Garmin Watch Face Design Preview Tool

This tool previews a round watch face in the browser. It draws a business-style layout with the time, the date, a step count, and a heart rate, and lets each element be recoloured. The preview updates as the colours change, and the finished design can be downloaded as a PNG image.

It is a design preview only. It does not connect to a watch and does not produce an installable watch face.

What the preview shows

The face uses the layout most round watch faces settle on:

• the date across the top
• the time large in the middle
• the step count and the heart rate side by side underneath
• a bezel with hour ticks around the edge

The sample readings can be changed so the design is judged with realistic numbers. A four-digit step count takes more room than a two-digit one, and a 12-hour clock adds an AM or PM marker.

Why dark colour schemes

Most round Garmin watches use a memory-in-pixel or OLED display. On an OLED screen a dark background uses less power, because black pixels are simply switched off. Dark faces are also easier to read in bright sunlight, where a light background reflects glare.

The presets here are all dark for that reason. A light background can still be chosen, and the tool will point out that it departs from the usual practice.

Contrast and readability

A watch is read at a glance, often in poor light or in motion, so contrast matters more than on a phone. The tool measures the contrast ratio between each element and the background using the WCAG 2.1 formula.

The ratio compares the relative luminance of two colours:

contrast = (L1 + 0.05) ÷ (L2 + 0.05)

L1 is the lighter luminance and L2 the darker one. The result runs from 1:1, meaning identical colours, to 21:1 for black on white.

Two thresholds are worth knowing:

• 3:1 is the minimum for large text
• 4.5:1 is the minimum for normal-sized text

The time is large, so 3:1 is enough for it in principle, but a higher ratio is better outdoors. The smaller labels benefit from 4.5:1 or more.

Example

Take a background of #0b1020, a very dark navy, with white text at #ffffff. The contrast is about 18:1, which is comfortable in any light.

Change the step count colour to #2a3a5e, a blue close to the background, and the ratio drops to roughly 1.6:1. The number is then almost invisible at arm's length, and the tool flags it.

Downloading the design

The download button turns the live preview into a PNG at 320 by 320 pixels. The image is generated in the browser; nothing is uploaded. The file can be used as a mock-up, shared for feedback, or kept as a reference while building the real face in Garmin's Connect IQ tools.

Frequently asked questions

Does this create a watch face I can install?

No. It produces a picture of a design. Building an installable face needs Garmin's Connect IQ SDK or the Garmin Watch Face Builder.

Why is the preview square when the watch is round?

The image is a square canvas with a round face drawn inside it, which is how watch face graphics are normally authored. The corners are simply not shown on the watch.

What size should a real watch face be?

It depends on the model. Common round Garmin displays are 240 by 240, 260 by 260, and 416 by 416 pixels. The preview uses 320 by 320 as a middle ground.

Why does my colour look different on the watch?

Watch displays vary in brightness and colour reproduction, and memory-in-pixel screens show a limited palette. Treat the preview as a guide, then check the real screen.

What do the contrast numbers mean?

They are ratios from the WCAG 2.1 accessibility standard, the same measure used for websites. Higher numbers are easier to read.