April 23, 2026
Solder vs Sold Out
A DIY Watch You Can Actually Wear
Hackers cheer, purists jeer: sold-out 'DIY' watch sparks a what-is-DIY fight
TLDR: LILYGO’s T‑Watch Ultra is a tough, hackable smartwatch with long‑range radio and GPS that sold out fast. Commenters are split between “this is DIY enough to love” and “it’s just programmable,” with extra wishlists for e‑ink, zero‑AI watches and an open‑source Garmin—proof the DIY watch dream is very much alive
The LILYGO T‑Watch Ultra just rolled up with big “break the walled garden” energy: a hack‑friendly, rain‑ready smartwatch under $80 that speaks Arduino and MicroPython. It’s got a bright screen, a big battery, Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, a long‑range radio for off‑grid chats, GPS for tracking, and even tap‑to‑pay‑style NFC. Translation: a watch you can tinker with that won’t melt in the rain. Cue hype… and chaos.
First bombshell from the comments: it’s already sold out, sending fear, envy, and FOMO through the thread. Then the real brawl started. One camp is yelling, “Not DIY!” with users like jblezo insisting it’s “more programmable than DIY,” flexing their from‑scratch builds with custom circuit boards and 3D‑printed cases and even dropping receipts via GitHub. Another camp is like, “Who cares, it’s hackable and not fragile—take my money.”
Meanwhile, the wishlists explode. One commenter begs for a zero‑AI, e‑ink watch that lasts forever. Another dreams of an open‑source Garmin with pro‑level running and cycling stats. And the memes? A cheeky “s/Watch/Smartwatch” gag, and plenty of “off‑grid texting from your wrist like it’s the apocalypse” jokes thanks to that long‑range radio and Meshtastic vibes.
So yes, it’s tough enough for rain, geek‑friendly to code, and priced to tempt—but the internet is fighting over what “DIY” even means
Key Points
- •LILYGO announced the T‑Watch Ultra, a programmable smartwatch with an IP65-rated case for improved durability.
- •The watch uses an ESP32‑S3 (dual‑core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz) with 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, supporting edge AI via vector instructions.
- •Features include a 2.01-inch 410×502 AMOLED touchscreen and a 1,100 mAh battery for longer runtime.
- •Connectivity spans Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver, enabling off‑grid and long‑range use cases.
- •Pre‑orders are open at $78.32, with Arduino, MicroPython, and ESP‑IDF support and USB‑C for straightforward development.