For a while I’ve been pondering what I’ll do when my Apple Watch watch finally dies. My Apple Watch Series 4 was a Fathers’ Day present in 2019 so it’s nearing 7 years old and longer than I’d have expected it to last at the outset. The battery health is 81%, just above the minimum recommended before replacement though a quick hunt for pricing failed to find anyone who supported a watch this old. The cheapest new equivalent is an Apple Watch SE 3 at AUD
Despite the whizzbang features, most of what I use my Apple Watch for is simply knowing the time. It’s nice to get message notifications at a glance and less intrusively than on my phone, and it does track my heart rate and exercise duration; useful as I upped my exercise over the past 2 years. When I listen to audio, I control it primarily via tapping my headphones or the phone. I continually reach for the volume controls in my pocket before I try the dial on the watch. Part of this is familiarity and habit. I’ve not used the phone controls enough for them to be second nature. I almost always have my phone with me. I’m not always wearing the watch.
My Apple Watch currently has a photo from our recent Uluru trip. For most of it’s life, I’ve displayed an analogue dial.
Wearing the Seiko isn’t always as comfortable, but it does feel better. I’m more confident when I have it on my left wrist and that even though it’s not an expensive watch by any means — about the same cost as a replacement Apple Watch would be.
I’m willing to give up the heart rate monitoring if needed. Something like a Fitbit for exercise might be a better choice anyway.
Watching A Rookies Guide to Watches didn’t help with Apple’s case (ha!). The video gave me an entertaining history of watchmaking along with the proper terms. That helped my understand what I like and don’t. I think it’s time to start researching a nice new analogue watch from a position of having used both for many years.