Hands-On A Mechanical Watch Fanatic Reviews The Apple Watch Ultra

We all know the headlines – Apple Watch production and sales now surpass the entire Swiss watch industry. Apple Watch can save your life. Apple Watch does this, it does that – it's a phone, a GPS, an MP3 player. It's anything you want it to be and more. It's arguably the most important Apple product born in the post-Steve Jobs era.

That said, the traditional watch space – the one that still revolves around old-school mechanics – is doing better than ever, in spite of global economic pressures. Richemont and LVMH are reporting higher-than-anticipated earnings out of their watch divisions. November 2022 was the Swiss watch industry's best month ever, by export value. Viral products like MoonSwatch have taken over the internet – not to mention the streets around Swatch boutiques worldwide. Even anecdotally, fine watchmaking is now part of the global cultural conversation today in a way it really has previously never been.

The Apple Watch didn't hurt the Patek Philippes and Audemars Piguets of the world. It seems to have helped widen the scope, making the concept of wristwear more ubiquitous. I think it's now fair to say that the Apple Watch is (probably) not a threat to the watches we all know and love. It's its own thing. 

We've grown to expect a fairly cyclical approach to Apple Watch news over the past eight years. A new model is announced around August/September, and it's delivered in short order. Most of these releases haven't reinvented the wheel. The biggest update Apple Watch saw over the years likely came when onboard LTE cellular support was added with 2017's Series Three, and then with the addition of an always-on display in 2019's Series Five. 

We're now at Series Eight, which I covered with a Hands-On review a week after it launched. But that wasn't the only bit of news coming out of Cupertino in early September. No, Apple had another, much more advanced trick up its sleeve that day – enter Apple Watch Ultra.

It's the biggest departure yet from the traditional Apple Watch platform in the device's eight-year history. We haven't seen anything quite like the Apple Watch Ultra before – and neither has the Swiss watch industry.

Which is why I decided to approach this story a little differently. I don't have my dive license. I don't run. My exercise routine is sporadic at best. What can I tell you about pushing this product to the limit that Jason Heaton or DC Rainmaker hasn't already said? So here's my view on the Apple Watch Ultra, through the lens of a traditional watch enthusiast. I've decided to revisit the format used by Ben in 2014, a few days after he handled the original Apple Watch for the first time.

And just to be clear, I wouldn't describe myself as averse to wearable technology. The Apple Watch has always been a significant part of any conversation in watches for me, but it has never been my focus. Although I'm typing this on a MacBook and my iPhone is sitting next to me, I've never owned an Apple Watch outside of review periods (I've worn the Series 2, the Series 5, and now the Series 8 and Ultra models as part of field tests).

For this story, I wore the Apple Watch Ultra off and on for nearly three months. There were a few times when I wore it for an entire day and other times when it only ended up on my wrist for a few hours before it was rotated out for one of my personal mechanical watches.

Here are my impressions. 

It Has Bells And Whistles Galore: Every smartwatch is full of all sorts of innovative new tech that most of us will never need, and the Apple Watch Ultra is perhaps the ultimate example of providing information that is likely unnecessary 90 percent of the time.

But what the Apple Watch Ultra does exceptionally well is make that information both easily accessible and digestible through upgrades to the display screen. For example, the Ultra has the brightest screen yet for Apple Watch – 2,000 nits! I don't know what a nit is, but it's apparently double the output of any previous Apple Watch – enhancing legibility in harsh sunlight. 

The Apple Watch Ultra is also water resistant up to 100 meters with diving capabilities certified by EN 13319 (the international standard for dive computers). It's able to withstand extreme temperatures between -4° F and 131° F (better the watch than me!). And there's even a siren that can reach up to 86 decibels (where it can supposedly be heard up to 600 feet away) and is easy to quickly set off and on by holding the new "Action Button" (more on it in a minute). The watch is a lifesaver and a party trick, all in one.

Other updates on Apple Watch Ultra include the biggest battery life yet for Apple Watch, with 36 hours of running autonomy on a single charge. The GPS performance has been reworked and updated with a new precision dual-signal link that connects to a combination of L1 and L5 signals, which should make it one of the more precise GPS systems available in any smartwatch. Cellular service is built in automatically with every Apple Watch Ultra, and two additional microphones (it has three in total) were added to the Ultra's case to account for wind noise reduction.

