For decades, Garmin has built its reputation on creating some of the toughest, most capable GPS watches on the planet, governed by a philosophy of button-centric reliability. But the winds of change are blowing in Olathe, Kansas. Fresh off the launch of the groundbreaking, microLED-equipped Fenix 8 Pro, new reports suggest Garmin is already prototyping a game-changing control system for a future smartwatch: a rotating crown.
This isn't just a simple copy of Apple's or Samsung's popular Digital Crown. Insiders indicate Garmin is engineering a unique, potentially more durable solution that could redefine how users interact with their watches without sacrificing the ruggedness the brand is known for.
A Smarter, More Resilient Crown
The most significant hurdle for any outdoor watch adding a mechanical component is water and debris resistance. A traditional rotating crown with moving parts is a potential entry point for dust, sand, and moisture. According to a detailed report from Gadgets & Wearables, Garmin's engineers have a clever solution to this very problem.
The publication states that Garmin is not developing a conventional mechanical crown. Instead, they are allegedly utilizing a Hall effect sensor to detect rotation through magnetic movement.
For the non-engineers among us, here’s why that’s a big deal: A Hall effect sensor can detect a rotating magnetic field without any physical contact between the sensor and the magnet. Theoretically, this creates a "digital crown" with no physical penetration points for the elements. It’s a sealed, solid-state system that should be far less susceptible to failure from grit, water immersion, or hard impacts than a physically moving mechanism.
This approach would allow Garmin to introduce the intuitive scrolling and zooming benefits of a crown while maintaining the MIL-STD-810 toughness and 10 ATM water resistance its users demand.
A New Look and Feel for Garmin
This potential shift goes far beyond a single new control. The adoption of a digital crown is reportedly tied to a fundamental redesign of Garmin's classic button layout. For years, the majority of Garmin's sports watches have relied on a familiar five-button configuration: three on the left and two on the right.
Concept images, which should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism as they are not official Garmin releases, suggest a dramatic departure. The new layout shows a watch with two buttons on the left side and a single, prominent digital crown on the right, protected by an integrated crown guard. This streamlined design language brings Garmin more in line with modern smartwatch aesthetics while likely retaining the "hot key" functionality for sports that its core user base relies on.
The inclusion of a crown would offer users a versatile new way to interact with their watch. Imagine effortlessly scrolling through long weather forecasts, zooming in and out on detailed maps, or finely adjusting timer settings—all without having to touch the screen, which can be difficult with wet fingers or while wearing gloves.
Which Watch Will Get the Crown First?
While it's tempting to imagine a flagship Fenix or Epix model with this new technology, the reports point in a different direction. The consensus among insiders is that this new digital crown is expected to debut in a mid-range model, likely within the Venu or Vivoactive series.
This strategic move makes perfect sense. The Venu line, in particular, is Garmin's direct competitor to the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, blending serious health and fitness tracking with a sleek, smartwatch-first design. Introducing an innovative control system like this to the Venu series would be a massive selling point and could lure users from other ecosystems. The concept images floating online strongly resemble what a future Venu 5 or Vivoactive 7 might look like.
For those who can't wait for a potential crown, Garmin's current lineup is more advanced than ever. The recently released Garmin Fenix 8 Pro , for instance, remains a top-tier choice for adventurers, now featuring that stunning microLED display and advanced LTE connectivity for safety and convenience.
As with any pre-release rumor, it's crucial to remember that plans can change. An exact release date for a Garmin watch with a rotating crown remains a mystery. However, the consistent reports and logical engineering behind a Hall effect-based solution suggest this is more than just a passing concept. It appears to be a well-considered evolution, signaling that Garmin is ready to innovate on its interface without compromising on the durability that made it a legend.
