Pebble has broken its own Kickstarter campaign record by raising $500,000 for its new Pebble Time smartwatch in just 17 minutes.

In its previous campaign for the original smartwatch, Pebble reached its goal of $100,000 in two hours, reported Wired.

Pebble Time has so far raised more than $8m and has nearly 38,000 backers.

The new watch features color e-paper display along with a microphone to help users respond to notifications.

With the new watch, Pebble has improved the battery life to last of up to seven days. Time is compatible with the existing Pebble apps.

Pebble’s second campaign and return to the Kickstarter platform has triggered a debate on successful companies opting for crowd funding.

According to The Verge, Pebble earns more by selling its watches on Kickstarter than on any other platform and it also helps the company earn more in less time.

In the campaign video, Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky said: "We’re back on Kickstarter to work directly with you, the community that got us here."