The Apple Watch Ultra shares a lot of details with the new Apple Watch Series Eight, including a particularly nifty new Compass complication with a waypoint/backtrack mechanism. I spent a decent bit of time talking about my experience using the waypoint/backtrack mechanism in my Series Eight review, so I won't dig too deep on that topic again here, but it really is a feature I enjoy and that I think I would find a solid use-case for (the one or two times a year I go hiking, that is).

The Apple Watch Ultra provides more information about its individual wearer and their surroundings than practically any other watch in history. And it delivers that information in a sustainable and engaging way, all the while providing real-time, lived-in feedback in a way that a bulky smartphone stashed in a pocket just can't do.

The Case Of The Large Apple Watch: The Apple Watch Ultra is still recognizable as an Apple Watch at a glance, but it actually has a different case profile and appearance compared to even the Series Eight. The biggest thing you should know is that the entire case is crafted from aerospace-grade titanium. It's the biggest Apple Watch ever, measuring 49mm in top-to-bottom length (compared to the more traditional diameter, measured from side-to-side, which is approximately 46mm) and 14.4mm in height. It comes in one size only (for now). The sapphire crystal up top is completely flat in order to best protect it during any accidental impacts or collisions – if the screen happens to be turned off or black for whatever reason, you could almost convince yourself that you have a miniature TV screen on your wrist.

My honest opinion on the larger dimensions? I didn't find it to be distracting. It never felt like too much. I don't mind bigger watches, and while the Ultra is clearly a large and substantial piece, it's not overwhelmingly big on my wrist. You really just need to use your noggin' and be honest with yourself to determine if the Apple Watch Ultra might be too big for you. Apple only offers one size right now, so it's really a simple yes or no question. I feel like if you've ever strapped on a Panerai, a G-Shock, or, hell, even just a run-of-the-mill Seiko dive watch, the Ultra will likely fit your wrist. We all know that square watches wear differently than circular ones, so although the 49mm length dimension is intimidating, it might be a little misleading

I recommend trying the watch on at your local Apple Store before you buy just to make sure it's comfortable, but I assume most Hodinkee readers will have a better-than-average understanding of their wrist size. If you go in expecting it to wear like the dress watch that your grandpa wore to his junior prom in 1954, you're going to have a bad time.

Outside of the size, one of the most significant external upgrades is the presence of a three-dimensional flank on the right side of the case that houses an extra-large "Digital Crown" and side control button. The new Digital Crown has a larger diameter and deeper grooves than any previous crown, to ensure ease of use when wearing gloves.

On the left side of the case, there's a new customizable "Action Button" in high-contrast international orange that can be formatted to do all sorts of things, including starting your workout or inputting lap time. Almost the entire time I had the Apple Watch Ultra in my possession, I kept the quick-adjust Action Button set primarily to the stopwatch function, as the function reminded me the most of a traditional chronograph (hey, sue me!). I will say that I found the Action Button to be a bit sensitive. There were numerous times I accidentally pressed the button down without meaning to.

Is It Worth An 'Ultra' Price?: More functions and features mean more cost for you. But that should come as no surprise. After all, the most expensive watch in history is the record-setting Patek Philippe Grand Complication in steel from Only Watch 2019. And the Apple Watch Ultra is of a magnitude more complicated while being of a magnitude less expensive.

In the United States, the Apple Watch Ultra in titanium has a list price of $799, while the new Series Eight in aluminum starts at $399. Many people and pundits have pointed out since the launch that this is not an insignificant difference – it's basically double the cost of the cheapest Series Eight, and the entry-level Apple Watch SE in aluminum can be purchased for an even lower starting price ($249).

Is the Apple Watch Ultra worth twice as much as the Series Eight, even if they share the same S8 SiP processor chip and a majority of the same health and wellness sensors? It probably won't be for most people (and that's ok!), but I do want to point out that a lot of that cost is likely tied into the material differences – for instance, the Apple Watch Series Eight models with stainless steel cases start at $699, a much more reasonable gap in price than comparing the titanium Apple Watch Ultra with the aluminum Series Eight. And just last year, if you look at the Series Seven with a 45mm titanium case and GPS + Cellular, it came to an MSRP of $849 – that's $50 more expensive than the current list price of the basic Apple Watch Ultra.

