My First Apple Watch and I am conflicted…

[fgengineer]

Am I the only that doesn’t like the look of the old watch?

I like the AW for its fitness tracking. I have had for 4 years and I have accumulated quite a lot of fitness data because of it.

Another feature I like is the alarm. I prefer it to alarms on the phone or an actual alarm clock.

I like Apple Pay on it as well.

 

[JBinPDX]

I think it's wonderful that there are lots of choices — something for everyone.

I always wore a mechanical watch back when I was still working. I had quite a few — none that were really expensive, but some that were interesting. When I retired, I put my watches in a drawer, and there they've stayed. I didn't usually need to know the time except generally... it's lunch time... I'm sleepy, time for bed...

A few of my friends and relatives who have Apple Watches kept at me to give one a try. Finally I gave in. And I love the stupid thing! I still don't really use it to tell the time. But I have the weather, sun rise/set info, activity tracking, etc. — all without using my phone. And I really love that I can change the face colors and I'm getting to have quite a band collection.

I don't kid myself that the Apple Watch is a collectable item like a finely made mechanical watch. It's a piece of tech. As such, it's only going to depreciate and will have a finite shelf life. It's not an investment, anymore than an iPhone or a MacBook is. It's a fun tool, and I like some of the things I can do with it. When I no longer like the things I can do with it, then I'll get rid of it. Chances that I'll go back to a mechanical watch, though, are slim. I liked having bare wrists.

 

[Elviss116]

the Apple Watch can save your life, your old watch can't

 

[glenthompson]

The Apple Watch would be terrific, if it were solar powered or if you only had to swap out the battery every couple of years. Having to charge it every day is just too much of a drag.

No more so than having to charge my iPhone and iPad daily. I have a charging setup on my nightstand that handles all 3 easily and quickly.

 

[Tozovac]

But right now it seems to me I am desperately trying to find uses for it to justify having it.

You just answered your question. If you don’t have a want/use in mind ahead of buying something, there’s always the chance you won’t find a want/use for it afterwards.

You sound like how I feel about an Apple Watch. There’s nothing an Apple Watch will do for me that my phone doesn’t already do. An iPad and MacBook are infinitely unique to an iPhone by virtue of size and capabilities.

If this were 20 years ago and I was still avidly mountain bike training, where i needed to monitor and later study my heart rate performance, man, I’d be all over an Apple Watch. But I can’t think of anything it would do for me that my iPhone doesn’t already do.

That sounds like you, simple as that!

For me, being given an Apple Watch would be like being given a super deluxe sewing machine. Just something I don’t need or even want right now.

the Apple Watch can save your life, your old watch can't

The above points out a great, unique feature that perhaps many of us feel we don’t need at the moment.

AW fans: What are other completely-unique features of the Apple Watch that stand out for you as can’t-live-without or why-I-boughts?

 

[glenthompson]

AW fans: What are other completely-unique features of the Apple Watch that stand out for you as can’t-live-without or why-I-boughts?

I have a problem with contact dermatitis with a lot of metal watches that the plastic back of the AW doesn't cause. Easily changeable bands - my wife likes to change hers often. If I want a dressier look I can quickly change to my metal link band. Information visible at a glance like outside temperature. If I need to take the dogs out I can easily tell whether I need a coat or not. Contactless payments during a pandemic - priceless.

 

[Devin Breeding]

I think an Apple Watch and a beautiful mechanical watch are completely different devices. An Apple Watch is a tool, it's a device to help a person learn more about their body by establishing baselines, and allows easy communication with other people - and telling time is not the main purpose. A beautiful mechanical watch is a fashion piece, it's used to tell time.

It's like comparing a car to a fancy desk. Two completely different things, with two different purposes. My advice, return the watch if it doesn't give you value and you're still within the return period.

Honestly both are tools, however a good watch does one thing really well and can look good doing it. An Apple Watch is an advanced multi tool that also happens to tell time well. Like comparing a modern cell phone to an antique wall mounted phone.

 

[Tozovac]

I have a problem with contact dermatitis with a lot of metal watches that the plastic back of the AW doesn't cause. Easily changeable bands - my wife likes to change hers often. If I want a dressier look I can quickly change to my metal link band. Information visible at a glance like outside temperature. If I need to take the dogs out I can easily tell whether I need a coat or not. Contactless payments during a pandemic - priceless.

