I’m most definitely NOT who this watch was designed for. I’m not going to dive the depths of the ocean. I won’t be climbing any mountains or skiing down them in the winter. I won’t be running a marathon or hiking some trail. Nope, Apple didn’t design this watch with me in mind. And yet, here I am gushing over this watch and think it is perhaps the coolest watch I’ve ever owned. And I’ve owned Apple Watch since Apple Watch 3, then 4, then 6, then 7 and now Ultra. So why do I love this Apple Watch Ultra? Let me count the ways. It’s incredibly made as one would expect of any product from Apple. It’s the first redesign of Apple Watch since it was introduced in 2015. The body, which is made in pure Titanium us simply beautiful, with a matt finish, except in the raised bezel around the watch face, which is highly polished. It’s beautiful, to say the least. The watch face is Sapphire, which is next to diamond in hardness. And after only owning Apple Watch in Stainless Steel, which also included a Sapphire Crystal, I can tell they don’t scratch. Period. They don’t. The watch face is 2” of pure brightly lit bliss. For the first time, I can actually read my email and text messages, without having to squint my eyes to read (even with prescription glasses on). It’s bright. I mean REALLY bright and can go up to 2000 nits in bright sunlight and is for the first time completely readable outdoors. The design of the watch is beefier and includes a larger digital crown. The crown and power button are encapsulated in Titanium to protect both and the crown is simply easier to operate. The battery, OMG, the BATTERY is simply amazing. With my Series 7, I could just barely get through a day’s use. But this puppy has a battery which is 76% bigger than any battery Apple has plucked in an Apple Watch, and I can go not just all day, but all next day and even into a 3rd day, without need to recharge. I used to obsess over how much charge was remaining in my Series 7. No longer. Worrying about whether you have enough charge is a thing of the past. There is an elongated orange button on the left side of the watch, called the Activity Button. You can choose from multiple options, such as start a workout all the way to a Flashlight. Since I’m not the outdoorsy, workout kind of guy, mine is programmed to Flashlight, which is actually pretty handy. Using the Shortcut App, on your iPhone, there are some ways to program the Activity Button to do other things, like call a specific person. As a new function button on Apple Watch, we can expect more functions and programmability in the future. Included in the watch is everything Apple has to offer in terms of Fitness and Health. On the health side, ECG, Heart Rate Monitoring (including sensing A-Fib) and Blood Oxygen levels. For sleep tracking, Apple has added a temperature sensor to the watch, but it was more designed for ladies tracking ovulation and doesn’t actually display your wrist temperature. Instead, it tracks your sleep (if you want it to and you wear it at night, while you sleep) and after a few days will show your baseline body temperature over the course of multiple nights. Also new for Apple Watch is a unique, dual band GPS, which if you are an adventurer will better pinpoint your location and Car Crash Sensors, if you’re in an accident. I have read reports where the Car Crash Sensor can be triggered on roller coasters, so if you’re a theme part goer, you should turn off Crash Detection before the loopty-doo coaster alerts the authorities you’ve been in accident. Apple redesigned the microphones and speakers on the Ultra. They’ve added a triple microphone array and dual speakers. Phone calls are now so clear, nobody is remotely aware I’m speaking from my watch. In addition, Apple Watch Ultra features a new dual precision GPS system, which provides amazing accuracy in the most remote locations. Apple created three unique bands for Apple Watch Ultra. I ordered mine to arrive with the Orange Alpine band. I like it, it’s comfortable, but I don’t love it. It only weighs like 12 grams, so you can barely feel something on your wrist. But it uses a titanium loop to lock the watch band in place and in order to put on or take off the watch with the Alpine Loop, you have to extend the band very wide and the Titanium Loop can actually smack the side of your beautiful Titanium Watch, which I don’t like. So, I picked up the Ocean Band in Yellow, which is super comfy, doesn’t have any way to clank the side of your watch and is super cool looking. If you’ve been wearing Apple Watch and you own one in 42, 44 or 45mm, any band you already own will work just fine on this new 49mm Ultra. I have ordered a few higher end aftermarket bands, including one very pricy pure Titanium band to dress the watch up when I don’t want to look like an adventurer. I could likely keep going, but I hope you get the sense I’m beyond happy with the new Apple Watch Ultra. My wrist isn’t all that large at 7.25” and it looks great on me. And even though it’s larger than a 45mm Apple Watch, it only weighs .3 ounces more. Titanium is a more durable metal than Stainless Steel, but weighs less than Stainless Steel. Don’t let the marketing hype dissuade you. Sure, this watch will do fantastic things for people into extreme sports. But it’s just as fantastic for non-athletic people, like me. Apple not only hit a home run with Apple Watch Ultra. They hit it out of the ballpark all the way into Space. Is it worth $799. Yes, Yes and Yes. If it cost more, it would still be worth the price of admission.

Really love this new rugged Apple Watch. The battery life is phenomenal and a major reason for my purchase. I can easily get several days if I need to between charging. I am finding I can progam the activity button to give me some additional quick access to favored apps a nice addition. Has a very attractive and solid Titanium case as well. I found a few more faces available for me to use also that I appreciate. The larger size is great for use including screen. I also like fact that it is the most waterproof of all the Apple Watch models and although I do not dive makes me secure in knowing this watch will be quite safe from water issues. Apple notes: “ The largest display, with up to 2000 nits of brightness — that’s twice as bright as any other Apple Watch”. And I agree this has much brighter display quite useful to me

Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way. Yes, this is an Apple watch that needs to be charged and costs $799. With that out of the way, let's get right to it. First, the larger face and better battery life make this watch completely superior to any apple watch ever made. This is a flat-out game-changer. It took apple watches from being a chargeable toy to a TOOL. I have had Apple watches twice in my life and the one thing they never did for me is replace my standard watches. Within weeks I was tired of charging them every night or tired of the toyish looks and small screen and ended up returning them or selling them off. This flat sapphire anti-reflective screen changed all that. The way it feels and looks is vastly different without the rounded edges of the simpler Apple watches. And as far as battery life...I go 4 days without charging it. I never have to worry about bumps and or breaks with this model and having every single feature apple has on their apple watch only makes this even more needed. Fall and crash detection are a must-have. Being able to make a call from your wrist without the phone is a flat-out killer. Backtracking and the customizable button are welcome addition to my life. So while other watches like Garmin may claim to have better this or that, they still don't have the apple integration that makes this irreplaceable. Things like Siri and an actual color display and OS that allows me to add more and more apps and features just in a league of their own and at $799 is still a bargin.

Yes, it feels bigger than my 45mm 7, yes, I miss my black stainless, but for workouts it’s the better watch. The bigger screen makes stat checking mid workout easier, the programmable button is great, and wow, the battery life is amazing. I do find the hook a pain on the band sometimes, and I still have to hydrolock to prevent 100 segments on a wet run or walk in a coat. But overall it’s a great watch.

I previously had the series seven Apple Watch and didn’t expect this much of an improvement. I was hesitant about the price tag compared to the other models but the Ultra’s impressive battery life which lasts me two days, the great screen quality (looks like my iPhone), better fitness tracking, and updated design definitely calmed my nerves and eliminated any lingering thoughts.