7 days free on every face · one-time code · no subscription
DIALFORGE
Retro LCD

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

Retro LCD brings back the look of a classic digital watch on a 1-bit screen: 7-segment digits drawn for this face, the faint "off" segments of an old LCD, and a weekday strip with today highlighted.

What you get

  • Big 7-segment time in an LCD window
  • Unlit segments shown as a fine dot pattern, like a real LCD
  • Weekday strip MO to SU with today highlighted
  • Month, day in 7-segment digits, year, weekday and 12/24 hour mark
  • Battery as five LCD bars, step count
  • Seconds in the round subscreen while the watch is awake
  • No seconds in low power mode, so the face redraws once a minute
  • Second layout: clean digits only, no ghost segments and no frame
  • Dark or light background

The digits and the layout were drawn for this face. It is a homage to the general look of 1980s digital watches, not a copy of any brand's watch.

Settings

In Garmin Connect (phone): layout, time format, seconds, light background, unlock code.

Compatible watches

Instinct 2, 2S, 2X Solar, Instinct 3 Solar 45/50 mm, Instinct E 40/45 mm, Instinct Crossover, Descent G1.

Trial and unlock

Everything works for 7 days. After that the face keeps showing the time with default settings and a small "UNLOCK DIALFORGE.DEV" bar. Your watch ID is shown in the face settings; buy the code for that ID at dialforge.dev and paste it into the settings.

Questions or ideas: kontakt@dialforge.dev

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/retrolcd/ 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

Retro LCD: user manual

What it does

Retro LCD brings back the look of a classic digital watch on a 1-bit screen: 7-segment digits drawn for this face, the faint off segments of an old LCD and a weekday strip with today highlighted. It is a homage to the general look of 1980s digital watches, not a copy of any brand's watch.

Requirements and supported watches

Needs Connect IQ 3.2.0+ and the Connect IQ or Garmin Connect phone app. Supported watches (all with a 1-bit screen):

  • Instinct 2 family: Instinct 2, 2 Solar, Dual Power and dezl Edition (176 x 176), Instinct 2S, 2S Solar and Dual Power (163 x 156), Instinct 2X Solar (176 x 176).
  • Instinct 3 Solar 45 mm and 50 mm, Instinct E 40 mm and 45 mm.
  • Instinct Crossover.
  • Descent G1 and G1 Solar.

All of them have a 1-bit MIP screen. Instinct Crossover has no subscreen, so the face draws a plain circle in that corner. The physical hands of the Crossover cover the middle of the screen.

Installation

In the Connect IQ app on your phone (or Garmin Connect, then the Connect IQ Store) find "Retro LCD" by Dialforge, tap Install and sync the watch. Then hold the menu button (UP), choose Watch Face and select Retro LCD.

First launch

A big 7-segment time in an LCD window with faint dots where segments are off. Above it: month, day, year, weekday and the 24H or AM/PM mark, then the battery in five bars. Below the time: the weekday strip MO to SU with today highlighted, and your step count. The round subscreen shows seconds while the watch is awake and unlit segments in low power mode. 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 are on the phone only.

Touch watches (tap, hold, swipe)

  • None of the supported watches has a touch screen. The face has no touch actions.

Settings

Phone only: Connect IQ app, Retro LCD, Settings. The face has no settings menu on the watch.

  • Layout: LCD frame and weekday strip (default), or Clean: digits only, no ghost segments. The clean layout drops the frame and the unlit segments, and the weekday strip shows only today.
  • Time format: Automatic (follows the watch setting), 12-hour, 24-hour. Default: Automatic.
  • Seconds when the watch is active: on or off. Default: on.
  • Light background: on or off (dark text on a light screen). Default: off.
  • Watch ID (for the unlock code): read-only, you need it to buy the code.
  • Unlock code from dialforge.dev: paste the code here.
  • Seconds are shown only while the watch is awake after a wrist gesture. In low power mode there are no seconds and the face redraws once a minute.
  • The battery is shown as five bars. Each bar stands for about 20 percent, and a full bar is a filled square.
  • Weekday labels are in English: MO, TU, WE, TH, FR, SA, SU (Monday is MO).

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 ID. The all-faces pack code also works.
  • Where to enter it: phone, Connect IQ app, Retro LCD, Settings. Read the ID in "Watch ID (for the unlock code)", buy the code, then paste it into "Unlock code from dialforge.dev".
  • After the trial without a code: settings return to defaults and a small UNLOCK DIALFORGE.DEV bar appears. Time and data keep working.

Privacy and permissions

Permissions: none. The manifest is empty. The face does not use GPS, does not connect to the internet and sends no data. Nothing is collected.

It reads only the battery level and the step count from the watch.

Troubleshooting

The code does not work. Check that the watch ID you bought for matches "Watch ID (for the unlock code)" 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.

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

Where are the seconds? Turn on "Seconds when the watch is active" in the settings, then raise your wrist. Seconds never show in low power mode.

12-hour or 24-hour? Set "Time format" in the settings. Automatic follows the watch.

Contact

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

Permissions and privacy

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

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 > Retro LCD > 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.

Retro LCD€3.99Unlock