7 days free on every face · one-time code · no subscription
DIALFORGE
Tactical World

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

Tactical World puts a 1-bit world map on your wrist with the night side of the Earth drawn live. Big 24-hour time without the colon (0955), the Julian date, Zulu time, battery and steps around it.

What you get

  • World map drawn pixel by pixel for 1-bit screens
  • Night side of the Earth, calculated from the date and UTC time: striped land and dotted sea where it is night
  • Sun marker over the place where the sun is overhead right now
  • Big time in military style (0955), or 12-hour with AM/PM if you prefer
  • Julian date (YYDDD), weekday and date
  • Zulu time (UTC) in the round subscreen, or seconds there and Zulu below the map
  • Battery level, steps, ISO week number and your UTC offset
  • Dark or light background

How it works

The day and night zones come from the sun's position, calculated on the watch from the date and time (a standard astronomical approximation, more than precise enough for a map this small). The face does not use GPS, needs no permissions and sends no data. The map is a simplified drawing made from Natural Earth public domain data.

This is a watch face. It is not a navigation tool and the map is not for finding your way.

Settings

In Garmin Connect (phone): subscreen content, 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 and map 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/tacticalworld/ 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

Tactical World: user manual

What it does

Tactical World puts a 1-bit world map on your wrist with the night side of the Earth drawn live. Around it: big 24-hour time without the colon (0955), the Julian date, Zulu time, battery and steps.

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 "Tactical World" by Dialforge, tap Install and sync the watch. Then hold the menu button (UP), choose Watch Face and select Tactical World.

First launch

Julian date (JDAY YYDDD) at the top, big time (0955), weekday and date under it, the world map with the night side and a sun marker, battery and steps below the map, then week number and UTC offset. The round subscreen shows Zulu time. 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, Tactical World, Settings. The face has no settings menu on the watch.

  • Layout: Zulu time in the round subscreen (default), or Seconds in the subscreen with Zulu below the map. In the second layout the subscreen shows your UTC offset in low power mode.
  • 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.
  • Night side: land is striped and sea is dotted where it is night. A marker shows where the sun is overhead right now.
  • The day and night zones are calculated on the watch from the date and UTC time. The face does not use GPS.
  • In 12-hour mode the time has no leading zero and AM or PM appears in the date line.
  • The map is a simplified drawing made from Natural Earth public domain data.

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, Tactical World, 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, the step count and the watch clock. The sun position is calculated on 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.

What does the map show? Where it is night and where it is day right now. The night side is redrawn every time the face updates.

This is a watch face. It is not a navigation tool and the map is not for finding your way.

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 > Tactical World > 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.

Tactical World€3.99Unlock