Garmin eyes WHOOP‑style wearables
A patent filed in February suggests Garmin is exploring a recovery‑and‑readiness wearable that analyzes physiological signals—positioning the company to move into WHOOP‑style territory. (me.pcmag.com) The filing describes electronic sensors and monitoring systems aimed at measuring bio‑signals and bodily behavior for recovery metrics. (me.pcmag.com)
Garmin appears to be moving toward a screenless fitness band built around recovery, stress, and readiness tracking, based on a trademark filing dated February 25, 2026. (trademarks.justia.com) The filing names the product “CIRQA” and describes a body-worn device with electronic sensors and monitors that measure physical parameters, physiological data, bio-signals, and bodily behavior. It also says the device would analyze recovery from physical and emotional stress, alertness, and performance for non-medical use. (trademarks.justia.com) PCMag reported on April 12 that Garmin could be preparing a competitor to Whoop and Oura, two companies known for screenless bands that focus on sleep, strain, and recovery instead of smartwatch apps. Engadget and Android Authority separately matched the CIRQA filing to that same product direction. (pcmag.com) (engadget.com) (androidauthority.com) Recovery wearables try to answer a simple question: how ready is your body today. They estimate that by combining signals such as heart rate variability, sleep, stress, skin data, and movement into a daily readiness score or coaching prompt. (whoop.com) (support.garmin.com) Garmin already sells part of that idea in its watches. Its Body Battery feature estimates energy reserves on a 5-to-100 scale using heart rate variability, stress, sleep, and activity, which means CIRQA would look less like a new health concept than a new form factor. (support.garmin.com) (garmin.com) Whoop has spent years building its business around that screenless model, and it refreshed the lineup on May 8, 2025 with WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG. The company said those devices were designed around sleep, training, recovery, and longer battery life. (whoop.com) Garmin has not announced CIRQA, published a launch date, or disclosed a price. PCMag said the trademark and patent language point to intent, but not to a finished product or release schedule. (pcmag.com) That leaves the story at the filing stage: Garmin has put specific recovery-and-alertness language on paper, and the company already has the software metrics to support it. If CIRQA ships, the bet would be that some Garmin users want Whoop-style tracking without leaving Garmin’s ecosystem. (trademarks.justia.com) (garmin.com)