Thanks, and it's great to hear that the AW is a great fit for you! But as far as checking temperature and performing contactless payments, those aren't unique to the AW since the iPhone can allow those, unless you're counting the ability to avoid picking up your iPhone when out & about? If so then yes, I understand and thanks for that example.

 

[Devin Breeding]

Thanks, and it's great to hear that the AW is a great fit for you! But as far as checking temperature and performing contactless payments, those aren't unique to the AW since the iPhone can allow those, unless you're counting the ability to avoid picking up your iPhone when out & about? If so then yes, I understand and thanks for that example.

I’ll speak to it that yes, that is exactly the appeal. Not needing to take anything out to make payments. Apple pay on the watch is fantastic. Not only is it quicker but there is no risk to dropping your device during payment.

 

[Night Spring]

But as far as checking temperature and performing contactless payments, those aren't unique to the AW since the iPhone can allow those, unless you're counting the ability to avoid picking up your iPhone when out & about? If so then yes, I understand and thanks for that example.

You are right the watch doesn't do anything you can't do on your phone (well, activity tracking is something only the watch can do, but other than that), but not having to look for your phone is the point. One feature I find especially useful is the timer. When doing laundry or cooking, it's unlikely I have my phone with me, but the watch is always on my wrist, making it super easy and simple to start a timer.

 

[the future]

I have a problem with contact dermatitis with a lot of metal watches that the plastic back of the AW doesn't cause.

The back of the Watch is not plastic, it‘s ceramic.

You are right the watch doesn't do anything you can't do on your phone (well, activity tracking is something only the watch can do, but other than that)

The Watch can do many things the phone cannot. All functions related to the health sensors. An ECG. Fall detection and automatic calling of an ambulance in case of emergency. Apple Pay with a mask on. Sleep tracking. Wake you silently in the morning with gentle taps on the wrist. The list goes on …

 

[mkelly]

This is going to sound weird, but I miss it.

The Apple Watch is just I don't know… soulless.

Well I'm sure that you already know this, but neither one of your watches has a soul. No matter the wonderful ticking sounds it makes or the worn watch band or the scratches on its glass ... your old watch is just as dead an object as your shiny new Apple Watch.

What is alive and has a soul (depending on your belief system) is you. And you're different than me, and everyone else here. So if the look, feel or sound of your old watch triggers just the right neurons to make you feel happy, and your Apple Watch doesn't, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Wear the old watch. Return the Apple Watch, or if you want keep it for tracking walks and workouts.

 

[Night Spring]

The Watch can do many things the phone cannot. All functions related to the health sensors.

Yes, health functions! I just couldn't think of a short way to call them, and didn't want to clutter up my post by listing them all. Thank you for listing them.

 

[glenthompson]

You are right the watch doesn't do anything you can't do on your phone (well, activity tracking is something only the watch can do, but other than that), but not having to look for your phone is the point. One feature I find especially useful is the timer. When doing laundry or cooking, it's unlikely I have my phone with me, but the watch is always on my wrist, making it super easy and simple to start a timer.

Thanks, I forgot to mention the timer. I use it all the time, it's one of the complications on my face.

 

[canyonblue737]

tl;dr
I miss my old mechanical watch and the Apple Watch just doesn't thrill me as much as all the hype would lead me to believe.


For the record, I am 58 years old, so it might be an age thing.

After years of avoiding getting an Apple Watch — there have been some close calls where temptation was huge — I finally bought myself an Apple Watch SE.
Bog standard, 40mm, silver aluminium and blue band.

My daily watch for the past… 20 years have been my 1914 Trench watch, solid silver case.
It gains or loses a minute or so depending on the weather.
I have it serviced every couple years and it keeps on ticking.

It has a lovely comforting ticking sound, a mechanical heartbeat. It has character and history… 108 years old.

Even now as I sit here typing this with the new Apple gizmo on my wrist I can faintly hear the watch ticking away as it sits on my desk.

This is going to sound weird, but I miss it.

The Apple Watch is just I don't know… soulless.

