Some say Pebble arrived before its time. When the Apple Watch debuted in 2015, it quickly dominated the conversation, leaving little room for others. But to call Pebble’s fate a simple case of being outmaneuvered would miss the bigger picture. Apple’s entrance didn’t just overshadow Pebble; it ignited public curiosity and paved the way for a whole new era of smartwatches.
Eric Migicovsky, Pebble’s founder and CEO, sees things differently. He believes the company’s meteoric rise and relentless push for new features led it astray from his original vision, even after selling 2 million smartwatches. It’s a familiar story in the hardware world: rapid growth can be a double-edged sword.
But Migicovsky is far from finished. Flashing a wide grin on a Monday Zoom call, he declared to TechCrunch, “We’re restarting Pebble.” The brand may have faded after its acquisition, and Fitbit itself was later absorbed by Google in 2021, but the spirit of Pebble is stirring once again.
Now, Google—current steward of Pebble’s technology and intellectual property—plans to open source the iconic smartwatch’s software stack.
“After the original company stopped operations in 2016, Google helped and supports the volunteers to maintain functionality for Pebble watches,” Google wrote in a blog post on Monday.
By unlocking PebbleOS for the world, Google is inviting a new wave of third-party hardware—and Migicovsky’s fresh smartwatch venture is leading the charge.
Right now, the project is just a spark of an idea. Migicovsky admits he still needs to dream up a new name, but he’s already all in, working on it full time. As PebbleOS becomes available, he expects progress to pick up speed. For now, he’s a one-man band, though he hopes to add a teammate by March.
The new venture’s ambitions are refreshingly modest. Migicovsky just wants to build the watch he wishes existed, especially since his trusty Pebble is now ten years old. “I’ve tried everything else,” he says. “I have very high standards.”
Those are, according to a new blog post on Migicovsky’s personal site:
- * Always-on e-paper screen (more reflective rather than emissive, sunlight FULL readable, glanceable, not distracting to others like a bright wrist)
- * Long battery life (less to charge. No need for extra cables during traveling.
- * Simple and better user experience around a core set of features I use regularly (telling time, notifications, music control, alarms, weather, calendar, sleep/step tracking)
- * Buttons! (to play/pause/skip music on my phone without looking at the screen)
- * Hackable (apparently you can’t even write your own watch faces for Apple Watch? That is wild. There were >16k watch faces on the Pebble app store!)
Despite his experience at Y Combinator, Migicovsky is steering clear of venture capital and has no intention of revisiting the Kickstarter playbook that launched Pebble. He’s funding the project himself, determined to grow it slowly and let genuine consumer interest guide the way.
When asked if Pebble still has fans in an Apple Watch-dominated world, Migicovsky quips, “There are at least dozens of us.” The brand’s loyalists keep its Subreddit buzzing, even eight years after Pebble’s closure. A niche resale market for old devices persists, though, as any gadget lover knows, hardware is never built to last forever.
Migicovsky envisions his company catering to those who crave exactly what he described in his blog. It’s anyone’s guess how many still long for a Pebble in a world reshaped by Apple, but he’s betting he’s not the only one.
“This is a passion project. I have a vested interest in making the watch,” Migicovsky says of building a startup to create a product he wants to wear. “We’re going to make this happen.”
Even at this early stage, Migicovsky has already traveled to Shenzhen to explore today’s manufacturing landscape. “Turns out making hardware is much easier than it was 11 years ago,” he says. “There were no smartwatch factories. We had to tell the factories what to do.”
He also says that he feels confident about the small startup’s ability to build a new Pebble for the current era. “The hard part is the software.”
Kicking off January 2026, the official product page unveils the new Pebble smartwatches, breathing fresh life into the beloved e-paper classic. The same passionate team at Core Devices is steering this exciting Pebble revival.
Current Models Available for Pre-Order
Pebble Round 2
- Screen: 1.3" 64-color e-paper display
- Design: Touchscreen + four buttons, stainless steel case
- Shipping: Begins May 2026
- Price: ~$199
- Highlights: Sleek and slender, this watch boasts impressive battery life and a vibrant always-on e-paper display.
Pebble Time 2
- Screen: 1.5" 64-color e-paper display
- Features: Heart rate monitor + touchscreen + buttons
- Shipping: Begins ~March–April 2026
- Price: ~$225
- Purpose: Designed for those who want more features and versatility than the Round 2 offers.
Pebble 2 Duo
- A minimalist Pebble model with a crisp black-and-white e-paper display.
- Currently sold out.