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Thread: Apple Watch.

  1. #1
    Master
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    Apple Watch.

    I may be a bit late to the party here, I am a self confessed Luddite, I know there are mixed feelings here about them, and I’m not sure if it’s my cup of tea...
    But a colleague at work got the latest top of the range Apple Watch this weekend for a birthday and that’s the first time I’ve handled one in person.
    I must say what an utterly magnificent piece of technology. Truly, truly impressive.
    If like me you grew up watching Star Trek, I would say science fiction is well and truly fast becoming reality.


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  2. #2
    Master theoriginaldigger's Avatar
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    Apple Watch.

    I have one, the latest "top of the range" version and I love it. I like the ability to personalise it with straps and watch "faces". I like the fitness tracking and health monitoring aspects. I love the Bluetooth music streaming and podcasts straight to headphones. I hate to admit I love the ability to take a phonecall straight to the watch but realise I look like a complete pudding. I haven't set up Apple Pay yet but I'm sure I will use it.

    All this said it will never replace any of my mechanical watches and I realise it will probably end up in the recycling in three years time.

  3. #3
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    I wonder how do people who have/like smart watches manage wrist time? Do you use one watch in each wrist (I've seen that in the past but I personally think it looks weird), or do you keep your proper watches for special occasions only? I particularly like the heart rate monitor and activity trackers on smart watches but I haven't found any that I really like to wear most of the time. Also having to charge the watch is kind of a PITA if you ask me :/

  4. #4
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    Apple pay is really useful and so is reading a text sneaky during a meeting.
    Very popular with watch sellers who actually have a hobby - like cycling.

  5. #5
    I’ve had one for about 18 months and after an initial burst of enthusiasm I never wear it. It doesn’t do anything my phone doesn’t do, and that’s always with me - that was he first issue. I also find the ‘tip your wrist to switch on the display’ massively annoying, and the constant notifications were really irritating after a bit. Sure, you can switch them off but again, why bother when it’s on your phone?! - I agree the tech is amazing but tbh I find it a bit creepy and irritating!


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  6. #6
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    Leave it for 24hrs and it's dead. Less than mechanicals!

  7. #7
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobDad View Post
    ... after an initial burst of enthusiasm I never wear it. It doesn’t do anything my phone doesn’t do, and that’s always with me ....
    My view also!

  8. #8
    Master theoriginaldigger's Avatar
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    A few things in response; I thought the daily charging would be annoying but actually as I never wear a watch in bed it doubles very nicely on an inexpensive stand as a bedside clock / alarm clock.

    I have always worn inexpensive mechanicals as daily wearers e.g. I currently have an Orient Ray and a Dan Henry 1970 and then worn something nice when going out e.g. Tudor or Rolex. So the Apple Watch has replaced the dailies for now.

    One of the things I like best about the Apple Watch is not having (or rather feeling the need) to take a phone everywhere. This is probably the first time in 20 years I haven't worried about not having a phone with me. The watch has enough functionality to take a call, read an email or take and respond to a text/WhatsApp message or not as I see fit same as with a phone.

    I nearly bought a FitBit instead to wear on the other wrist so as not to stop wearing a proper watch but there really is no comparison between the Apple Watch 4 and anything else I looked at and no I don't wear the Apple Watch on one wrist and a mechanical on the other.

  9. #9
    Grand Master
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    Wouldn’t be seen dead in one, they look horrible. I don’t need the capability they offer, and even if I did I still wouldn’t wear one. I find it hard to believe that folks who like real watches want to own the bloody things.

  10. #10
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    As said earlier, anyone who has another hobby - like cycling or running - would find the Apple Watch useful. I usually take my phone everywhere too but sometimes, say running a half marathon, you don’t want to faff about with it. I still think Garmin is better as an activity tracker but it fails at very basic tasks e.g. when you want a stopwatch. You have to turn notifications off on a modern Garmin too; not a big issue.

  11. #11
    I bought a gen 1 from here sometime ago and was impressed enough to start thinking about upgrading. I do sometimes wear a mechanical on my right wrist and the apple watch on the wrong wrist but on my cycle blasts and tabata/kettlebell sessions, the apple watch is the only wrist adornment, to track performance. I have turned all notifications off and also the automatic turn-on to prolong the battery.

  12. #12
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    Love the tech but can't get on with it being obsolete in three years.

    Also want to wear a mechanical at the same time which looks daft.

    I want a very thin slim health / fitness tracker that also does HR but doesn't look like a watch

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  13. #13
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan1981 View Post
    Love the tech but can't get on with it being obsolete in three years.

