Ive worn a watch every day since I was in 7th grade, almost 30 years ago. Im used to being able to see the time with just a glance whenever there is sufficient light. Apple Watch is somewhat frustrating in this regard. Even when Wrist Raise detection works perfectly, it takes a moment for the watch face to appear. Theres an inherent tiny amount of lag that isnt there with a regular watch.
Some other specific examples. I was in New York last week, and stopped to have coffee with a friend in the afternoon. He had a meeting to get to, and I wanted to catch a 4:00 train home to Philadelphia. I was sitting on a low bench, leaning forward, elbows on my knees. It got to 3:00 or so, and I started glancing at my watch every few minutes. But it was always off, because my wrist was already positioned with the watch face up. The only way I could check the time was to artificially flick my wrist or to use my right hand to tap the screen in either case, a far heavier gesture than the mere glance Id have needed with my regular watch.
Similarly, it turns out I regularly check the time on my watch while working at my desk, typing. I didnt even know I had this habit until this week, when it stopped working for me because I was wearing an Apple Watch. Again, because in this position the watch face is already up, the display remains off. My wrist doesnt move when I want to check the time with my fingers on the keyboard only my head and eyes do. And yes, my Mac shows the time in the menu bar. I cant help that I have this habit, and Apple Watch works against it.
Heres one more scenario. I grind my coffee right before I brew it. I put a few scoops of coffee in my grinder, cap it, and press down with my right hand to engage the grinder. I then look at my left wrist to check that 20 or so seconds have expired. But with Apple Watch, the display keeps turning off every 6 seconds. There are ways around this I could switch to the stopwatch, start it, and then start grinding my coffee. But my habit is not to even think about my watch or the time until after Ive already started grinding the beans, at which point my right hand is already occupied pressing down on the lid to the grinder.