11 Reasons Why I Love My Apple Watch.
I own the Apple Watch Series 2 which I upgraded to shortly after it came out after loving my Apple Watch Series 1 which I was one of the first I know to buy it. The Series 2 gave me a reason to go for the larger 42mm screen after feeling like it was too big on my smaller Asian wrist when I tried the Apple Watch on the first time. Not having been a watch person, wearing this only took about a week to get used to and I quickly got hooked for a number of reasons:
#1 Band Versatility
I love being able to switch out and up my bands depending on my mood and the occasion or event that I’m going to. I have a beautiful orange leather band (pictured above) for my every day orange attire, stainless steel for a more elegant evening out, an orange sport band for exercise and showering and a rainbow Pride woven nylon for fun.
#2 Face Versatility
Equally as important as the supporting band, I rotate between 14 different electronic “faces” depending on where I’m at and what I’m doing. I have calendar face for when I’m at the office so that I may be mindful of my next meeting. I use an activity face for when I exercise. I engage an elegantly simple single orange numeral for nights out on the town. I switch to a jellyfish motion or earth astronomy when I am chilling out. There’s a Minnie Mouse face I like to use before bed because when I tap her she says the time and then a cheerful “goodnight”. When I’m traveling and away from my boyfriend I like the photo album face so that photos of us rotate each time I check the time. I rely on the X-Large digits for when I’m coaching my CrossFit Classes to keep those on schedule.
#3 Activity Rings
The Apple Watch measures three types of activity: movement, exercise and standing. The activity involves movement such as walking which I set a daily goal of 500 “calories” (red outer ring). The exercise “minutes” (green middle ring) is not the most reliable for me since CrossFit involves periods of lifting for which I don’t get much credit for but I do trigger minutes when I’m showering vigorously! I appreciate the stand “hours” (blue inner ring) as it nudges me to get up and move around if I have been sedentary for more than 50 minutes. I’ve found the last one to be very useful at the office when working on the computer to get a break. The movement “calories” I also like which reminds me to get a little bit of movement each day even if it’s just a walk through the park. Being in the city it’s easy to hit this goal by simply walking to the bus and around town on errands.
#4 Maps
The navigation works really well compared to propping my iPhone somewhere awkward in the car like a cup holder (my mount doesn’t work for my larger 6S Plus size). The watch sends a gentle tap to my wrist to remind me when a turn or exit is coming up. Super useful for walking around the city too instead of holding my iPhone up like a tourist I may rely on the watch to tap my wrist when it’s time to change directions on foot.
#5 Weather
I love the easy single tap to get the forecast to determine what I’m wearing to work (or my workout) for the day and whether I get to grab an umbrella.
#6 Messages
There are a number of preloaded quick replies that I may double tap to get back to someone and Siri works fairly well for a customized message.
#7 Bluetooth Range
The watch gets some good distance around the floor of my office and I’m able to leave my iPhone at my desk to go into conference room meetings. I have declined calls and stayed on schedule for my next appointments with my watch on my wrist. The only place the connection has broken for me is in the bathroom.
#8 Camera
While the iPhone does have a timer function, the watch app allows me to tap a button to trigger my iPhone to take a photo from wherever it is propped and then preview it on the watch. Great for selfies, group and spy photos.
#9 Notifications
All notifications that normally go to the iPhone go to the watch and may also be easily and quickly dismissed from the watch which make them disappear on the iPhone too. This includes switching and and out of Do Not Disturb Mode.
#10 Timer
I use this feature quite a bit to help me time my post-workout stretching. I use this to hold or mobilize specific body parts for two minutes exactly before switching on to another area. This has worked great during conference calls and meetings as I usually spend at least a good 30 minutes hitting all body parts and both sides (calves, quads, shoulders, groin, etc). I’ll even use this as a softer alarm clock for when I’m waking up earlier than my boyfriend to get to the airport or make an earlier workout, I’ll simply set the countdown for several hours and will be gently awoken not to a sound but some gentle taps to the wrist.
#11 Phone Calls
Much clearer and louder with the Series 2, just like Inspector Gadget I’ve been able to take quick calls on my watch if I’m away from my phone or am driving. The quality is surprisingly pretty good and good when I’m in a pinch or if my hands are dirty or occupied to touch my iPhone.
I still have my original Apple Watch Series 1 if you are curious to wear one for a few days to experience it let me know!
Last enhanced on June 25, 2017.
