Garmin may be considering a significant design change for its upcoming adventure watches, as indicated by a recently granted patent that details a fully waterproof and functional rotating crown.
The patent document (available through the USPTO here) describes a "Pushbutton Assembly for a Watch" featuring a completely sealed, magnetically sensed crown. The patent was approved in November, following an application submitted in May.
Rumors about a Garmin crown have been circulating for some time, but this filing offers the first detailed technical insight into how the company might incorporate it. Importantly, the design addresses a major drawback of traditional crowns: their vulnerability to water and dust intrusion.
Garmin's innovative approach involves placing the crown assembly entirely on the exterior of the watch case, with a small magnet embedded within. Inside the sealed case, a Hall effect sensor detects the rotation of the magnet through the solid sidewall. This design ensures the watch case remains intact, maintaining the high-level water resistance crucial for Garmin's top outdoor watches.
The patent also explains how the crown could function like a button, using a "snap dome" to provide a tactile click for scrolling and selecting.
The Wareable take
This development could represent a significant advancement for Garmin's user interface, which has traditionally relied on a five-button layout for its rugged watches. Competitors, such as Coros, and newer, outdoor-ready smartwatches from Apple and Samsung, have already adopted digital crowns.
A sealed crown would offer the best of both worlds: the precise control of a crown for navigating maps and menus, without sacrificing the durability and waterproofing that Garmin users expect.
Although a patent does not guarantee a final product, the level of detail in this filing suggests that Garmin is seriously exploring this input method. Given the introduction of a sensor guard in this area with the Fenix 8, it's plausible that an evolved version—possibly this crown—could appear in a future high-end device like the Fenix 9.
For now, we'll have to wait and see if this feature makes its way into Garmin's future lineup.
