Welcome to QR 21. You have selected a watch face designed for a distinct tech aesthetic that organizes detailed data in a clean, visually balanced layout. This guide will present each of the 4 concurrent time formats so that you can get the most out of this watch face.
In fact, each of these unique time telling formats could easily be a standalone watch face on its own. QR 21 packs all four of them together into a single, aesthetically pleasing, and highly organized display.
1. Reading the Four Concurrent Time Formats
QR 21 is likely one of the only watch faces available that provides four different ways to read the time, simultaneously, on a single dial.
The QR Matrix
The core visual engine in the center of your screen is a high-contrast 21×21 QR code that recalculates and regenerates every single minute. Simply open any standard smartphone camera app, point it at your wrist, and your phone will instantly decode the matrix to display the exact digital time.
- Real-World Use Case: This is incredibly handy when using an automated digital logging system or barcode scanner workstation where you need to instantly input the exact current time without manual typing.
Unix Time
Positioned directly at the top of the dial is a live, ticking 10-digit Unix timestamp. This counts the exact number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 at midnight (UTC). For more details on how this system operates, you can read the Wikipedia article on Unix time. You can also rest easy knowing that Wear OS is completely safe from the upcoming “Year 2038” Unix rollover issue, ensuring you can continue to use this watch face for years to come.
- Real-World Use Case: A perfect tool for backend developers, database administrators, or system engineers who need to correlate real-time server log events with the raw Unix epoch timestamp right from their wrist.
Binary Indicators & Assist Mode
The left and right borders of the dial feature structural binary tracking columns. The left column monitors the current hour, while the right column monitors the minutes. To make calculation easy, you can use Assist Mode so the circles illuminate the specific numeric values you need to add together (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32).
These numbers map directly to raw binary code (1s and 0s), where an active filled indicator represents a 1 and a hollow empty indicator represents a 0. For example, if the hour is 6, only the 2 and 4 indicators are turned on.
- Real-World Use Case: This acts as a passive brain trainer for software engineers and students looking to maintain their speed at reading and translating binary codes on the fly.
The Stacked Digital Clock
For a fast and familiar reference, the far edges of the dial feature a stacked, ultra-tall digital clock. The left edge displays the hour (the top number is the first digit, the bottom number is the second digit), while the right edge displays the minutes in the same top to bottom format. At first glance, this tall, thin font looks like part of the surrounding graphic design rather than actual numbers, keeping the tech aesthetic completely intact.
- Real-World Use Case: Ideal for a quick glance when you are in a rush and need instant readability without stopping to calculate binary or scan the code on your wrist.
2. Hardware & Systems Monitoring
Hexadecimal Battery Status
Your watch’s power reserve is monitored using a raw hexadecimal value located at the bottom of the dial (labeled P:). This translates your standard battery percentage into an 8-bit hex string:
- 0x64: Full capacity (100% battery)
- 0x32: Half capacity (50% battery)
- 0x16: Quarter capacity (25% battery)
- 0x00: Depleted capacity (0% battery)
3. Settings & Customization
To access the internal layout options and theme configurations, long press the center of your watch screen and tap the Customize icon (represented by a gear or pencil icon).
Toggle Elements On / Off
You can easily declutter your watch face by turning off any elements you do not wish to see. You can independently toggle the Unix clock, the binary columns, the digital time, and the hexadecimal battery indicator.
Note: As the primary function and namesake of this watch face, the central QR code matrix remains visible at all times while the watch is active, and cannot be toggled off).
Color Themes
Swipe through the theme selector to choose from 28 distinct color palettes. The options include a variety of styles, from vibrant server-room terminal aesthetics to softer, lower contrast variants designed to match your preference.
QR Styles
You can change the visual style of the QR code matrix without breaking its scannability. Choose from 7 different tested styles, including Grid, Circles, Diamonds, and Hearts.
Dual Format Integration
QR 21 automatically reads your paired mobile device’s core system configurations. The central QR code and the stacked digital clock will seamlessly shift to display data in either standard 12-hour or military 24-hour modes based entirely on your phone’s system preferences.
4. Always-On Display (AOD)
QR 21 features a strict, power optimized Always-On Display profile. To protect your battery life and stay well below Google’s strict power limits, the central QR code and other secondary data are completely hidden in ambient mode. Instead, the tall digital numbers animate from the outer edges of the screen, towards the center, creating a clean, low power digital clock. Upon waking the watch, the numbers slide seamlessly back to their original positions.
Created by Second Hand Labs.