{"id":305910,"date":"2025-11-25T12:40:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T12:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/305910\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T12:40:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T12:40:24","slug":"garmins-magnetic-patent-exposes-apple-watch-ultras-weakness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/305910\/","title":{"rendered":"Garmin\u2019s magnetic\u00a0patent\u00a0exposes Apple\u00a0Watch Ultra\u2019s weakness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garmin\u2019s got a new patent<\/a> out for a magnetic crown that works without needing a hole in the case. Apple\u2019s Digital Crown on the Watch Ultra still uses the classic shaft-through-the-side setup, but Garmin\u2019s idea avoids some of the issues that come with that approach.<\/p>\n

The problem with physical holes<\/p>\n

The crown on the Apple Watch Ultra is smooth, intuitive and precise. But it\u2019s also built around a design that involves a mechanical shaft passing through the case wall. That\u2019s a well-understood engineering solution, and Apple has refined it over years. But it does rely on seals like O-rings or gaskets to keep the internals protected. These parts hold up well under normal use, but they\u2019re not invincible when exposed to high water pressure, salt, sand or long-term wear.<\/p>\n

That physical connection, between an external rotating knob and the inner sensors, is what Garmin appears to be challenging. As noted in our earlier coverage<\/a>, the patent describes a control mechanism that operates entirely through a solid wall. It uses magnets embedded in the rotating outer crown and a Hall effect sensor inside the sealed housing. The two never touch. There\u2019s no shaft or rubber seals, which means there is no break in the case integrity.<\/p>\n

This is a notable shift from Garmin\u2019s usual button-heavy approach. Five-button control layouts are reliable and proven, but they don\u2019t always offer the fastest way to scroll through topo maps or long data menus. A scroll wheel with decent waterproofing would be a welcome change. If Garmin can pull this off, it might become the preferred input method for use cases where grit, moisture and pressure routinely get in the way of traditional controls.<\/p>\n

\"Garmin Garmin patentA different take on durability<\/p>\n

Apple hasn\u2019t officially detailed how its Digital Crown works internally, but teardown sites and older patent filings give us a decent idea. The Watch Ultra likely uses a mechanical shaft connected to an internal rotary encoder. In some designs that might be optical. Either way, the shaft passes through the housing and depends on precision sealing to protect the electronics.<\/p>\n

Garmin\u2019s idea skips all of that. The rotating component stays outside. Inside, a solid-state Hall effect sensor picks up changes in the magnetic field and translates that into input. It\u2019s the kind of mechanism that could theoretically work even at serious depths or in murky water. The housing stays intact, and there\u2019s nothing for salt or sand to work their way into.<\/p>\n

That said, this is still a patent. There\u2019s no product yet. Garmin has done this before \u2013 filed designs that never showed up in consumer hardware. So while the concept looks strong on paper, real-world testing will be what matters.<\/p>\n

Feature<\/p>\n

Apple Watch Ultra<\/p>\n

Garmin patent design<\/p>\n

Core mechanism<\/p>\n

Shaft through case wall<\/p>\n

Magnetic coupling through sealed wall<\/p>\n

Input sensor<\/p>\n

Rotary encoder (possibly optical)<\/p>\n

Hall effect sensor<\/p>\n

Sealing approach<\/p>\n

O-rings and gaskets around shaft<\/p>\n

Fully sealed wall, no penetration<\/p>\n

Durability trade-offs<\/p>\n

Proven but depends on perishable seals<\/p>\n

No ingress path, but untested in market<\/p>\n

Tactile feedback<\/p>\n

Mechanical with haptic engine<\/p>\n

Snap dome click built into button<\/p>\n

Feedback that still feels like a click<\/p>\n

One of the common complaints with magnetic buttons is that they feel soft or imprecise. Garmin seems to be aware of this. The patent includes a snap dome in the button design. That\u2019s a small metal dome that collapses under pressure and then springs back, creating a clear tactile response. So while the crown is magnetically coupled, pressing it would still deliver a crisp click.<\/p>\n

This would be especially useful in Garmin\u2019s Descent dive computer range. Right now, navigating menus underwater means jabbing stiff buttons repeatedly. A sealed scroll wheel with good tactile feedback could speed things up, and potentially allow for more intuitive control without compromising pressure resistance.<\/p>\n

A calculated bet<\/p>\n

Garmin is unlikely to match Apple\u2019s haptics or ultra-fine scrolling feel right away. But that\u2019s not really the point here. What they\u2019re aiming for is ruggedness. The ability to interact with your device in tough conditions without worrying about something getting inside and damaging it.<\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s design is precise, and it works well for its users. Garmin\u2019s approach leans into their strength \u2013 building devices that hold up in remote, wet and rough environments. If the magnetic crown ever makes its way into a shipping product, it could shift how we think about input on rugged watches. Until then, it\u2019s a clever bit of engineering that might just become the missing link between usability and full sealing.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our\u00a0monthly newsletter<\/a>! Check out our\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And of course, you can\u00a0follow Gadgets & Wearables on Google News<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0add us as a preferred source<\/a>\u00a0to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Garmin\u2019s got a new patent out for a magnetic crown that works without needing a hole in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305911,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[49,48,195,226,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-305910","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-gadgets","11":"tag-smartwatch","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}