With its larger size, more premium case material, and increased functionality, the price of the Apple Watch Ultra doesn't look so bad.

The Garmin Question: Apple is all about strategy and execution. They're at the top of the pyramid in consumer electronic goods in the entire Western Hemisphere for a reason. But they do have a few blind spots. The Apple Watch Ultra addresses a key one that the existing Apple Watch models were largely unable to compete with – the huge success that Garmin has found with its smartwatch lines such as the Fenix and MARQ, that are geared primarily toward outdoor environments and endurance athletics. Unlike every Apple Watch to date, a majority of Garmin's smartwatches have solar-charging capability, which gives them a key advantage over the relatively short 18-hour lifespan of the Apple Watch Series Eight's battery.

The Apple Watch Ultra, in addition to all its overall rugged bona-fides, takes a step toward changing that narrative. The Ultra offers 36 hours of autonomy between charging in its normal setting, and then there's a new secondary "multi-day adventure battery life" mode that, if triggered, can extend the necessary time between charges by up to 60 hours. Regardless, one impressive detail about the latest generation of Apple products is just how quickly they charge, and the Apple Watch Ultra is no pattern breaker. Starting at zero juice, the Apple Watch Ultra will regain 80 percent of a full charge in about 90 minutes of plug-in time, and it will top out at 100 percent by the end of two and a half hours.

It seems safe to assume that both Apple and Garmin will continue to come with their own positives and negatives. If you're already in the Apple ecosystem via your smartphone or laptop, I think it makes sense to opt for an Apple Watch – unless you're immediately headed to the middle of the desert for a week with zero charging opportunities.

The one big trump card that Apple still holds over the rest of the smartwatch contenders is that it can fully replace your cell phone in short intervals. You can answer an urgent phone call via your watch, and then have everything else completely turned off and buttoned up. 

A Best-In-Class UI: One of the elements that makes Apple so successful is that everything the company does is approached thoughtfully with the end user in mind. It's an approach that you'll also frequently find in the world of fine watchmaking – the smallest details are given the utmost consideration if they change the end-user experience with the product.

It's something you might expect in the world of five and six-figure luxury items, but not so much in the highly disposable and trend-dominated world of consumer electronics. But that's what Apple does so well, and the Apple Watch Ultra is no different. I continually found myself playing around with the Wayfinder watch face – which is exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra – adjusting the array of visible complications (eight in total), tweaking the color interface, and making the display my own. The Apple Watch Ultra has so many random gadgets and capabilities that it almost feels like it's begging you to mess around with it.

It can be a lot, but without even anticipating it, I soon found myself appreciating different aspects of the Apple Watch Ultra in much the same way that I handle, review, and appreciate a high-end mechanical wristwatch that's fresh to market. I always try to understand the intent and purpose behind the object, and with the Apple Watch Ultra, it was immediately clear to me that there had been a huge amount of thoughtful and purposeful development put into it.

Fit And Finish: Similar to the user interface, I've always been impressed with the level of detail and finish on the cases of various Apple Watch models. I've worn the Apple Watch Series Two, Series Five, Series Eight, and now the Apple Watch Ultra for various tests and reviews, and I always walk away impressed, especially compared to many current watch brands with catalogs that lean heavily in the entry-level segment. The Apple Watch generally retains a high degree of quality control no matter what specific model you're holding – whether it's Beyonce's gold-link Apple Watch or the Apple Watch Ultra I wore around. If you're used to being disappointed by poor quality control, Apple's approach is often a breath of fresh air simply for its consistency.

The Apple Watch (in all its variations) stands out as the best finished and most thoughtfully designed smartwatch that's widely available, in my opinion. That doesn't change with the Ultra, especially since it currently represents the top-of-the-food-chain in the Apple Watch hierarchy, replacing previous-generation "Edition" models crafted out of materials including precious metals, ceramic, and even titanium.

