The whole thing
Three moves.
Then never look again.
No profiles, no presets, no settings screen. You set what you need in the moment you need it — and after that the app is invisible.
Turn for duration
How long are you speaking? The crown sets the minutes. One value, one movement.
Turn for interval
How often do you want reminding? Every five minutes, every fifteen — or not at all.
Start
From here the watch is yours. The screen may go dark; the timer keeps running.
Two signals
Told apart by rhythm,
not by strength.
A stronger pulse is no help if you have to stop and interpret it. So TimeAgent gives each message its own pattern — one you will never confuse after the second time.
Checkpoint
Time's up
Silent by default. Loud only if you want.
On Apple Watch, TimeAgent never makes a sound. On iPhone, sound is off by default — switch it on only when a whole room should hear the signal, for example during group work. On the watch, silent mode and theatre mode suppress sound only — the haptics come through either way.
New in version 1.1
Also on iPhone and iPad.
For the lectern and the whole room.
Where there’s no watch on your wrist, the phone takes over: easy to read on the lectern, with light for a darkened hall and sound for group work.
Readable from metres away
A bold ring with the minutes of every milestone, the time left large in the middle. Upright in your hand or sideways on the lectern.
Light signal
The screen flashes briefly when a milestone is reached. You set brightness and colour with a slider — far left is off.
Sound signal for group work
When several groups work in the same room, everyone hears when a milestone is reached. Off by default, and it never interrupts anything that’s playing.
Set up one-handed
Duration and signal spacing with the thumb wheel next to the number. The display stays on while the timer runs.
Origins
The silent strike
is not a new idea.
Watchmaking solved the problem TimeAgent solves three hundred years ago — and with the same answer: feel it instead of hearing it.
The repeater
Edward Barlow builds the first striking mechanism that repeats the time on demand. The purpose: knowing the hour in the dark, back when there was no light on demand either.
Répétition à toc
The dumb repeater. Instead of striking a gong, the hammers strike a metal block inside the case — a dull thud you feel in your hand rather than hear in the room. Built expressly to read the time unnoticed in meetings and concerts.
TimeAgent
Same task, same principle, different wrist. A pulse only you feel, while the room notices nothing. Instead of the hour, it reports the time you have left.
On the history of the repeater watch: Repeater (horology)
Made in Switzerland, by Lake Thun. The word “complication”, for an extra function on a watch face, comes from watchmaking — Apple borrowed it. TimeAgent brings its own.
In use
Wherever the room
has no clock.
Pitch and talk
Your slot is fixed, the clock hangs behind you, and a glance at your wrist gives you away. TimeAgent tells you where you stand without anyone noticing.
20 minutes · signal every 5
Presentation
Marks often hinge on keeping to time. Two checkpoints are enough to notice that the middle section is running long — while you can still cut it.
15 minutes · signal every 5
Exam
Split the paper into blocks. The pulse tells you to move on — not the glance at the wall clock once it is already too late.
90 minutes · signal every 15
Study block
Twenty-five minutes straight. No sound to pull you out of a thought, no screen to look at — just a tap when the time comes.
25 minutes · no checkpoints
Group work
Several groups, one room, one shared time. The iPhone on the table keeps the pace — with a sound everyone hears, even in the far corner.
40 minutes · signal every 10
Meeting
Every agenda item gets its block. The signal is the reminder to move on — without anyone pointing at the clock.
60 minutes · signal every 15
Details that matter
Built for the moment
when you aren't thinking.
One setting before you go on
On the watch, under Settings → Gestures → Wrist Flick, switch the gesture off while you speak. Otherwise it returns to the watch face the moment you lower your wrist — ending the running session with it. After that TimeAgent stays reliably in the foreground.
Support
Something stuck?
Write directly.
support@elevai.ch
Answered on Saturdays — TimeAgent is a spare-time project.
Helpful: watchOS version, watch model, and what you had set.
Do I need the iPhone for the timer to run?
No. On Apple Watch, TimeAgent runs entirely on the watch; the iPhone is only needed to install it. Since version 1.1, TimeAgent is also a timer of its own on iPhone and iPad — for the lectern or for group work.
Does the signal still arrive when the screen is off?
Yes. While running, the app holds an extended runtime session so the pulses arrive on time even once the watch goes dark — for up to 60 minutes at a stretch. TimeAgent also schedules a local notification for every signal as a safety net; it is removed as soon as the app has played the pulse itself.
The timer suddenly disappeared. What happened?
Almost always the wrist flick: since watchOS 26 this gesture returns to the watch face and dismisses whatever was in the foreground. Switch it off under Settings → Gestures. The other case is a block longer than 60 minutes — the session then ends and only the scheduled notifications carry on.
Why is the last checkpoint sometimes skipped?
By design. A checkpoint falling within five seconds of the end would merge with the final signal and render both unreadable. So 45 minutes at 15-minute spacing gives you two checkpoints and one final signal — not three and one.
Can I start TimeAgent from the watch face?
Yes. The app ships with a complication — a plain orange mark for circular and corner slots. Tapping it launches the app; otherwise it does nothing and uses no power.
What happens if I run over?
TimeAgent does not stop. It counts up in red and reports in every minute that begins. So you know not just that you are over, but by how much.
How do I end a running timer?
Press and hold on the screen. A confirmation follows, so nothing is cancelled by accident. A short tap only pauses — tap again to resume.
What languages is the app available in?
In five languages: English, German, French, Italian and Spanish — on the watch as well as on iPhone and iPad. The app follows the language set on your device.
What does TimeAgent cost?
TimeAgent is free for timers up to 5 minutes — enough to try it or for a short pitch. The full version, with durations up to 180 minutes, is a single in-app purchase with no subscription, and it works on the watch, iPhone and iPad. If you bought TimeAgent before it became free to try, you already have the full version.
Privacy in one sentence
TimeAgent collects nothing, sends nothing and requires no account. There is no network connection, no analytics and no advertising. Exactly two numbers are stored, and only on your watch: the last duration and the last signal interval you chose. Full privacy policy