    Also want to wear a mechanical at the same time which looks daft.
    You’re worried about it being obsolete in three years yet want to wear a watch that was obsolete fifty years ago!

    I bought one for my wife earlier this year (series 3) and she loves it. She won’t wear any other watch now.

    Personally, I’m not sure; sometimes I think I’d like to try one and other times not. Maybe I’ll try the wife’s once she’s got the 4.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    You’re worried about it being obsolete in three years yet want to wear a watch that was obsolete fifty years ago!

    I bought one for my wife earlier this year (series 3) and she loves it. She won’t wear any other watch now.

    Personally, I’m not sure; sometimes I think I’d like to try one and other times not. Maybe I’ll try the wife’s once she’s got the 4.

    Haha - yeah strange isn't it?!

    But at least a 50 year old mechanical watch can still be worn.

    As I understand it Apple phase out support for the older tech so it literally becomes a paperweight? (I may be exaggerating here)


    Now does anyone know of a wearable fitness tracker that doesn't have a huge screen, & does heartbeat - kinda like the Fitbit Flex 2 - but with the HR feature?!

  15. #15
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    It’s beautifully made and is convenient in some cases mentioned above.

    That being said it still misses some “data” functions to make it proactive rather than reactive.

    A lot of backwards looking functions though excited about the future for this tech.


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  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan1981 View Post
    Haha - yeah strange isn't it?!

    But at least a 50 year old mechanical watch can still be worn.

    As I understand it Apple phase out support for the older tech so it literally becomes a paperweight? (I may be exaggerating here)
    Apple tech rarely becomes obsolete, just un-supported by updates. There are still perfectly usable LCII macs around, and iPhone 1s still work, it won't support 4g, but it never did.

    I think there will be a new Apple watch launched later today for anyone interested.

    From initial release I've always thought by version 6 it'll be a pretty well sorted device, that could be with us next year. My wife wears v3 and thinks it's great. I'm keen to see what the next release is like as I'm planning a Triathalon next year, and the fitness element of the watch appeals.

    I think the days of new mechanical Sports watches are numbered when more people choose smart watches for daily wear and a smart Swiss watch for 'best'.

  17. #17
    Master OliverCD's Avatar
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    Always on display... A big feature that was missing. Until now!

  18. #18
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    Apple Watch.

    Great bit of kit , I wear mine as my work watch
    I’m in manufacturing so don’t like to wear my other watches in work they come out at weekends



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  19. #19
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    I've been tempted by the latest watches announced today, especially the titanium one.

    The big problem for me is that I'd want to wear it all the time, including at night time. It tracks sleep, heart rate etc and there's not much point in monitoring those *some* of the time.

    As for charging, if I charge it at night, how will it monitor my sleep?

    If I wear my "normal" watches at the weekend, I lose the health tracking facilities.

    So the only practical approach is to wear two watches, which I still can't come to terms with. I just about manage to wear a thin fitbit on my other wrist and still feel odd about that.

    So, while I'm hugely tempted by the tech and the device itself, I'm still out.

  20. #20
    Master OliverCD's Avatar
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    ^^^ This post is EXACTLY my thought process over the last four years. A Catch-22!!

    Well described! 🤪

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by MadeOfCheese View Post
    I've been tempted by the latest watches announced today, especially the titanium one.

    The big problem for me is that I'd want to wear it all the time, including at night time. It tracks sleep, heart rate etc and there's not much point in monitoring those *some* of the time.

    As for charging, if I charge it at night, how will it monitor my sleep?

    If I wear my "normal" watches at the weekend, I lose the health tracking facilities.

    So the only practical approach is to wear two watches, which I still can't come to terms with. I just about manage to wear a thin fitbit on my other wrist and still feel odd about that.

    So, while I'm hugely tempted by the tech and the device itself, I'm still out.
    Oooh

    Which thin Fitbit? Does it do HR?

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  22. #22
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    Alta HR. It’s been superseded by the Inspire HR now.

    Pretty thin, as you can see:


    And as you can probably guess form the name, they both do HR (although there are/were non-HR versions of each)

  23. #23
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    Ah thanks.

    That's not too bad actually.

    I'm hoping for an updated flex to be released but that doesn't seem likely.

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  24. #24
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    We’re going off on a bit of a tangent now, but it might be of interest.

    I have a Motiv ring, which reads HR, steps, sleep time (not patterns). It’s a lot less obtrusive than a Fitbit and I’ve been very pleased with it.
    Unfortunately it stopped working recently but, to my delight, their customer services have been great and they’re sending me a brand new one.

