Here’s the Pebble smartwatch reboot in action, and how much tariffs might cost you [Video]

Ben Schoon | May 2 2025 - 7:45 am PT

The initial reboot of the Pebble smartwatch — Core 2 Duo – is still on track to ship in July and a new video both offers a first look at the device, while also revealing how much tariffs may end up costing you as a buyer.

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky is leading an effort to revive Pebble hardware through “Core Devices,” starting with the Core 2 Duo. This new smartwatch is effectively 2016’s Pebble 2 reborn with some updated specs and the same design. The $149 device launched for pre-order earlier this year and is set to start shipping to customers in July.

In a new podcast – amusingly titled “Tick Talk” – Migicovsky offers a first look at a Core 2 Duo in action.

The overview shows the familiar Pebble OS running on the Core 2 Duo which looks exactly how the Pebble 2 did. The buttons are used for navigation and everything seems to run fluidly. This is definitely in its early days, with the OS still lacking many features, including the ability to tell time properly. With roughly two months to go, it’s clear things are progressing quickly.

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This video also reveals the included band, which is simple, but does have a loop to hold the excess strap inside of the back. This is similar to what we’ve seen on Pixel Watch, Apple Watch, and countless other smartwatches in recent years.

Beyond that, the video dives into some related topics, most notably including a breakdown of how tariffs will impact the Pebble reboot.

Since the beginning, there’s been a disclaimer on the pre-orders for Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Time around tariffs that effectively says that the customer bears the burden of cost. Your pre-order price won’t change, but if tariffs are added, you’ll be responsible for that price.

It’s highly likely that worldwide tariffs will change between now and when we start shipping. If tariffs change dramatically, we will pass these costs along to you and require further payment, even for US orders. If this occurs, we will email you before shipping to confirm your order – you will have the option to cancel your pre-order and get a full refund (minus credit card transaction fees, for pre-orders placed after March 21, 2025).

In this video, Migicovsky explains the current status of how tariffs will impact these new Pebble watches, as well as what his company is doing to limit the impact. As it stands today, smartwatches are exempt from the most expensive tariffs, with the current rate being 27.5%. The plan, though, is to “bulk import” these smartwatches to further lessen the tariff impact as the fees paid on each watch will be at a rate lower than the final $149 price. It’s estimated that customers will see a $10-25 added cost for these import fees. But that could all change, as tariffs are changing constantly, and the current rate is only due to a 90-day pause on the smartwatch category (as well as smartphones).

Any customers outside of the US will see their orders shipped directly from Asia, avoiding US tariffs entirely. Local taxes and import fees will still apply, but it should all still be lower, or at least less hectic, compared to what’s going on in the States.