Straps! Straps! Straps!: All watch people love to change out their straps, right? It makes sense that the logic would carry over to smartwatches – people want to be able to accessorize, after all. And Apple has been there from day one to support creativity through all sorts of available strap options. So it's no surprise that the Apple Watch Ultra would be released with some potential friends – the Alpine Loop, the Ocean Band, and the Trail Loop, each tied to a specific outdoor activity.

The strap I wore during my test run was the Alpine Loop, engineered for serious hikers and expeditioners. I'm neither of those, but it worked just fine for me. Each of the three straps Apple developed utilizes a different attachment system that's specific for the individual terrain (Alpine = mountains, duh). The Alpine Loop clasp, for instance, is a combination of daisy-chain loops and a semi-circular hook that seems like it would be right at home on a 14er. The Ocean Band is made of silicone and is designed for water sports and underwater activities, while the Trail Loop uses a nylon weave with a hook-and-loop fastening system.

A Surprising Similarity With Rolex: Here's a bold – and likely unnecessary – statement. Apple, with the Apple Watch, could rightfully be considered the "Rolex" of the smartwatch and wearables industry. The comparison rings true for a number of reasons. Rolex and Apple Watch are globally synonymous with their product category (luxury wristwatches and smartwatches). They're two of the highest-profile consumer-facing organizations in each of their home countries (Switzerland and the United States). And they both prefer to grow and evolve through a process of iterative excellence. It's all about gradual improvements that can end up resulting in a big difference as time goes by.

It's Majorly Over-Engineered: The Ultra feels like, in many ways, a proof of a concept rather than a mass-market wearable device. I imagine there are very few people in this world who are active enough to put the Apple Watch Ultra through its paces each and every day, which is a bit at odds with what made Apple Watch so ubiquitous to begin with – it was a tool for daily life.

You'd have to be far more of a diver, triathlete, or explorer than I am to make the most of the Ultra.  

That said, this is another area that the Apple Watch Ultra as a product shares with the traditional high-end watch market. After all, there are a lot more dive watches out in the world than there are certified divers. Lots of mechanical watches are overbuilt, too. And those specs are considered a point of pride. Fair enough. 

It Won't Last Forever: Cyclical updates are a fact of life in the consumer electronics sphere, and that's exactly what the Apple Watch Ultra is – a consumer electronic. It's a term that doesn't necessarily conjure up the romance and emotions of mechanical watchmaking. I won't belabor the point – it's something that's been repeated over and over again – but no matter how much you personally enjoy a smartwatch, it's still unlikely to be something that is passed down generationally. And that's okay! But it still ends up leaving my wrist a little cold.

Information Overload: The Apple Watch Ultras has so many different abilities and complications that I found myself discovering something new almost every time I picked it up. Want to dive into the intricacies of the Hebrew or Chinese lunar calendars? They're easily available on the Apple Watch Ultra through the updated Lunar watch face. Do I need to know the exact elevation of my fifth-floor Queens apartment? Well, no. The Apple Watch Ultra has the answer, though.

Is it nice to have all this data available? A bit, yeah, but it also ends up being a bit overwhelming. As someone who spends the majority of every workday on my laptop, I often look at whatever watch is on my wrist as a way to disconnect from everything else. The Apple Watch Ultra (and other Apple Watch models) defeats that purpose.

I think there are a few different reasons people would opt for the Apple Watch Ultra over the Series Eight or SE models. If you're coming from a traditional watch background, maybe all that's needed is a bit of disposable cash and a desire to experience the novelty that is a "tool watch" from Apple.

If you're already in the Apple product ecosystem, the Ultra remains a no-brainer alternative to a Garmin. And if you're the owner of a previous-gen Apple Watch, the Ultra also stands out as the best-in-class current model – and it's well worth considering the upgrade.

I have had quite a bit of experience with the different generations of Apple Watch, and it's still my go-to smartwatch recommendation for people who ask. Between the new Series Eight and the Apple Watch Ultra, which one would I go with? The answer is pretty easy for me – I'd go big and opt for the Ultra.

The increase in size doesn't bother me, none of the negatives are dealbreakers, and the list of positives is nearly endless. The Apple Watch Ultra's increased durability, assortment of impressive new features that range from amusing to life-saving, and improved battery life make the decision a simple one. The Ultra is simply a beast.