- A new leak points to a design change in Garmin watches
- Some future models may come with a digital crown attached
- The new crown mechanism would be built for durability.
Some of the best Garmin watches may soon come with a key design change taken straight from the Apple Watch manual, according to a new leak: a rotating digital crown that would act as an additional input mechanism.
This comes from information obtained by Gadgets & Wearables (via Notebookcheck), and we also have a mockup of what it could look like. The crown would sit on the right side of the watch, with guards on either side, a bit like the Quick button on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra.
According to the leak, the crown wouldn’t actually have any physical connection to the electronics inside the watch: instead, it would use magnetic sensors to detect touch and movement, which would help with waterproofing and durability.
One of the main selling points of many watches in the Garmin range is ruggedness – the ability to withstand sweat, rain, snow and knocks – and implementing a digital crown in this way wouldn’t interfere too much with Garmin’s appeal to outdoor adventurers.
Coming soon
There’s no indication as to when we might see this digital crown implemented on a Garmin watch, but the leak does mention a possible debut on a “high-end model” or a “design-focused line” like the Venu and Vivoactive watches.
Of course, we’ve seen these crowns on models from other manufacturers, including the best Apple Watches. A crown adds another simple and intuitive control method that can often be faster to operate than a touch screen or standard button.
Of course, with new Garmin models always on the horizon, there are bound to be discounts on existing models, especially this time of year – we’re already tracking the first Black Friday deals and they’re likely to include deals on smartwatches. Garmin is always a popular choice for discounts during the sale period.
It’s been a busy 2025 for Garmin, with multiple launches including the Garmin Instinct 3, Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and Garmin Venu 4. 2026 will most likely be followed by several new models, perhaps with a digital crown attached.
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