30 days of free beta on every app · one-time code · no subscription
DIALFORGE

Water sports

Regatta Start Timer

A real sailing start timer with a huge countdown, on any watch.

Coming to Connect IQ Unlock €5.99

Regatta Start Timer icon

Beta: free for 30 days

The app works fully and for free for the first 30 days after you first open it. After that you can buy a one-time unlock code below. No subscription.

Other Connect IQ start timers exist, some of them free. This one puts the countdown, the gun sync and the race data in one simple app that also records the race as an activity.

  • Sequences: 5-4-1-0 (RRS rule 26), 3-2-1-0, or your own minutes
  • Vibration each signal minute, every 10 s in the last minute, every second in the last 10 s
  • UP syncs to the gun and rounds the countdown to the nearest full minute, DOWN restarts for a general recall (activity keeps running)
  • At zero: elapsed race time, speed and course over ground, distance sailed
  • Records as a Sailing activity, lap at every start

How to use it

Open Regatta Start Timer from the watch's app menu.

Controls: START (or ENTER) start/pause, UP sync, DOWN recall, BACK menu. Touch-only watches: tap twice within 2 s to sync (rounds to the nearest minute), recall from the menu. GPS and recording start when you open the timer (READY).

Manual

Regatta Start Timer: user manual

What it does

Regatta Start Timer is a sailing start countdown with a huge clock, gun sync and recall. At zero it shows elapsed time, speed, course and distance, and records a Sailing activity.

Requirements and supported watches

Needs Connect IQ 3.3.0+ and the Connect IQ or Garmin Connect phone app. Supported watches:

  • Round AMOLED: epix 2 and epix Pro 2, fēnix 8, E, Forerunner 165, 265, 570, 965, 970, Instinct 3 AMOLED, Crossover AMOLED, Venu 2, 3, 4, vivoactive 5, 6.
  • Round MIP: enduro 3, fēnix 7 series, 8 Solar, Forerunner 55, 245, 255, vivoactive 4.
  • Square and rectangular AMOLED: Venu Sq 2, Venu X1.

Installation

In the Connect IQ app on your phone (or Garmin Connect, then the Connect IQ Store) find "Regatta Start Timer" by Dialforge, tap Install and sync the watch. Open it from the apps list: press START on the watch face, then pick Regatta Start Timer.

First launch

The start screen shows the app name, "Press START to set up" and the free beta days left. START (or a tap) opens the menu: Sequence, Speed unit, Open timer. The timer waits on READY until you press START. The 30-day free beta starts the first time you open it.

Controls

Watches with buttons (START, UP, DOWN, BACK)

  • Menu: START on Sequence cycles 5-4-1-0 (RRS 26), 3-2-1-0, Custom (adds Custom minutes). START on Speed unit switches kn and km/h.
  • START (ENTER on single-button watches like Venu Sq 2) starts the countdown, then pauses and resumes it, also the race clock.
  • UP syncs to the gun: it rounds the remaining time to the nearest full minute. DOWN is a general recall: the sequence restarts from full time and the activity keeps running. Both do nothing while on READY.
  • BACK or holding the menu button opens Resume, Restart sequence, Save, Discard (asks twice).

Touch watches (tap, hold, swipe)

  • Touch-only watches: tap twice within 2 seconds to sync. Recall is only in the menu, as Restart sequence, so a wet screen cannot reset the count.
  • Swipes do nothing. With UP and DOWN buttons, taps are ignored.

Settings

Phone: Connect IQ app, Regatta Start Timer, Settings (the unlock code fields are there too).

On the watch, inside the app:

  • Sequence: 5-4-1-0 (RRS 26), 3-2-1-0 or Custom.
  • Custom minutes: 1 to 10 in steps of 1, then 15, 20, 25, 30. Custom has one signal at the start.
  • Speed unit: kn with distance in Mm (nautical miles), or km/h with km. Remembered.

License

  • Free beta: 30 days from the first launch, everything works.
  • Price: 5.99 EUR once at dialforge.dev, no subscription. The 8-character code is tied to your watch's UID.
  • Where to enter it: phone, Connect IQ app, Regatta Start Timer, Settings. Read the UID in "Watch UID (needed to buy a code)", buy the code, then type it into "Unlock code from dialforge.dev". The end-of-beta screen on the watch shows the UID too.
  • After the beta without a code: an end-of-beta screen with the UID replaces the app. Enter the code, then open it again. New watch? Write to us and the code moves for free.