Yes, I've used it to buy stuff… milk, wine, headache tablets.
Yes, I've closed my exercise and standing and what not rings…
Yes, it alerts me to messages — and I had fun (of a kind) trying to scribble a reply. What larks!
Yes, I know what my heartrate is…

Don't get me wrong, it is a lovely bit of kit. Apple do gorgeous things. But it does nothing for me more than my iPhone already does.

Anyway… I don't know. I am just left a bit empty.

My 1914 mechanical does one thing. It tells me the time… and I am very fond of it.

Anyway! Who knows maybe today it will all click in place and I will find that magical "How did I get along without my Apple Watch!"

But right now it seems to me I am desperately trying to find uses for it to justify having it.

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You aren't wrong. Nor are the people who love the Apple Watch. We are all individuals and nothing is for everyone. If Apple Watch isn't for you, do what you love... life is short!

 

[Foilguy]

Very interesting thread. I’m 63 and always found traditional “time only” watches a bit useless for the one key function they provided. But I’m sure that is contrary to most people. Then I got a Garmin Instinct about a year ago as my first watch of any kind in the last 25 years. I absolutely loved the fitness tracking and health monitoring. Tracked about 800 miles of road biking 100 miles of swimming (l like to swim!) and at least 150 miles worth of wing foiling (there’s one you hear every day).

Just got a 13 Pro Max and thought I would try out my first AW (SE 44mm LTE) at the same time to go with it. So far so good. Miss the Garmin battery life and I miss Garmin Connect but my AW has its obvious benefits.

I was never much for nostalgia. Heck I listen music from people who are my kids age, and my favorite sport (see avatar) didn’t even exist 4 years ago!

 

[Tozovac]

Very interesting thread. I’m 63 and always found traditional “time only” watches a bit useless for the one key function they provided. But I’m sure that is contrary to most people. Then I got a Garmin Instinct about a year ago as my first watch of any kind in the last 25 years. I absolutely loved the fitness tracking and health monitoring. Tracked about 800 miles of road biking 100 miles of swimming (l like to swim!) and at least 150 miles worth of wing foiling (there’s one you hear every day).

Just got a 13 Pro Max and thought I would try out my first AW (SE 44mm LTE) at the same time to go with it. So far so good. Miss the Garmin battery life and I miss Garmin Connect but my AW has its obvious benefits.

I was never much for nostalgia. Heck I listen music from people who are my kids age, and my favorite sport (see avatar) didn’t even exist 4 years ago!

I think this thread is driving home the point loud and clear that: while the iPhone has near-universal appeal to the majority, the AW clearly has less universal appeal to the majority but very high appeal to those having a certain a hobby or life-need that is benefitted by a function provided by the AW.

Most who first get an iPhone can quickly see how it benefits them, while the AW's universal appeal is less instantly-wide-reaching for many. It's not surprising that the AW is a solution in search of a need for many, while for others, the AW is a beloved solution for their needs.

I personally have no desire for an AW since my iPhone does everything I need, and I no longer train as much as I used to. But I wear my $150 Garmin golf watch year-round because, for daily use: I like a watch for instant time checks, I like the pedometer that's always running, and I like the weeks-long battery life. And I love its specific golf functionality that no AW app can match (yet).

 

[Night Spring]

I like the pedometer that's always running,

The Apple Watch does constantly measure your step count, which you can see in the Activity and Health apps on the iPhone. It's annoying that Apple doesn't provide a quick way to see this on the watch, but there are third-party apps that do this.

 

[JPS127]

I agree. Your particular Apple Watch, when paired next to your mechanical, looks “soulless.“

Maybe an titanium or stainless steel watch with an always-on display showing the California watch face and paired with a leather band would have been a better fit for your aesthetic?

Exactly what I did with my first (and so far only) Apple Watch. I paired the blue California face with a Nomad tan leather band, and it looks great.

 

[CooperBox]

Well I'm sure that you already know this, but neither one of your watches has a soul. No matter the wonderful ticking sounds it makes or the worn watch band or the scratches on its glass ... your old watch is just as dead an object as your shiny new Apple Watch.

