Craving a throwback smartwatch? The Pebble refresh ships next month with a new app

What you need to know

• Pebble is making a comeback with the RePebble project started by the company's original founder.
• Core 2 Duo watches are nearing mass production and all pre-orders should ship in July and August.
• Core Devices is launching a new smartwatch companion app for iOS and Android — and it'll support old Pebble watches.

Pebble quickly became a household name with its lightweight and affordable smartwatches featuring long battery life. Although "smarter" watches and wearables replaced the brand, founder Eric Migicovsky is bringing the concept back under a new company called Core Devices. Roughly a half-year after Migicovsky first announced his plans, the refreshed Core 2 Duo watch is about to start shipping to customers and a new app is on the way.

In a blog post, Migicovsky confirms that Core Devices has already built 200 units of the Core 2 Duo watch, and it's nearing mass production. The company is on track to ship all pre-orders for the Core 2 Duo in July and August, and some beta testers will get their orders early. The Core Time 2 is a bit further out from mass production and shipping, but Migicovsky says it's still on schedule, with engineering samples slated for next month.

As part of the "RePebble" project, Google generously open-sourced PebbleOS, helping make the entire endeavor possible. That doesn't just benefit buyers of new Core Devices products, but also existing Pebble users and at-home tinkerers. Anyone can play around with PebbleOS on GitHub. More importantly, Migicovsky's reboot may give new life to people who still have a working Pebble watch.

"You can join the test even if you didn’t pre-order a Core 2 Duo," Migicovsky writes, "if you have an old working Pebble Time (Steel/Round) or Pebble 2 watch, you can join the beta to help test the new iOS and Android mobile app."

"Our new app works with your old Pebble!"

Users can sign up for the beta test here, but be warned, Migicovsky says this project is only for people willing to avoid public criticism and provide detailed reports and feedback. "This is actually going to be a lot of fun (for the right person)," he writes. "I just want to make sure we're on the same page."

For people with a Core 2 Duo pre-order, expect an email confirmation this month to work out the final shipping details for your order. That includes providing a shipping address and "to pay duties/tariffs/taxes for your country." As of now, it seems Core Devices' Pebble refresh is close to becoming a reality.

You can pre-order a Core Devices watch here.