Privacy and permissions

Permissions:

  • Activity recording: saves the session to Garmin Connect.
  • Positioning: GPS gives speed, course over ground and distance during the race.
  • Extra FIT fields: adds the app's values to the saved activity.

No internet use. Data stays on the watch and in the activities you save.

Troubleshooting

The code does not work. Check that the UID you bought for matches "Watch UID (needed to buy a code)" and type all 8 characters (case is ignored, no 0, O, 1 or I). A code for another app does not fit. Sync, then reopen.

When does it vibrate? On each signal minute, every 10 seconds in the last minute, every second in the last 10. The start gets a stronger buzz and a lap.

SOG, COG and DIST show "--". They come from GPS. Wait for a fix outdoors. DIST counts from the start gun.

Does a recall end my activity? No. It stays one activity, with the recall count saved. GPS and recording start at READY.

Contact

kontakt@dialforge.dev or dialforge.dev. Please write before leaving a low rating.

Permissions and privacy

This product asks the watch for the permissions below. Connect IQ shows them when you install it.

  • Activity recording: Saves your workout in Garmin Connect (the activity from this app). The data stays in your Garmin account.
  • Location (GPS): Uses the watch location for distance, speed or sun and moon times. The location is not sent anywhere.
  • Own data fields in the activity: Adds this app's own numbers (for example points or sets) to the saved activity.

This product does not use the internet and sends no data to our servers.

Compatible watches

51mm, D2 Air X15, D2 Mach 1 Pro, Enduro 2, Enduro 3, epix (Gen 2), epix Pro (Gen 2) 42mm, epix Pro (Gen 2) 47mm, epix Pro (Gen 2) 51mm, Forerunner 165, Forerunner 165 Music, Forerunner 245, Forerunner 245 Music, Forerunner 255, Forerunner 255 Music, Forerunner 255s, Forerunner 255s Music, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 265s, Forerunner 55, Forerunner 570 42mm, Forerunner 570 47mm, Forerunner 965, Forerunner 970, fēnix 7, fēnix 7 Pro, fēnix 7 Pro - Solar Edition (no Wi-Fi), fēnix 7S, fēnix 7S Pro, fēnix 7X, fēnix 7X Pro, fēnix 7X Pro - Solar Edition (no Wi-Fi), fēnix 8 43mm, fēnix 8 47mm, fēnix 8 Pro 47mm, fēnix 8 Solar 47mm, fēnix 8 Solar 51mm, fēnix E, Instinct 3 AMOLED 45mm, Instinct 3 AMOLED 50mm, Instinct Crossover AMOLED, MicroLED, quatix 7, quatix 7 Pro, quatix 7 Sapphire, quatix 7X Solar, quatix 8 47mm, quatix 8 Pro 47mm, tactix 7, tactix 7 – AMOLED Edition, tactix 8 47mm, tactix 8 Solar 51mm, Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, Venu 2S, Venu 3, Venu 3S, Venu 4 41mm, Venu 4 45mm, Venu Sq 2, Venu Sq 2 Music, Venu X1, vívoactive 4, vívoactive 4S, vívoactive 5, vívoactive 6

Screenshots

FAQ

What happens after the 30-day beta?

The app shows a screen asking for a one-time unlock code from dialforge.dev instead of opening normally. Buy the code once below, no subscription.

Does the app send my data to Dialforge?

No. The app works fully offline, and the unlock code is checked on the watch itself, without contacting any server.

The app does not work as described on my watch. Can I get a refund?

Yes. Write through the feedback form below, or to the e-mail in the footer. If we cannot fix it, we refund you, as described in the terms.

Changing your watch?

Write to me and I will move your code for free.

Changelog

Unlock

€5.99

One-time payment. No subscription. The code works on the watch whose UID you enter.

  1. Install the app from the Connect IQ store. It works fully and for free for the first 30 days.
  2. Find your 10-digit UID: Connect IQ app on the phone > My Device > Apps or Data Fields > this app > Settings > Watch UID.
  3. Enter UID and e-mail, pay with PayPal (cards work without a PayPal account). The code appears here at once.
  4. Type the code into the same settings page, field "Unlock code". The watch checks it offline.

Tell us how to make it better

Missing a data field, a colour, a layout? Found a bug on your watch model? Write it here. We read every message and ship improvements in updates.