Alright, so I got my hands on the Apple Watch Ultra, and one of the first things I wanted to dive into was these exclusive watch faces I’d heard about. You know, the ones that are supposed to be just for this beefier model. So, I figured I’d share my little journey with them.
Getting Started with the Faces
First thing I did, once the watch was all set up and paired, was to go looking for these special faces. I jumped into the Watch app on my iPhone, scrolled down to the Face Gallery. I also tried the direct approach on the watch itself – a long press on the current face, then swiping all the way to the right to the “New” button. I was curious to see what popped up that looked different from my previous Apple Watch experiences.
Finding the Exclusives
Sure enough, a couple of them stood out. The main one that caught my eye was the Wayfinder face. It looked pretty distinct, very much in line with the rugged vibe of the Ultra. Then there was another one, the Modular Ultra, which seemed like a souped-up version of the regular modular faces, designed to take advantage of the bigger screen real estate.
Trying out the Wayfinder
I decided to start with the Wayfinder. I tapped to add it. The first thing I played around with was the style. You can change the color of the outer bezel markings. I cycled through a few, landed on a nice bright orange for a while, then switched to a more subdued gray. It’s got this built-in compass which is pretty neat, and you can tap it to get more details.
Then came the complications. This face can hold a good number of them. I spent a fair bit of time thinking about what I wanted to see at a glance. Here’s what I tried setting up:
- Activity Rings – a must-have for me.
- Date – pretty standard.
- Weather – always useful.
- Battery – good to keep an eye on, though the Ultra’s battery is a beast.
- I also played with putting the new depth gauge complication there, even though I haven’t been diving. It just looked cool.
The coolest part of the Wayfinder, for me, was discovering the night mode. You just rotate the Digital Crown, and the whole face turns red! Super easy on the eyes in the dark. I found myself using this quite a bit when waking up at night or in low-light situations.
Exploring the Modular Ultra
Next, I moved on to the Modular Ultra. Wow, this one is all about information density. If you like seeing a ton of data at once, this is your face. It’s got space for a lot of complications, more than the standard modular faces.
My process here was similar: add the face, then start customizing. I tried to make this my “everything I need to know” face. I experimented with:
- A large middle complication, usually for my calendar or detailed weather.
- Multiple smaller complications around it for things like reminders, timers, stock prices, and even a world clock.
- The outer edge can also show data, like elevation or depth if you have those complications active.
It took some tweaking to get it just right, to find a balance where it showed a lot of info without feeling too cluttered. The larger screen definitely helps make this face work better than similar concepts on smaller watches.
Living with Them
So, after fiddling around and setting them up, I’ve been using these faces for a while now. I tend to use the Wayfinder most of the time. It just feels like it belongs on the Ultra. It’s functional, looks good, and that night mode is a genuinely useful feature for me. It has become my go-to daily driver.
The Modular Ultra is powerful, no doubt. I switch to it when I know I have a super busy day and want to see my schedule, tasks, and communications all laid out. It’s like a mini dashboard on my wrist. It’s not my everyday choice, but I appreciate having it as an option for those specific needs.
Final Thoughts on the Experience
Overall, exploring and customizing these Ultra-exclusive faces was a pretty straightforward and satisfying process. They definitely add a bit of unique flavor to the Apple Watch Ultra. The Wayfinder, in particular, really complements the hardware design and intended use cases. It wasn’t some complex hack or anything, just me spending time in the settings, trying different combinations until I found what worked best for how I use my watch. They’re a nice touch and make good use of what the Ultra offers.
