Watchy is an E-Ink watch with open source hardware and software. It has a barebones design utilizing the PCB as the watch body, allowing it to be worn as-is, or further customized with different 3D printed cases and watch straps. It is a unique timepiece that is also a wearable development platform, allowing users to create their own experience.

Watchy with the Calculateur watch face by Jochen (@asWeMay). Image used with permission.

Watchy’s E-Ink display delivers an always-on, beautiful, crisp image clearly visible under bright sunlight, and requires no power between updates. At 200 x 200 pixels and monochrome, the display offers a distinctive aesthetic.

Watchy has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, allowing it to connect with internet APIs (e.g., weather, news, traffic, maps, Spotify, etc.), as well as Bluetooth LE enabled devices.

With makers/hackers/tinkerers in mind, we chose the ESP32 for its large community and support for a wide variety of development options, such as Arduino, Micropython, ESP-IDF, and Zephyr-RTOS.

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Features & Specifications

• Ultra-low-power e-paper 1.54" display with 200 x 200 resolution and wide viewing angle
• Wi-Fi & Bluetooth LE connectivity
• 3-axis accelerometer with gesture detection
• Real-time clock for accurate time keeping with calendar and alarm functions
• Built-in USB-to-serial adapter for programming on the go
• Vibration motor for alerts
• Four tactile buttons
• Open source hardware & software
• Tons of examples & cool watch faces
• 3D case designs (stls) to customize your watchy (and watch straps)
• New injection-molded plastic case

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New Enclosures

This Crowd Supply campaign addresses one of the most frequently requested features of Watchy — an enclosure! Though we think the plain PCB look is one of the most distinctive features of Watchy, and will continue to offer new 3D printed watch case designs, we think a lot of fans would appreciate a nice injection-molded plastic or CNC anodized aluminum case.

Injection-molded Case

Every Watchy produced as part of this campaign will be bundled with a new watch case! We will be offering three of our own designs, and we will solicit third-party submissions for a vote during the campaign. We will then select which design will be mass produced and offered to everyone!

Watchy 3D printed case - this campaign introduces a new injection-molded case in a color to be determined

CNC Anodized Aluminum Case

For those who don’t mind the extra weight and want a more rugged enclosure, a separate pledge level is available for a CNC anodized aluminum watch case. The design and color of choice will also be be decided by popular vote.

What’s in the box?

Backers of the Watchy Kit + Case (both early bird and regular) will get the kit pictured below, plus the new injection-molded plastic enclosure (not shown).

The Anodized Aluminum Case pledge level on its own includes only the new aluminum enclosure.

Watchy Kit product packaging (left), Watchy Kit unboxing (center), fully assembled Watchy (right)

Watchy Kit components (left to right, top to bottom): E-Ink display, assembled PCB, battery, wrist strap

A fully assembled Watchy without an enclosure

Custom Watch Faces

Check out our watch face gallery. We regularly create new watch faces and showcase community creations. Every watch face is fully open source and part of our Arduino Library.

Open Source

Everything about Watchy is open source under the MIT License and OSHWA-certified:

• Hardware
• Software
• Case Designs
• Documentation

Comparisons

Support & Documentation

Watchy comes with comprehensive documentation and Arduino code examples that demonstrate every hardware feature. New watch faces and examples are regularly added.

Fulfillment & Logistics

All orders will be shipped by Crowd Supply via their logistics partner, Mouser Electronics. For more information, you can refer to this useful guide to ordering, paying, and shipping. You can confirm and update your order details and more in your Crowd Supply account.

Manufacturing Plan

At Squarofumi (SQFMI), we have our own manufacturing line, as well as established close partnerships with several other manufacturers to help us scale. We have iterated over Watchy’s design many times since 2018 and it is DFM ready. From Badgy to Watchy, we have since produced thousands of E-Ink gadgets; we are confident to mass produce and deliver the version of Watchy offered in this campaign with quality and on time.

Risks & Challenges

With Watchy, we have already been through several prototype and production runs, and we believe we’ve already worked through all of the technical, design, and manufacturing issues. We have identified multiple suppliers and have secured our lot of components to begin production once funding is complete. Should the demand significantly exceed our initial goal, we will try to identify additional suppliers and if necessary, delay the delivery date for all subsequent sales.

New with this campaign is the availability of an injection-molded enclosure, as well as a CNC aluminum enclosure. We will propose three of our own designs, as well as allow submissions from backers. All backers will vote on their favorite, and then we will choose the design we will produce, taking into account manufacturability and proper fit and tolerances.