As watch enthusiasts, we often consider smartwatches to be less than “real” watches. But regardless of our personal thoughts on smartwatches and connected devices, in general, it’s impossible to discuss modern watches in 2022 without including the Apple Watch. Whether you consider it the ultimate watch or an anti-watch, there’s no denying that the Apple Watch is one of the most important watches to have come out in the last decade, and it has become an integral part of the industry.
For watch enthusiasts, the Apple Watch will never completely replace the role that mechanical watches play in our lives. But that doesn’t mean that true watch geeks can’t also wear smartwatches. Some people take the “double wrist” approach, which is to wear their favorite mechanical watch on one wrist and the Apple Watch on the other. This allows them to indulge their passion for watches without sacrificing notifications or health tracking features. On the other hand, some people, like me, choose connected devices as sports watches while wearing traditional wristwatches most of the time. This is because they can do a myriad of things that mechanical watches can’t do, such as measuring fitness metrics and tracking running and cycling with GPS capabilities. For people like me, smartwatches are not watches that you wear all day, every day, but sports equipment like a diver’s mask and running shoes. Moreover, it’s clear that I’m not the only one who recognizes the benefits of connected devices as sports watches. Alongside the new Apple Watch Series 8 and SE models, the all-new Apple Watch Ultra has arrived. It is specifically designed for active outdoor use, offering additional features and increased durability, making it a versatile sports watch that can also be used for scuba diving.
The new Apple Watch Ultra comes with all of the same advanced technology found in the new generation Series 8 watches, including improved health tracking and car crash detection. However, rather than being a “Pro” model that is simply an advanced version of the standard option (like the iPhone Pro), the Apple Watch Ultra also focuses on durability and adventure-ready features. The 49mm case of the Apple Watch Ultra is made of titanium, which differs from previous Apple Watch case designs to offer a more practical profile. In addition to featuring an extra user-assignable button (called the “action button”) at the 9 o’clock side of the case, the digital crown is larger with more prominent grooves, making it easier to operate even while wearing gloves. Additionally, the case extends to the 3 o’clock side surrounding the crown to provide impact protection, while a flat sapphire crystal is placed on the top of the case to protect the screen from scratches.
The Apple Watch Ultra case is officially listed as 49mm, but because Apple measures the watch vertically instead of horizontally, and because there are almost no lugs protruding from the case, the Apple Watch Ultra is much more compact than the 49mm case size on paper. As you can see from the photo of the watch on my 6.75-inch wrist, the Apple Watch Ultra is definitely a large watch, but it doesn’t look like the 49mm behemoth that the official specs suggest. Additionally, the fact that it’s made from lightweight titanium helps make it even more comfortable and manageable on the wrist, while still providing a large, highly viewable display.
With that in mind, the larger case size of the Apple Watch Ultra is not just for a bigger screen for better visibility. In addition to the addition of speakers and microphones for outdoor use, the Apple Watch Ultra case is twice as water resistant as the previous version, able to withstand depths of up to 100 meters. Additionally, this model is EN13319 compliant (an international standard for recreational diving computers and depth gauges) and includes a depth gauge with a set of built-in features to function as a full-fledged diving computer. Beyond its underwater capabilities, Apple Watch Ultra also features a customizable heads-up display and a new “Wayfinder” watch face with up to eight complications to track your outdoor activities, an advanced dynamic compass app, and a “Backtrack” feature that uses the watch’s built-in GPS to help you get back to a trailhead, campsite, or other location if you get way off course or lost in the wilderness.
In addition to calculating decompression stops during a dive and helping lost hikers find their way home, Apple Watch Ultra is packed with outdoor features, including an ultra-bright always-on Retina display (2000 nits) for better visibility in direct sunlight, and a “Night mode” setting that removes white and blue light from the screen for a red and black display that provides maximum visibility in the dark. Additionally, because Apple Watch Ultra is designed specifically for outdoor activities, it has a significantly longer battery life, with Apple saying it can run for up to 36 hours on a single charge, and up to 60 hours with a low-power battery optimization feature that will be released as an update later this fall.
Because Apple Watch Ultra is designed to be a multi-purpose outdoor adventure watch, the new model comes with three strap options, each designed for a different type of sport or outdoor activity. The Alpine Loop is a one-piece nylon strap with a hook-style clasp, made for hiking and general outdoor activities. The Ocean Band is a two-piece rubber strap with a highly flexible horizontal tube construction, made for swimming, diving and water sports. Finally, the Trail Loop is a lightweight, flexible Velcro-style strap made for running and endurance activities. As with all Apple Watch straps and bands, the three options are easily interchangeable without tools, so you can customize your Apple Watch Ultra for the specific activity or environment you plan to conquer that day.
After having the opportunity to try all three strap options, it was hard to decide which one I liked best. The Trail Loop band’s flexible construction and infinitely adjustable design make it the lightest and most comfortable of the three, while the Alpine Loop’s slightly firmer and stiffer construction better supports the watch’s larger case on my medium-sized wrist. At the same time, there’s something appealing about a sports watch with a rubber strap that dries quickly and is easy to wash off if it gets dirty, and the Ocean Band is the only non-fabric option currently available. Realistically speaking, all three strap options have different characteristics, and it’s easy to imagine someone owning each one and swapping them out for different activities.
Traditionally, Apple has offered its watches as either GPS-only models or models with optional cellular connectivity. However, the new top-of-the-line edition, the Apple Watch Ultra, is only available with cellular, so you can make calls and send texts directly from your wrist without having to carry your phone. Additionally, this means you can use maps, music streaming, Siri, and even Apple Pay, as well as download additional third-party apps from the App Store directly to your watch. Similarly, while the standard Apple Watch Series 8 comes in 41mm or 45mm sizes, aluminum or stainless steel cases, and a variety of colors, including midnight, starlight, gold, graphite, silver, space black, and (PRODUCT)RED, the Apple Watch Ultra is only available in a 49mm model with a titanium case with bright orange accents. While other colors and sizes may join the lineup in the future, the matte titanium case with contrasting “International Orange” highlights offers a fairly practical aesthetic overall and fits the purpose of Apple’s most rugged watch perfectly.
The connected device’s wide range of features make it an ideal sports watch. The Apple Watch has always been popular as a fitness tracker and everyday sports watch, but when it comes to the category of rugged watches built for the outdoors, it has often fallen behind more durable and purpose-built products from brands like Suunto and Garmin. Until now, the Apple Watch couldn’t accompany you on a scuba dive or last through an overnight camping trip without a charge. That’s changed with the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra, which combines the brand’s versatile and highly intuitive interface with a highly durable case and a built-in suite of advanced sports watch features. With an official retail price of $799 (at launch), the Apple Watch Ultra is twice the base price of the new Series 8 model, but it’s still within the realm of what would be classified as “affordable” across the watch enthusiast community. Some will buy the Apple Watch Ultra specifically for its adventure-ready features or to be able to use it as a dive computer, but we think there will be plenty of people who simply love the larger size, rugged construction, and more advanced specs of the new model. This is similar to how many people wear dive watches even though they have no intention of scuba diving. For more information, check out the brand’s website.
