Donkey Kong Classic Arcade WF

How high can you get?

This watch face puts the arcade's first stage across the middle of your watch. Donkey Kong stands at the top beside his stack of barrels, Pauline waits on her platform above him, waving and calling HELP!, and down at the bottom, beside the oil drum, Jumpman is ready to climb.

Every minute plays out the climb. Donkey Kong beats his chest, grabs a barrel and sends it rolling down the sloping red girders. The barrels tumble off the ends, bounce, take a broken ladder now and then, and roll on into the oil drum — and the first one in sets it ablaze. Jumpman sets off along the floor and jumps the barrel coming at him (100!), climbs to the middle girder, leaps for the hammer and smashes the barrels that come his way (300 each). With the hammer spent he climbs on, jumps two more of Donkey Kong's barrels, and reaches Pauline. A heart appears over them while Donkey Kong beats his chest in a fury — and the next minute, it all starts again.

The game follows the clock, not your wrist. Glance at your watch at any moment and the climb is wherever that second puts it — the first barrel on its way, the hammer swinging, or Jumpman beside Pauline — always in step with the time.

Drawn pixel by pixel after the 1981 original: the red lattice girders, the cyan ladders, the blue oil drum, Donkey Kong in the arcade's red and peach, and every number and letter in a blocky arcade type. The stage is the arcade's own, shortened to three girders so every sprite keeps its arcade size on a round screen.

Everything you need at a glance:
• A big arcade-style digital clock, following your 12/24-hour setting
• Weekday and date
• Battery level with a red gauge
• Today's steps beside a pair of pixel footprints
• Your heart rate beside a pixel heart
• A step goal ring around the edge, filling in girder red as you walk

Make it yours: press and hold the watch face, tap Customize, and switch the step goal ring off if you prefer a clean edge. It is on to begin with.

In always-on mode the stage steps aside and only a dim clock stays lit, gently shifting position to protect your screen.

Made for anyone who ever fed a quarter into the cabinet: fans of Nintendo's 1981 arcade classic, the game that introduced Jumpman — the carpenter who would become Mario — of chasing high scores on the barrel stage, of Donkey Kong Jr., Pac-Man and Galaga, and of the golden age of arcade games. A retro gaming watch face for the 8-bit kid in you.

Requires Wear OS 5 or later.

Unofficial fan-made design; not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo or any rights holder. DONKEY KONG and MARIO are trademarks of Nintendo.