The design would allow for a digital crown without compromising water resistance on outdoor watches
Garmin could be exploring a major design shift for its future adventure watches, with a newly granted patent outlining a fully waterproof and functional rotating crown.
The patent application (viewable via the USPTO here) details a “Pushbutton Assembly for a Watch” that features a fully sealed, magnetically sensed crown. It was approved in November after being applied for by the brand in May.
While rumors of a Garmin crown have circulated for weeks, this filing provides the first concrete technical look at how the company might implement it. And, crucially, the design addresses the biggest weakness of traditional crowns: ingress protection.
(Image credit: USPTO)
(Image credit: USPTO)
Garmin’s solution is clever. The crown assembly sits entirely on the outside of the watch case, with a small magnet embedded. Inside the sealed case, a Hall effect sensor detects the rotation of that magnet through the solid sidewall. This means the case remains uncompromised, preserving the high-level water resistance essential for Garmin’s best outdoor watches.
The patent also describes how the crown may act like a button, using a “snap dome” to provide a tactile click for scrolling and selecting.
Advertisement
The Wareable take
This is a significant potential development for Garmin’s user interface, which has steadfastly stuck to a five-button layout on its rugged watches while rivals (such as Coros, and newer, outdoor-ready smartwatches from Apple and Samsung) have embraced digital crowns.
A sealed crown would offer the best of both worlds: the precise scrolling control of a crown for maps and menus, without compromising the durability or waterproofing that Garmin users demand.
And while a patent is never a guarantee of a final product, the level of detail here suggests Garmin is seriously investigating this input method. With the brand introducing a sensor guard in this spot on the watch case via the Fenix 8, it’s also easy to imagine an evolved version—possibly this crown— appearing on a future high-end device like the Fenix 9.
For now, though, we’ll have to stay tuned to see if it’s truly on Garmin’s roadmap.