7 days free on every face · one-time code · no subscription
DIALFORGE
Amber Hour

7-day free trial, then a one-time 3.99 EUR unlock code at dialforge.dev. No subscription.

Amber Hour: the watch face for photographers. See where the sun is and how long until the next golden or blue hour.

  • Sun arc with the golden hour (amber) and blue hour (blue) periods drawn on it
  • Sun dot at its current position; at night a moon with the current phase
  • Next golden or blue hour start with a countdown ("in 3 h 46 min"), or "now" with the time left
  • The other period on its own line, e.g. BLUE 18:31 - 18:55
  • Sunrise and sunset times at the ends of the arc
  • Sun math runs on the watch (NOAA algorithm) and works offline
  • Golden hour: sun between -4 and +6 degrees. Blue hour: between -6 and -4 degrees
  • Big time with the date, optional seconds
  • AMOLED always-on mode: dim time and a thin arc with the sun
  • English and Polish

Data fields (2 slots): heart rate, steps, battery, distance, calories, floors, active minutes, Body Battery, stress, altitude, notifications, solar, battery days, temperature, sunrise, sunset, sun next, respiration, SpO2, recovery, pressure, resting HR, VO2 max, sleep score, training status, 5K prediction, calendar, weekly run, moon phase, week number, day of year.

Location comes from Garmin weather. If the face says "OPEN WEATHER ON PHONE", open the weather widget once while connected.

Since 1.2.0: new data to choose from: weather with icon, wind, humidity, UV, chance of rain, active calories, alarms, phone connection, do not disturb, move bar, 10K, half and full marathon predictions, cycling VO2 max, weekly ride distance and a second time zone (a fixed UTC offset, no daylight saving); time format (12/24 h) and leading zero settings; 10 color sets (3 new) and a Popular list with the sets other users pick most; on touchscreen watches, touch and hold a field to open its screen.

Garmin does not give watch faces access to HRV status or Training Readiness, so no Connect IQ watch face can show them.

Code not working? Write to kontakt@dialforge.dev and we fix it or refund you.

Settings: on the watch (hold MENU, then Watch face, then Customize) or in the Connect IQ app.

Popular color sets: for that list only an anonymous color number is sent.

A little request from the maker

Dialforge is my student project. I build these watch faces after classes, so they are still at an early stage, and I could not test every watch model myself. If something looks wrong on your watch, please do not leave a negative rating: write to me first at https://dialforge.dev/faces/amberhour/ and I will fix it, usually within 24 hours. A kind review means more to me than you can imagine. And if you like my work, you can buy me a coffee (the link is at the bottom of dialforge.dev): I am saving up to pay for my studies. Thank you for your patience and for giving a young developer a chance.

Manual

Amber Hour: user manual

What it does

Amber Hour is a face for photographers: a sun arc with golden and blue hour bands, big time, a countdown to the next one, and sunrise and sunset at the arc ends.

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 "Amber Hour" by Dialforge, tap Install and sync the watch. Then hold the watch face (or the menu button), choose Watch Face and select Amber Hour.

First launch

No location yet: OPEN WEATHER ON PHONE. Then the arc fills in. Fields: temperature, moon phase. The 7-day trial starts the first time the face runs.

Controls

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

  • No actions of its own. Settings: menu button (UP), Watch Face, Customize.

Touch watches (tap, hold, swipe)

  • Touch and hold a data field to open Garmin's screen for it. No matching screen, nothing happens.
  • Touch spots: the two data fields.

Settings

Watch: menu button, Watch Face, Customize. Phone: Connect IQ app, Amber Hour, Settings (code fields only there).

  • Field 1, Field 2: each shows one of 45 data types, from heart rate to weather, or stays empty. Defaults in that order: Temperature, Moon phase.
  • Countdown to: Golden hour, Blue hour, Both. Default: Both.
  • Accent color: 10 color sets, White to Lime. Default: Orange. The watch menu adds "Popular", the sets others pick most.
  • Seconds: on or off. Default: off.
  • Time format: Automatic (watch setting), 12-hour, 24-hour. Default: Automatic.
  • Second time zone: fixed UTC offset, UTC-12 to UTC+14 with half-hour zones, no automatic daylight saving.
  • Date language: Automatic, English, Polski. Default: Automatic. It keeps working after the trial.
  • Location comes from Garmin weather: open the weather widget once with the phone connected. Sun maths then runs offline.

License

  • Trial: 7 days from the first launch, everything works.
  • Price: 3.99 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, Amber Hour, Settings. Read the UID in "UID (dialforge.dev)", buy the code, then type it into "Unlock code".
  • After the trial without a code: settings return to defaults (the language setting stays) and UNLOCK DIALFORGE.DEV appears at the bottom. Time and data keep working.

Privacy and permissions

Permissions:

  • Sensor history: recent body battery, stress and similar values.
  • User profile: data like max heart rate and units.
  • Complications: Garmin's own data for the fields.
  • Background service: a periodic task.
  • Internet: only for the color service below.

Color service (only faces with a color choice): every 6 hours the watch asks dialforge.dev for the popular color sets (the request carries only the face name). If you changed the set meanwhile, it also sends the set number and face version. No UID, e-mail or location.

Troubleshooting

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

A field shows --. The watch has no value for it right now: it may need a sensor reading, a connected phone (weather), a Garmin feature turned on, or a newer watch. The face never invents numbers.

Battery drain? Seconds are drawn only while the watch is awake, in low-power mode the face redraws once a minute.

What does always-on look like? On AMOLED, always-on shows the dimmed time and a thin arc with the sun (at night the moon), shifted every minute. MIP watches have no separate always-on mode.

12-hour or 24-hour? Automatic follows the watch's 12/24-hour setting. You can force 12 or 24 hours in the settings.

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.

  • Sensor history: Reads recent values stored by the watch (for example Body Battery, stress, heart rate, steps trend).
  • Your profile: Reads your Garmin profile on the watch (for example age, weight, heart rate zones) to calculate values for you.
  • Watch data (complications): Shows data from other watch features, such as battery or steps, on the face.
  • Background process: Lets the app run short tasks in the background, for example reminders.
  • Internet through the phone: Lets the watch make a web request through your phone. Used only for the colour service described below.

Popular colour sets service

Every 6 hours the face downloads the list of popular colour sets from dialforge.dev. If you changed the colour set, it also sends that set's number. The request contains only the number, the face name and the face version. It contains no watch ID, no unlock code and no e-mail. We count choices, not people. Details: privacy policy.

Unlock

€3.99

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

  1. Install the face from the Connect IQ store. It is free for 7 days.
  2. Find your 10-digit UID: Connect IQ app on the phone > My Device > Watch faces > Amber Hour > Settings (first field).
  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.

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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.

Amber Hour€3.99Unlock