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

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

A retro dot-matrix clock: the time drawn in a grid of LED dots, like an old scoreboard or a pocket game from the 80s.

  • Big 5 by 7 dot digits. Choose round or square dots, and show or hide the dark unlit dots behind them.
  • Six LED colours: Amber, Green, Red, Cyan, White and Pink.
  • A week strip with today lit, and the date in 13 languages.
  • Two data fields (defaults: steps and heart rate) and a ten-block battery bar with the percentage.
  • Flat colours only, picked to look the same on AMOLED, on 64-colour MIP screens (fenix 7, Forerunner 255 and 245) and on the 8-colour Forerunner 55.
  • Always-on mode for AMOLED: only the lit dots of the time and the date, dimmed and shifted every minute. No seconds, to save battery.
  • 12 or 24 hour time and a leading zero setting.

Data fields: heart rate, steps, battery, distance, calories, floors, active minutes, Body Battery, stress, altitude, notifications, solar, battery days, temperature, sunrise, sunset, next sun event, respiration, SpO2, recovery time, pressure, resting heart rate, VO2 max, sleep score, 5K race prediction, weekly running distance, moon phase, week number, day of year, active calories, weather with icon, wind, humidity, UV, chance of rain, 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). Defaults: steps and heart rate.

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

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

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/retromatrix/ 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 Matrix: user manual

What it does

Retro Matrix is a dot-matrix clock: the time drawn in a grid of LED dots, in big digits of 5 by 7 dots. Under it are the date, a week strip with today lit, two data fields and a ten-block battery bar with the percentage. Flat colours only, so it looks the same on AMOLED, on 64-colour MIP screens and on the 8-colour Forerunner 55.

Requirements and supported watches

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

  • Round AMOLED: epix (Gen 2), epix Pro (Gen 2) 42, 47 and 51 mm, fēnix 8 (43, 47 and 51 mm), fēnix 8 Pro, fēnix E, Forerunner 165, 165 Music, 265, 265S, 570 (42 and 47 mm), 965, 970, Instinct 3 AMOLED (45 mm, 50 mm), Venu 2, 2 Plus, 2S, 3, 3S, 4 (41 and 45 mm), vívoactive 5, 6.
  • Square and rectangular AMOLED: Venu Sq 2, Venu Sq 2 Music, Venu X1.
  • Round MIP, 64 colours: Enduro 3, fēnix 7, 7S, 7X (also Pro and Pro Solar no Wi-Fi), fēnix 8 Solar (47 and 51 mm), Forerunner 245, 245 Music, 255, 255 Music, 255S, 255S Music, vívoactive 4, 4S.
  • Round MIP, 8 colours: Forerunner 55.

Installation

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

First launch

Amber round dots with the unlit dots shown. Data fields: steps on the left, heart rate on the right. 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)

  • Tapping a data field opens the matching Garmin screen on the watch, where Garmin provides one.

Settings

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

  • Colour (LED): Amber, Green, Red, Cyan, White, Pink. Default: Amber.
  • Dot shape: Round or Square. Default: Round.
  • Unlit dots: on or off, shows or hides the dark dots behind the lit ones. Default: on.
  • Left field: default steps. Right field: default heart rate.
  • Time format: Auto, 12 h, 24 h. Default: Auto.
  • Leading zero: Auto, Always, Never. Default: Auto.
  • Date language: Auto (the watch language), English, Polish. Default: Auto.

Data fields can show heart rate, steps, battery, distance, calories, floors, active minutes, Body Battery, stress, altitude, notifications, solar, battery days, temperature, sunrise, sunset, next sun event, respiration, SpO2, recovery time, pressure, resting heart rate, VO2 max, sleep score, 5K, 10K, half and full marathon predictions, weekly running distance, moon phase, week number, day of year, active calories, weather with icon, wind, humidity, UV, chance of rain, alarms, phone connection, do not disturb, move bar, cycling VO2 max, weekly ride distance and a second time zone (a fixed UTC offset, no daylight saving). Garmin does not give watch faces access to HRV status or Training Readiness, so no Connect IQ watch face can show them.

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, Retro Matrix, Settings. Read the UID in "UID (dialforge.dev)", buy the code, then type it into "Unlock code".
  • After the trial without a code: look settings return to defaults (the date language setting stays) and UNLOCK DIALFORGE.DEV appears at the bottom. Time and data keep working.

Privacy and permissions

Permissions:

  • Sensor history: used by data fields that read sensor data, for example Body Battery or stress.
  • User profile: used by data fields that need your profile, for example resting heart rate or VO2 max.
  • Complications: used by data fields that read Garmin's own values, for example race predictions or weekly distance.
  • No Internet, background service or phone communication is declared: the face has no color service and sends nothing anywhere.

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.

Battery drain? The face has no animation. In low-power mode it redraws once a minute.

What does always-on look like? On AMOLED, always-on shows only the lit dots of the time and the date, dimmed and shifted every minute, with no seconds. Watches with a MIP screen (Forerunner 245, 255, 55, fēnix 7 and the like) have no always-on mode.

12-hour or 24-hour? Time format: Auto (follows the watch), 12 h or 24 h. The leading zero setting works the same way: Auto, Always or Never.

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.

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 Matrix > 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 Matrix€3.99Unlock