TLDR
- PT2 is in production!!
- Water resistance update - 30m
- What you need to know about Pebble Time 2
- Address confirmation email instructions
- FAQ
#Great news everybody
Pebble Time 2 has now entered mass production. We’ve finished all the testing and design changes we need to make. Things are working very well!
Thank you to all the 100+ beta testers (wrists pictured above) who helped test the software and hardware. We’re not out of the woods yet - we still need to manufacture all the watches over the next 3 months! We’re still working on polishing the software as well (see below). Also, there still may be delays - be prepared to wait to receive your watch.
Here’s the rough manufacturing and shipping schedule
- We started mass producing a few dozens watches per day. Over the next month we’ll ramp up to our target of 500 per day.
- The first PT2s will ship out during the last week of March.
- With over 20,000 pre-orders, we expect to finish shipping around the beginning of June.
#Pebble Time 2 water resistance update
More good news on the water resistance - each watch is tested on the production line to a rating of 30M or 3 ATM.
Let me immediately qualify that rating - we designed the watch to be exposed to water for brief periods of time (hand washing, bathing, swimming, showering, being out in the rain, paddling, sailing, etc) but:
- these are NOT dive watches. Do not dive with them. Do not expose them to water for long periods of time.
- do not expose to hot water (hot tubs, hot showers etc). This will weaken the structure and reduce waterproof protection.
- do not expose to high pressure water (direct shot from a shower head, hard slap against water)
#What you need to know about Pebble Time 2
As with Pebble 2 Duo, we’re trying to be as upfront and clear as possible. We want to set your expectations accordingly and make sure that everyone is happy with what they get. It's incredibly awesome that Pebble is back, but there are some differences from the last time around. There's no hundred-plus person company behind this project. It's just me and a few other brave souls. Ironically, that's actually one of the reasons why it's more likely to succeed long-term!
With that in mind, I’ve written a blunt and honest review of Pebble Time 2 that you can read before you confirm your order.
- Pebble Time 2 is extremely awesome. If you had a Pebble before, it's exactly how you remember it - except with a bigger screen and more battery life.
- Everything that you love about Pebble is here: long battery life, amazing e-paper screen, buttons, fun quirky design and support for the entire 10,000+ existing apps and watchfaces.
- The new charger is super small and easy to carry. Thank you to Nomad Goods for letting us use their design!
- The backlight is bright and the speaker sounds surprisingly decent, given that it is fully waterproof.
- Each watch includes a long and short silicone band. It covers wrist sizes from 15cm to 24cm circumference! It’s a standard 22mm quick-release watch band, so you can swap it out for any other 22mm band.
- The buttons are CNC milled stainless steel with a similar cross-hatch texture to the buttons on Pebble Time Steel
- It’s got 2 microphones! The second one will be used for ambient noise cancellation - eventually
- And a waterproof speaker! Eventually, when it is enabled, app developers will be able to use it to read out text, play tones and tunes, etc. You will not be able to take calls.
- New linear resonant actuator (aka vibrating motor) feels great. Strong and quiet!
- The average battery life with current version of PebbleOS is ~2 weeks right now. We’ve confirmed that the underlying hardware supports our target 4 weeks battery life. We’re continuing to work on reducing power consumption through PebbleOS software updates. As a reference point, Pebble 2 Duo currently averages 18 days of battery life across all users (depending on usage of backlight, vibrating motor and watchface).
- It runs all the old Pebble watch faces that you know and love - browse them at apps.rePebble.com. You can sign in and begin to collect your favourites! For developers, we've updated the SDK to add a new way to make apps purely in JavaScript, and CloudPebble is back!
- Health (heart rate, steps and sleep tracking) works just as well as it did 10 years ago. It’s good, but if you want full health/fitness tracking with GPS etc, you should probably get a Garmin or something. There is an SPO2 sensor onboard, but it’s not used by the algorithm yet.
Things to be aware of:
- PT2 uses the exact same colour display technology as Pebble Time Steel. The display is optically bonded to the front glass. There’s fewer distracting reflections because the front glass is flat.
