This just popped up on Instagram.
Presales for Unawatch.
Apparently a Scottish based company. Looks Edinburgh based.
No ideaabout them their website is a bit sparse but apparently it's repairable / upgradable
Oh blimey, it's a thread resurrection!
Does anyone have any updated on the various battery options? Any sellers that seem to be reliable? I've been donated a Fenix 5 but the battery is toast (doesn't last a full day) and I'd quite like to resurrect it.
I was looking at Satnav Specialist, but their reviews are terrible which puts me off... Reckon I should be fine doing it myself, the Fenix 5 is screwed not glued.
I have a Fenix 5 Plus and also been looking in to this as the battery performance has been dropping off recently.
Found this:
https://mark.stosberg.com/how-to-replace-the-battery-in-a-garmin-fenix-5-plus-watch/
Mine's still toast, new battery was fitted, but made no difference in the long run, I'm guessing there's some fault in the boot-up loop that means the watch won't restart regardless of how much juice there is in the battery.
I've one piece of Garmin product left - an 830, once that dies, I'l move away entirely.
As someone who frequently, uh, frequents phone repair shops (I keep dropping mine), would it be worth asking any you might have locally if they do it for smar****ches?
To be fair our next door neighbour runs a phone shop and is really good... He might be able to source a battery, too. Good shout!
An update on the Uno kickstarter as well. I gave it a whirl, and ended up with one in my sticky mitts for a few weeks before they issued a recall on them.
You can find the full details here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unawatch/meet-una-the-modular-gps-sports-watch/posts
It actually worked out (when I had it) as a good, simple watch with lots of potential. There's a fairly crisp and regularly-updated roadmap, and when I bumped into a slightly random bug with the smartphone app, they not only responded to acknowledge it, but went and fixed it.
The feature set is (understandably) less full than a Garmin, but there is potential. It's also not waterproof, so I'll have to use something else for tracking sailing stuff, although the class I race specifically bans electronics with the exception of electronic compasses, which were only approved about 18 months ago. I'm seperately helping test out an android app (dinghy.app if anyone is interested) that works on old Android phones - so far, it's excellent and a much more reasonable solution than dropping a grand on a Vaikobi at my level of racing.
I went into the Kickstarter with the expectation that I'd lose my money (£185, I think, at the time), so I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. I've not done one before, and fronted the money because I wanted something that could be fixed - my old Garmin 735XT is still slogging on, but it's very close to the end of the line.
At the moment they're testing new motherboards that fix the issue. Reading between the lines, someone plugged a high wattage charger in to one of theirs and melted it.
Also: I'm thoroughly enjoying the swearword censorship on smar****ches. Let's hope there's no s****y smar****ch owners from S****horpe following this thread.
Didn't realise the Uno wasn't waterproof, that's a shame.
Yeah - it's not rated for swimming or significant immersion. The FAQ says it's going to have some sort of IPX rating eventually, but as a few commenters on the Kickstarter have pointed out, waterproof USB-C ports do exist. I think they're probably being a bit cautious as people will be opening the thing up and not necessarily re-sealing it to an standard. In retrospect I'd still get it - it's waterproof enough for running and mountain biking, even if not for sailing yet.
Having been stung by kickstarter products on nearly every one I've tried I'm never touching another - even if you do get the product, you're getting v1 - you're the beta testers. You want v2, after they've sorted out the issues. And you want to buy it as a regular purchase so you have some rights if it doesn't turn up/isn't fit for purpose/breaks.
There was some unjustified criticism of Apple upthread - you can take a phone or watch to the apple store and have the battery replaced by them at a reasonable price and know you've got a genuine battery. (the AirPods earbuds are for the bin though).
Hopefully Garmin will finally get their act together in the next year to comply with the EU rules. It covers Smar****ches at the moment (though it sounds like the manufacturers are seeking an exemption or delay https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/05/06/big-tech-pushes-government-to-exempt-smart-watches-from-eu-battery-replacement-rules/).
The EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542), in force since August 2023, mandates that all portable rechargeable batteries in phones, tablets, and similar devices must be user-removable and replaceable by February 18, 2027. Batteries must be accessible with common tools, with spare parts available for at least five years to promote a circular economy and reduce waste
Buying non-OEM batteries is nearly always a poor experience. Of the stuff I've gone through over the years (Laptop battery/Makita Tools/Kindle/Garmin 25, Garmin 130/iPod and there must be others) I think the only one that actually delivered the same perfomance and lasted the same time before being for the bin was the Kindle and maybe the Garmin 25 (which, unlike any other Garmin, was simply screwed together and had a 'watch' style battery rather than a custom pouch.
I've just bought a Garmin 245 watch when a 130 died (I'd glued the screen back in in a way that was a one time thing) but that was £170. The high end watches effectively being disposable as well really takes the piss.
The last things that seem a real pisser are that I don't think Garmin batteries *ever* last as long as they should before dying completely. The generaly stated lifespan for a li-ion is 3-500 charges to drop to 80% capacity (and that's pretty much what I seem to have always got out of Apple phones). The potential issue with the Eu rule is the '5 years' - that's probably about when my Garmins should reach 80% (though they actually become unusable at that point). But I guess it's from the time they finally stop selling the model (although again, Garmin models seem available 'new' for many years after they supersede them officially)
Having been stung by kickstarter products on nearly every one I've tried I'm never touching another - even if you do get the product, you're getting v1 - you're the beta testers. You want v2, after they've sorted out the issues. And you want to buy it as a regular purchase so you have some rights if it doesn't turn up/isn't fit for purpose/breaks.
Yeah - that's very much the case, and I went into this as my first (and probably only) Kickstarter with my eyes open. A few other backers didn't seem to have taken that approach and are a bit salty about it in the comment threads. My expectation was for a beta product with beta software that would likely improve over time. So far, it's met my expectations.
I splashed out recently on a new Garmin (Instinct 3 solar, €100 off the sale price) and love it - it gets a GPS lock nearly instantly, charges well in the sun etc. I'm hoping the chunky battery life (claims about 20 days on standby at 80% charged) will mean that even if the battery degrades it'll still be useable for a long time
I've just ordered a Fenix 5 battery off ebay for £13. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't but I figure I got the watch free, I don't really have that much skin in the game.
I did like the altimeter on the Fenix when I tried it, though. Will deffo be looking for a watch with one of those if I do upgrade.