    I’d recommend giving it a try.

  25. #25
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    Yeah apologies OP - massively off topic now.

    However an Alta HR popped up finishing on ebay for £30 so i've taken a stab at it.

    Soon to be seen on sales corner :D

  26. #26
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    Apple Watch.

    Quote Originally Posted by walkerwek1958 View Post
    Wouldn’t be seen dead in one, they look horrible. I don’t need the capability they offer, and even if I did I still wouldn’t wear one. I find it hard to believe that folks who like real watches want to own the bloody things.
    In your opinion..... 22.5 million people who bought one last year might disagree with you.

    “I don’t need the capability they offer, and even if I did I still wouldn’t wear one.” What a silly comment.

    I wear one for sport - it has Strava for cycling (no need to carry phone). HR etc for any fitness activity.

    I also like the feature you can set yourself goals to achieve during the day.

    I feel I can like it as well as my mechanicals.

    Live and let live.
    Last edited by watchmad; 15th September 2019 at 09:02.

  27. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by MadeOfCheese View Post
    I've been tempted by the latest watches announced today, especially the titanium one.

    The big problem for me is that I'd want to wear it all the time, including at night time. It tracks sleep, heart rate etc and there's not much point in monitoring those *some* of the time.

    As for charging, if I charge it at night, how will it monitor my sleep?

    If I wear my "normal" watches at the weekend, I lose the health tracking facilities.

    So the only practical approach is to wear two watches, which I still can't come to terms with. I just about manage to wear a thin fitbit on my other wrist and still feel odd about that.

    So, while I'm hugely tempted by the tech and the device itself, I'm still out.
    100% agree!!!

  28. #28
    Master
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    I charge my Apple Watch when I shower and dress etc so call it 30-40 minutes a day seems to keep it running along nicely, sadly it means my other watches are relegated to weekends and special occasions however the convenience in work of not having to get my phone out when i get a notification and the fitness aspects make it worth it to me.
    I bought one out of curiosity not really expecting to like it, within a week I was converted I won’t be upgrading my series 4 this year because the new one offers me very little in comparison. For those on the fence about them I’d say give one a try plenty of used ones will be getting sold now as people upgrade etc so the costs should be reasonable things like Apple pay, notifications, health motivation and sleep tracking are superb, speech to text is very accurate for quick reply to messages I find I use my phone much less these days. As I said the sad thing is I use my real watches much less but I still enjoy them and I’ve found that when I do wear a real watch I enjoy it much more because it’s more of an occasion if that makes sense I imagine a bit like wearing a holiday watch for those that do and then coming home to a special one.

  29. #29
    Master robcuk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fleshpress View Post
    I wonder how do people who have/like smart watches manage wrist time? Do you use one watch in each wrist (I've seen that in the past but I personally think it looks weird), or do you keep your proper watches for special occasions only? I particularly like the heart rate monitor and activity trackers on smart watches but I haven't found any that I really like to wear most of the time. Also having to charge the watch is kind of a PITA if you ask me :/
    ‘I have the small Apple Watch on my right wrist and the ‘watch de jour’ on my left!

  30. #30
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    Apple Watch.

    I’ve got an Apple Watch 3 GPS+

    As others have pointed out it’s useful for when you don’t want to take a phone, for me this is running where it tacks my run on Strava, can act as an emergency services call / beacon and also streams music to my headphones.

    The notifications when paired with iPhone are useful if you’ve got phone in bag / raining on the few occasions I’ve used it for normal stuff.

    That said I am staying with rocking a mechanical watch on left wrist, with a Fitbit Charge 3 HR on right.

  31. #31
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    Good point, there doesn’t seem to be much different about the s5, might pick up a cheap rejected s4 from eBay.

    That said, I did get a s1 second hand a few years ago, wore it solid for a month and haven’t work it since, so I have a feeling how it might go...

  32. #32
    Master
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    For those interested in the Motiv ring, here’s what it looks like:



    That black strip hides a tiny led that lights up when it’s synching. Most of the time it’s black.

    It measures steps, HR, sleep time, calories used. Basic stuff, but for me it’s enough, and the discretion of the ring is worth the trade off in functionality.

  33. #33
    Journeyman
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    Can the ring be used to track activity such as running? If so, consider me tempted!


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  34. #34
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    It will make an attempt to identify the kind of activity you’re doing (running, swimming, rowing, cycling etc) and you can correct it if it gets it wrong.
    No gps or location based stuff, it’s pretty basic.
    It is waterproof though, so swimming’s ok.

