for classic Pebble apps and watch faces.
Oh, and AI-powered voice control. Both watches pack a microphone and speaker, not for calls, but for integrating with ChatGPT and other AI tools. Migicovsky has hinted at features that could let you talk to your watch for quick, intelligent responses. It’s a smart move—one that feels less gimmicky and more Pebble doing Pebble things.
Built for the Fans
Migicovsky isn’t trying to compete with Apple. He knows that most people in 2025 will default to the mainstream smartwatch experience. And that’s fine. This comeback isn’t about dominating the market—it’s about giving longtime Pebble fans (and anyone sick of overnight charging) a real alternative.
Are they perfect? No.
I wish they had better water resistance (IPX8 is fine for splashes, but these aren’t true swim watches).
I wish they had contactless payments (because, well, it’s 2025).
But the rest of the package? Exactly what Pebble fans have been waiting for.
Pricing & Availability
- Core 2 Duo → $149, shipping in July 2025
- Core Time 2 → $225, shipping in December 2025
Preorders are already live, but these are limited production runs. When they’re gone, they’re gone. And if Pebble’s past is anything to go by, they won’t last long.
Pebble 2.0? Count Me In.
Tech revivals rarely go well. Either they feel like a cash grab (cough Nokia cough), or they arrive too late to matter.
This? This feels different. It’s not just a nostalgia play—it’s a smartwatch that dares to be different in a sea of clones. It fixes what modern wearables get wrong.
And if you ask me, that’s exactly what we need.
