Garmin's latest sport watches and fitness trackers are arriving soon from a galaxy far, far away.
In advance of this winter's release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Garmin is coming out with a pair of smartwatches designed in the spirit of Rey and Darth Vader. And a new Vivofit Jr. activity tracker uses the Force to encourage kids to stay active, with unlockable Star Wars adventures as their reward.
Here's what we know so far about Garmin's new Star Wars-themed wearables.
Legacy Saga Series watches
We'll need to hear more about the Rey and Vader versions of Gamin's Legacy Saga Series watches, including their fitness tracking features, but we've been told that the feature set is similar to what you get from Garmin's Vivoactive 4 series. Still, these Star Wars watches, coming this November and both priced at $399, are very much their own thing. They're clearly designed for people who like to wear their affinity for Star Wars quite literally on their sleeve.
The inspiration for the watches is plain to see. The Rey version has a white leather band, reminiscent of the outfit we first saw her in 2015's The Force Awakens. On the back of the watch, Garmin engraved "Nothing is impossible." The Vader version has an inscription, too — the more menacing-than-inspiring exhortation to "Rule the Galaxy." And as you might imagine with a Darth Vader-themed sport watch, the band is black with a few flecks of lightsaber red.
The watch faces have a clear Star Wars influence, too, with the readout I saw on Rey's Legacy Saga Series watch looking a lot like the readout on a X-Wing fighter panel, if the X-Wing also tracked your steps. Garmin says multiple themed watch faces will be available. The company also plans to make themed experiences available for these watches through its Garmin Connect app.
Vivofit Jr. 2
Star Wars-crazy kids will be more interested in the Vivofit Jr. 2 fitness tracker, a $69.99 wearable with Star Wars-themed bands. Garmin says it's offering two choices — an orange light side band and a red dark side band. (There will also be an $89 bundle featuring both bands, just in case your kids haven't chosen their side just yet.). The light side band has numerous designs etched into it — a rebel symbol here, a silhouette of BB-8 there.
The standout feature for the Vivofit Jr. will be that the companion app contains lots of Star Wars-themed content and adventures. But in order to unlock it all, kids will have to log enough activities. In a particularly nice touch, Yoda is part of the app, urging kids to stay active. (10-year-old me would have definitely appreciated getting coached by a Jedi Master.)
The Vivofit Jr. 2 comes out Oct. 4 as part of Triple Force Friday, a shopping event that marks the upcoming release of three new Star Wars properties. In addition to The Rise of Skywalker's December release, Lucasfilm is also rolling out The Mandalorian, a live-action series coming to the Disney+ streaming service on Nov. 12, as well as the new Jedi: Fallen Order video game.