- The top and bottom case is CNC milled stainless Steel 316, with a hardened ceramic-like PVD coating and Gorilla Glass front lens. It’s strong, but not invincible. If you bang it against things, it may scratch.
- If you have a mild nickel allergy, the PVD coating should be sufficient barrier, but we do not recommend using PT2 if you have a more severe nickel allergy since stainless steel 316 contains ~10% nickel.
- As mentioned above, it's not a dive watch. You can wash hands with it on, be in the rain, dunk it in water, have a bath/shower, but I wouldn’t recommend exposing it to hot water (ie hot tubs) or submerge it for long periods of time.
- We’re continually releasing software updates - just check out our changelogs! Some new hardware features, like the touchscreen, speaker, second mic, four week battery life and RGB backlight, are not enabled in PebbleOS yet. We’re working on it all! If you can’t wait for these new features you have three options - wait patiently, help to develop the feature you want (we’ve merged dozens of amazing PRs to open source PebbleOS and Pebble app!), or cancel your order now and order again later when our software is updated to support the feature you’re looking forward to.
We offer a 30-day warranty. We will ship you a replacement during that period if you encounter any hardware defects and return it to us. We think this is a fantastic watch, and we stand behind it. But we can't stand up behind it forever - life happens. We’re also a much smaller company than before. We can’t afford to bring these new watches to market unless we can contain our exposure to risk. To balance that, we’re clearly stating our terms in the interest of being as transparent as possible, enabling you to make an informed decision.
We don't offer buyer's remorse refunds. The information about what Pebble is and does has been around for 14 years now. You all should have a pretty good idea of what the product is and whether you want it. It's also very hard to do reverse logistics worldwide (ie getting watches returned). If you don't want a Pebble, please don't order one 😉.
#Address and order confirmation email
Over the next few weeks, everyone who pre-ordered a Pebble Time 2 will receive an email from [email protected] inviting them to click a link and enter more information to complete their order. Here’s some info about that process:
- You can switch from Pebble Time 2 to Pebble Round 2, or add another PT2 or PR2 to your order (bonus free shipping!)
- You can merge pre-orders that have the same email address, to save on shipping fees.
- Add-ons are available to purchase (extra straps, charge dongles)
- You must pay any duties, tariffs, VAT or taxes owed before shipping
- After confirming your information, your order will be locked. You will not be able to refund after this, but you can change your address right up until your order ships using the same link.
After you confirm, your order will ship out within 1-3 weeks (depending on availability of the watch color and accessories you selected) from our fulfillment center in Asia. The shipment will take 6-10 business days to arrive at your address.
Please do email us if you have any problems or questions after receiving the email. Please do not email us asking if your order confirmation email has been sent out. Check your inbox and spam folder and wait for the email from [email protected].
#FAQ
How are tariffs, VAT, taxes and duties handled?
All shipments are sent DDP (Delivered Duty Paid), which means that all taxes, duties, tariffs, and fees must be prepaid. You will simply receive your package in the mail with zero hassle - there will be no additional charges or customs forms to fill out when your package arrives.
How much are tariffs for US orders?
For shipments to the US, the tariff on each Pebble Time 2 is around $12. Shipments to other countries are not subject to US tariffs since we ship directly to you from our fulfillment center in Asia.
What is the VAT + Handling Fee?
For shipments to all countries (except US), we may include a small handling fee that covers the administrative costs of ensuring all taxes are properly paid at customs. This helps prevent your package from being held at customs and ensures you won't receive any unexpected tax bills after delivery. The handling fee is calculated as 5% of the combined duties/tariffs and VAT, plus $1.
Can I modify my order later?
After confirming your order, you can still modify your shipping address (except country) for Pebble Time 2 until your order is shipped. For Shipment 2 (Pebble Round 2), you can make full changes up until it's ready to ship.
How will my order be shipped?
All shipments are sent via courier (varies by country). We will send you a tracking number as soon as your shipment is dispatched, allowing you to monitor your package's journey to your doorstep. We’ve switched to a new shipping service since Pebble 2 Duo.