Reconsidering the Apple Watch

Since its introduction in 2015, I’ve always been curious about the Apple Watch: a brand new Apple device launched into a fresh and promising category of products, everything was — and still is — exciting and full of potential. Also, the concept of wearing a tiny computer on the wrist has always been a dream for nerds like myself.

In 2020, I got the Apple Watch SE. I wanted to see how it would fit into my life, and if I would love it or not.

Three years later I’m happy to say that I do love my Apple Watch. I love how comfortable it is with the standard silicon Sport Band. I love to pay with it, which was even more useful back when we were all avoiding touching credit card terminals and wearing masks — making the use of Apple Pay on the Face-ID-iPhones a huge pain. I love using Siri with my Apple Watch, for reminders, for adding items to the shopping list, for setting up timers, alarms, etc. I love checking the temperature using a weather complication.

I also love the Apple Watch software, despite not being left-handed-friendly enough. I find WatchOS to be very refined and good looking yet very minimal.

I really like how the watch faces are designed: they really feel like watch dials, not “widgety” digital screens, and one can tell the people crafting these are watch aficionados. The user interface itself is fine, but not great for me, not only because of the tiny display but also because I don’t like having to switch between using the crown and touching the screen. It feels a bit weird not to be able to “click” the crown to confirm action, a bit like it was done with the BlackBerry trackwheel. Once I start touching the screen to “click” a button I usually end up just using the screen to scroll too.

This is not an Apple Watch review after three years though. Or maybe it is? I’ve started to write this post because I wanted to share the main thing that bugs me about the Apple Watch, which has nothing to do with how good the product itself can be.

The Apple Watch is yet another device in my life. Another computer I have to upgrade every couple of years, and charge every day. Another cable I have to think about when leaving my home for a couple of days. Another OS to update every once in a while. I absolutely don’t mind doing these things, as I already do that with my computer, my phone, my camera, my earbuds, even my freaking toothbrush. But how many devices is too many devices?

Too many electronic devices to handle

The main idea behind this post is basically this: Which things in my life don’t need to be computerised? Which things can be replaced with an analog, battery-free version that can last decades?

Once I started to think about this, I realised that despite all the great things about the Apple Watch, which is by far the most capable and worthy-of-your-attention smartwatch, the wrist was not a place where I needed to have another computer.

Conceptually, it makes a lot of sense though, just like the first wristwatches became a thing in the age of pocket watches: the wrist is great real estate to display information, and the Apple Watch embraces this approach perfectly: a computer for the wrist, not a miniaturised phone, not a “digital watch.” Where wristwatches display time — arguably the most important piece of information to always have available on the wrist — the Apple Watch displays things that are only possible with a modern computer: health data, weather, notifications, navigation, public transit timetables, etc.

If I want these things available on my wrist, it’s because it makes sense in 2023 with the current state of technology, it’s because it is truly useful. But I’m just not sure I need it anymore. My phone can do most of these things for me — except health tracking — and maybe that is enough for me. I can set timers directly on the oven. I can use an alarm clock. I can ask Siri to add reminders via my AirPods. I can pay with my phone. Most of the features of the Apple Watch can be found on my other devices, but the watch can’t really replace any other device I have. I’d be fine without an Apple Watch, and a little less entangled into the digital world.¹

Time for an automatic watch

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve dived into the world of mechanical watches. Reading reviews, browsing catalogues, watching videos (which made me realise that there is indeed a “classic and standard” YouTube video format now), listening to podcast episodes, etc. It’s a lot of fun and I am learning a lot.

I plan to buy an automatic watch that will last me decades, and that will grow old with me. I have made a shortlist of candidates, which was very easy considering my tiny budget and the ludicrous price points of too many brands. I don’t really look at quartz watches (sorry Kev) as — to me — they kind of defeat the purpose of removing batteries and electronics altogether from everywhere I can, and mechanical watches feel so “alive” it’s kind of intoxicating.²

It’s hard for an Apple Watch to feel so precious as it cannot last more than 4-5 years, which is a shame, especially when you consider that the case barely changes and that Apple sells expensive titanium and steel cases. When they introduced the short-lived Apple Watch Edition, I was certain they would do something like “we are committed to keep these working for 20 years, and users can go to an Apple Store to have the computer inside upgraded every 5 years.” That would have been cool, even if very complicated technically.

As a courtesy to my beloved Apple Watch, I plan to wait for the September Apple keynote to buy a new watch, to see what the new generation of Apple Watch promises, which will also allow me to save a little bit more money for a slightly better wrist companion. If you have any favourite you want to recommend, you know the drill.