New Watch with iPhone on older iOS?

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

My Watch S6 is nearing the dreaded 80% battery life threshold and I’m considering getting a new one (S11 or SE3) or having the current one replaced.
This will, of course, come with whatever the latest WatchOS version is.

My iPhone is still on iOS 17.x because I have felt no need or desire to update in a good long while.

My question is, would the new WatchOS require an update to a newer iOS or can I continue using 17.x?

 

[hg.wells]

You would need to upgrade. This is from the Apple Watch page:

• Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch Series 11, and Apple Watch SE 3 require iPhone 11 or later with iOS 26 or later.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Thank you. That’s unfortunate. Now I’ll have to decide whether I’d rather update iOS or go back to a non-smart watch, I guess :[