    It’s definitely not as accomplished as a Fitbit. The hardware’s less capable, as is the software, but what it does it does pretty well, and it’s certainly enough for my needs.

    Interestingly it’s very impressed when I go on my motorbike - it thinks the vibrations are me running, so I clock up a fair few miles

  35. #35
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    I got the Alta HR though the post.

    It's pretty slim but not that discrete.

    Some of the strap options / leather / magnetic steel one look a bit better.

    Will see how much of a dolt I feel with a watch on at the same time to work.

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  36. #36
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    Pre order the Apple 5 for the misses, to get rid of her Fitbit! She doesn’t really ever wear normal watches anymore, so thought I’d upgrade her

  37. #37
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    I’ve done the same tbh, but my missus isn’t the picky nerd that I am, so she won’t have the eternal internal conflict that afflicts me.

  38. #38
    Master ozzyb123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RobDad View Post
    I’ve had one for about 18 months and after an initial burst of enthusiasm I never wear it. It doesn’t do anything my phone doesn’t do, and that’s always with me - that was he first issue. I also find the ‘tip your wrist to switch on the display’ massively annoying, and the constant notifications were really irritating after a bit. Sure, you can switch them off but again, why bother when it’s on your phone?! - I agree the tech is amazing but tbh I find it a bit creepy and irritating!


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    They've fixed that in the new one, screen now always on...

    Have to say Apple Watch getting very tempting. And it costs less than an Omega service...

  39. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by strell View Post
    Pre order the Apple 5 for the misses, to get rid of her Fitbit! She doesn’t really ever wear normal watches anymore, so thought I’d upgrade her
    You going for a younger model then?

  40. #40
    A 42mm series 3 is now £229 which seems decent value.

  41. #41
    Master ozzyb123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kungfupanda View Post
    A 42mm series 3 is now £229 which seems decent value.
    Have they discontinued the 38mm series 3?

  42. #42
    Sorry no, the 38mm is £199.

  43. #43
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    Amazing that in 2019 we are to be impressed by a watch with an always-on display.

  44. #44
    Master ozzyb123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benji053 View Post
    Amazing that in 2019 we are to be impressed by a watch with an always-on display.
    That was one of the main complaints "watch guys" had about it. Often hear those cheap jibes when nothing else comes to mind "ha ha you have to look at the watch to see the time". No longer will normal people have to endure that level of abuse.

    In short, jog on mate. It's not for you

  45. #45
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benji053 View Post
    Amazing that in 2019 we are to be impressed by a watch with an always-on display.
    How long does your portable device (mobile, tablet or mp3 player) last with the screen on before the battery goes dead?
    The Apple Watch lasts 2 days.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  46. #46
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    I think an apple watch definitely has its place. Day-to-day I’ll probably wear my mechanicals but being big into sports and particularly running, there is a lot of wrist time available for a decent sports watch with maps, GPS, music etc.

    I’m getting fed up with strapping an XS max to my arm and I was considering a Garmin Fenix 6 as I was about to migrate away from apple after their iPhone 11 Pro brought nothing interesting this year.

    I find myself very tempted to stick with apple and get a series 5 cellular watch to run with. Garmin still looks a bit fiddly to load music onto.

    I think I will wait for the google pixel 4 to come out next month. If this isn’t 5G and a pixel watch isn’t announced, I might get the apple watch.
    Last edited by Christian; 15th September 2019 at 18:41.

  47. #47
    I have a S3 Apple watch and it has a defined place in the collection. Holidays, gigs, running, anything where wearing a mechanical is a risk (trips to Camden town on and evening ;) ) on goes the Apple Watch

  48. #48
    Craftsman bigmul's Avatar
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    Slightly OT, but I got a Samsung Gear S3 to play with, and have to say I wear it a lot. As others have said, meetings and notifications are great. I still prefer my Garmin for proper exercise (run and cycle), but it's such a good bit of tech, and the bezel is ace!

    I generally just wear "nice" watches when going out now, it's a smart watch or g-shock the majority of the time.

    Something else I noticed...I work for a big FTSE100 and have to attend meetings with the higher highers. They all have Apple watches, there are no big showy expensive watches round the table any more. If you want to fit in and not look out of place....smart watch. Seriously.

  49. #49
    Master
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    I have a Garmin Fenix 5 which I wear for workouts/as a beater. It is great, I think the Apple Watch is probably better but the battery is the thing that I couldn’t live with. I don’t want another device to charge daily. The Garmin lasts a week or two the way I use it.


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  50. #50
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