What is alive and has a soul (depending on your belief system) is you. And you're different than me, and everyone else here. So if the look, feel or sound of your old watch triggers just the right neurons to make you feel happy, and your Apple Watch doesn't, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Wear the old watch. Return the Apple Watch, or if you want keep it for tracking walks and workouts.

 

[CooperBox]

Well I'm sure that you already know this, but neither one of your watches has a soul. No matter the wonderful ticking sounds it makes or the worn watch band or the scratches on its glass ... your old watch is just as dead an object as your shiny new Apple Watch.

What is alive and has a soul (depending on your belief system) is you. And you're different than me, and everyone else here. So if the look, feel or sound of your old watch triggers just the right neurons to make you feel happy, and your Apple Watch doesn't, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Wear the old watch. Return the Apple Watch, or if you want keep it for tracking walks and workouts.

"Neither one of your watches has a soul.... your old watch is just as dead an object as your shiny new Apple Watch."
Wow, talk about a sweeping statement!
A more spiritual person would counter your statement by saying that an inanimate object has an aura which can be defined by a distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround or be generated by a person, a place or an object. Many may argue that inanimate objects do not generate auras, but they can be charged in a variety of ways. There's no doubt that objects naturally get charged when they're handled, and different materials are variable in the way they receive, hold and communicate a charge. For example, one official defintion of soul: the spiritual principal embodied in human beings, all rational & spiritual beings, or the universe. Reflect for a second on that last word.
Several times I've visited a place, and felt an uneasyness for no logical reason that I or the partner with me could explain. Was it because it was souless or due to the souls of those no longer present? I have no answer to that.
One poster raised an interesting point about a digital piano. I have an excellent example and also an acoustic piano, the latter has strings that vibrate and is a 'living' object. Try telling a professional pianist that his acoustic piano has no soul, and you will be ridiculed.
I appreciate that many people may not be receptive to the feeling generated by some inanimate objects. But however you wish to define 'soul', I reckon that an AW or old watch (or whatever) is not devoid of that je ne sais quoi.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Objects don't come with a soul. Anything you perceive as "soul" is your perception. You use something for an extended period, form an attachment to it, and gradually it gains a soul. Kind of like Pinocchio becoming a boy - it didn't happen overnight, it was a process.

Any one smart watch you own is unlikely to gain a soul - its technological lifespan is too short. I'm on my second Apple Watch, probably ready for my third in another year. I haven't formed an attachment to either as objects, but I've most definitely formed an attachment to Apple Watch for the many varied things it does and has done for me. Its found a place in my life as a useful tool.

Rather than compare Watch to that highly durable piece of jewelry you love, perhaps you can think of it as an article of clothing. If you're like most people you have settled into a personal style, such as blue jeans and mock turtlenecks (like Steve Jobs). The individual items will wear out over time and when that happens you buy a similar as a replacement.

 

[jamface]

it's not an age thing, I am older than you and have enjoyed AWs since 2015 ...
try out different watch faces, look at different bands if aesthetics is important for you.
if the features the AW offers are not sufficient for you, well, return it, you have 14 days if you bought from Apple.
And, AW is not for everyone, nothing wrong with that ...

It may still be an age thing. Perhaps you’re an edge case.

Here’s some more data: I’m younger than OP and not overwhelmingly enamoured with my Apple Watch, certainly not for the price compared to my MacBook Air.

 

[Farrellcollie]

I am always surprised over watch wearing itself as a discussion. I have worn one every day since grade school. I feel naked without a watch. The apple watch works for me, as do my regular watches. I do not use my iphone for the things I use my watch for and vice versa. I really hate pulling my phone out if I am walking or biking or whatever to know the time.

 

[alphasports]

I have a fairly big collection of hi-end mechanical watches, having worked in the bizz for a long time. I've had a few AW's but never kept them long, but just picked up a 7 last week and am wearing it today for laughs. As I've said about every AW it's an amazing bit of kit, really really nice execution, but I still struggle to actually like it: I hate notifications unless I'm travelling or something, so those are all Off; I do use Workoutdoors which is a fantastic fitness app but then I have to jump thru circles to get it to sync with my Garmin Connect account (when my Fenix just works!). So why do I keep mine? Dunno, as a watch fanatic I think it's a fantastic example of modern technology, but as a pure watch it frankly leaves me cold.