Apple Watch Series 3 review, 1 year later: I take back every bad thing I ever said about the Apple Watch

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Insider

• Ever since the Apple
  Watch was introduced, I’ve criticized Apple’s wearable
  device.
• My habit was to contrast the Apple Watch
  with “real” watches.
• But after buying and wearing an Apple Watch Series 3 for
  months, I’ve completely changed my mind.

I’ve been a relatively steadfast critic of the Apple Watch. Ever
since the Cupertino giant introduced its first wearable gadget,
my reaction had generally been a reliable “Why?” You can consider
my skepticism
here. Or
here. Or
here.

Admittedly, I didn’t entirely dislike the idea of the Apple Watch
as a timepiece — I actually pledged to buy a first-generation
version, in stainless with a steel bracelet, once the prices
dropped. And in the grand scheme of things, I was more excited
about the Apple Watch, pre-launch, than any other device in the
company’s history.

When the Watch landed, however, I wasn’t thrilled, and I mounted
something of an Apple Watch resistance. 

But then I experienced a moment of what one might call weakness.
My iPhone conked out on me right before I had to head off to
Detroit and California in succession to attend the Detroit Auto
Show and undertake some Tesla coverage, respectively. The phone
was under warranty, so I went to my friendly neighborhood Verizon
store and obtained a new one — and gave into the salesperson’s
convincing pitch to add an Apple Watch Series 3 to my plan.

“What the heck?” I figured. I like watches, and the serious watch
world has been passing judgment on the Apple Watch since day one.
The LTE version of the Apple Watch Series 3 also benefits from
true wireless capability, meaning that you can leave your iPhone
at home.

I was curious, but I also felt that the Verizon salesperson was,
well, an excellent salesperson. Plus, I’ve been with Verizon for
almost two decades. Sometimes, if you’re that deep in a
relationship, you go with the flow.

My Apple Watch Series
3.
Matthew
DeBord/BI

Nine months with the Apple Watch Series 3

I’ve owned the Apple Watch Series 3 for roughly nine months at
this point, and although I haven’t really even scratched the
surface of its many capabilities (I just discovered nightstand
mode, which lets you use your watch like a bedside clock, a few
weeks ago), I’m ready to admit that everything I formerly thought
about the device was wrong.

For starters, the watch has three key factors in its favor.

First, it’s an excellent and versatile watch, a worthy addition
to any collection. Second, it’s quite robust. Third, it’s among
the most comfortable watches I’ve ever worn, and I’m very big on
watches being comfortable to wear (in my previous criticism of
the watch, I’ve said it wasn’t comfy to wear, but I hadn’t worn
it for very long, and as a result I was very much mistaken).

I have the 42 millimeter version in Space Gray, distinguished as
an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE by its red crown. I prefer the
watch in Space Gray versus stainless steel, because it makes the
piece wear a bit more discreetly, and gives it a high-tech,
sporty-yet-serious vibe that transfers nicely from workouts to
wearing with professional clothing.

I don’t like to have a lot of watches in rotation, and my modest
collection supports that. At the moment, I have three automatics
and two quartz pieces, with one of the quartz watches mainly
serving weekend duty.

For the first few months, I didn’t really get the Apple Watch and
wore it infrequently. But then I figured I should submit it to a
proper test, so I basically forced myself to wear it almost every
day. 

The rest of my collection immediately suffered, and it got worse
when I bought a second strap. The Apple Watch comes with
a fluoroelastomer band — a type of synthetic rubber —
and it’s extremely well-executed, sturdy, and comfy. I got sort
of bored with it, however, and started looking for a number two.
After sifting through the wide, wide world of aftermarket bands
and straps, I decided to stick with the mothership and bought a
Midnight Blue leather loop.

The Leather Loop
band.
Matthew
DeBord/BI

At $149, this is a pricey strap. It’s also one of the
nicest leather straps I’ve ever enjoyed; it put the Apple Watch
right over the top for me.

For the record, changing straps on the Apple Watch is
bliss. With most watches, you need to use a special tool to swap
straps (or do your best with a pocketknife), which can be a
fiddly operation. On top of that, I don’t really like to switch
straps, unlike many watch lovers. 

But on the Apple Watch, two small buttons on the underside
of the watch enable you to swap straps in seconds. The leather
loop is also rather innovative in its design: thin, high-grade
leather is combined with an embedded magnetic-closure system to
deliver an impressively precise fit. The upshot is a really
good-looking package.

The ‘one watch’ scenario

So good-looking, in fact, that the Apple Watch can induce a
sort of crisis.

Once I started wearing it regularly, it created the
infamous “one watch” scenario. Some watch aficionados, despite
having amassed big collections, often wonder whether they could
simply wear one watch and call it a day. Others argue that you
need two, a sport watch/everyday wearer, and a dress
watch. 

I know a few one-watch people, and they tend to have chosen
well: Rolex Submariners or GMT Masters, Panerai Luminors, Cartier
Tanks. Other folks haven’t spent as much coin but have still
happily donned TAG Heuers on a daily basis. These are lifetime
pieces and they can go anywhere, but essentially, they do one
thing and do it well: tell time.

The Apple Watch obviously goes miles and miles beyond
simply telling time. It also does this while offering fantastic
build quality — my $399 Space Gray model has an aluminum case,
ceramic back, and something called Ion-X glass on the face
—  and a substantial wrist presence.

It can hang aesthetically with high-end luxury watches that
clock in at upwards of $10,000, and although the materials and
the made-in-China horology won’t impress watch snobs, the Apple
Watch is a truly significant piece of California industrial
design that makes a strong case for itself as “the Rolex of
smartwatches.”

The Apple Watch Series 3
wears a bit large, but it’s very comfortable.
Matthew DeBord/BI

A technological learning curve

There is a learning curve, and I’m still on it.
But I have gotten pretty skilled at changing the watch’s
faces (Mickey Mouse in black-and-white, the chronograph, and the
Utility, Explorer, and Kaleidoscope faces get the most use),
giving me the option of thinking about the Apple Watch as half a
dozen or more distinct timepieces.

Personally, I’d like to have a roman-numeral face that
makes use of the the watch’s squareness for a sort of Cartier
Santos vibe, but I’ll leave that one to Apple’s designers to
think about  (if you’re willing to pay a premium for the
Hermès edition of the watch, you can get an exclusive
roman-numeral face).

The fitness tracker is superb. I switched to a standing
desk at my home office, and I delight in the fact that I hit my
Apple-watch measured standing goal every day. Exercise and
movement are also tracked, using a complete-the-wheel,
close-the-circle, highly motivating, multicolored design. If you
hit your mark during the day, the Apple Watch will alert
you.

My Seiko
Diver.
Matthew
DeBord/BI

I haven’t tried swimming yet with the watch, but in this
third configuration, it’s supposed to be able to handle that
tricky activity using a nifty water ejection
feature. 
My go-to pool watch is my Seiko Diver
SKX009, a dedicated dive watch that’s designed to function
underwater and live to tell the tale. Apple’s assurances aside,
the notion of an electric gadget without gaskets and a screw-down
crown being subjected to the natural enemy of Apple devices
strikes me as risky. I also wouldn’t take it into salt
water, and I’d avoid the steam and heat of a shower. If I
give the Series 3 a test, I should probably do it while it’s
under warranty.

Beyond faces and fitness, I’ve used the watch to query Siri
about the weather, buy stuff at Starbucks, and make calls. The
flashlight feature has also gotten a lot of use. 

And yes, I’ve frequently left my iPhone at home and gone
watch-only, a liberating experience that vastly reduces the
amount of time I spend pointlessly staring at an iPhone screen.
That’s all thanks to the Watch 3’s cellular connection. Throw in
some Bluetooth earbuds and you can go smartphone-free.

In terms of battery life, a full charge gets me
through about a day and a half.

The Montblanc Heritage
Chronométrie Automatic is a nice watch — but it doesn’t do that
much.
Matthew
DeBord/BI

As for toughness … it’s hard to tell at this point, but
I’ve played a decent amount of tennis while wearing the Apple
Watch, and the jarring aspects of that sport haven’t had any
apparent negative effects.

Obviously, apart from some cool design touches — such as
calling micro-apps “complications” and using a sweeping second
hand for its faces — the Apple Watch is utterly unlike a
potentially fragile mechanical timepiece. You wouldn’t expect it
to be wimpier than a Timex Ironman (although I haven’t dropped it
yet, so the jury is still out on the durability of the glass
face).

The vicious upgrade cycle

The Apple Watch Series 4 has just
arrived, adding a goodly measure of new features to the device,
as well as slightly revamped design. Some early evaluations from
reliable watch outlets, such as
Hodinkee, have been quite positive. So if you want to take
the plunge on the latest iteration, it’s your call. I’m content
with the Series 3 and haven’t even scratched the surface of its
capabilities.

The real question to ask as Apple continues to upgrade the watch
is, “Can you justify spending $400 to update your timepiece every
few years?”

Four upgrades equals a $1,600 layout, and for just about $600,
you could obtain the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie
pictured above — a rather lovely and affordable Swiss automatic
watch that, with proper care, would give you decades (if not a
lifetime) of service. Two decades of Apple Watches and you could
have a Rolex. I figured I didn’t have to worry about this, back
when I didn’t care for the Apple Watch. Now that I do, it’s an
issue. 

I haven’t made up my mind yet, but it should be clear that
everything I thought about the Apple Watch before I was
enlightened was, to be completely honest, totally wrong. I take
it all back.

Sorry, Apple.