Apple makes some of the best smartwatches you can buy in 2026, especially if you’re already an existing iPhone or MacBook user and embedded in Apple’s ecosystem.
In many ways, the Apple Watch is Apple’s most personal device, sitting right on your wrist, with plenty of color and band options – not to mention loads of different watch faces to pick from. The face you pick is where the fun really starts, as it can make the same watch feel sporty, traditional, playful, or completely different from one day to the next.
I tend to favour simpler, less complicated faces that make the time easy to read without cramming the screen with data, all of which is still available inside various apps. But I’ve included all sorts here. From my daily-driver Flux face to Snoopy’s wonderfully unpredictable animations, these are the 10 Apple Watch faces I’d recommend trying in 2026.
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Infograph – best Apple Watch face for complications
Infograph is the obvious pick for anyone who wants plenty of information on-screen. It supports up to eight complications, although I prefer a cleaner setup with just four fitness-focused ones in the centre.
Why it works: You can tailor it around work, exercise, weather, or everyday shortcuts, and most complications open the relevant app when tapped. Leaving a few spaces empty also makes it much easier to read at a glance.
Limitations: It can become cluttered very quickly, especially once you start mixing lots of colors and data types. If you mainly want to check the time, Infograph is probably more watch face than you need.
Flow – best Liquid Glass Apple Watch face
Flow is one of the clearest showcases for watchOS 26’s Liquid Glass design, with oversized translucent numerals set against a colorful animated background. You can switch between different colors, two typefaces, and a static or moving backdrop.
Why it works: The large numbers are easy to read, while the refraction effect gives the face much more depth when you move your wrist. Blue and purple suits the glassy look particularly well, but brighter combinations can make it feel completely different.
Limitations: There are no complications, so Flow is firmly a design-first face. Its glossy, futuristic style is also probably too bold for anyone who wants their Apple Watch to resemble a traditional watch.
California – best traditional Apple Watch face
California is the closest this list gets to a classic watch dial, mixing Roman and Arabic numerals in its most recognisable form. You can also switch between several numeral styles, use a circular or full-screen layout, and add a handful of complications.
Why it works: It gives the Apple Watch a more traditional look without losing useful extras such as the date, weather, or app shortcuts. Darker colors and restrained complications suit it especially well.
Limitations: Bright or overly detailed complications can clash with the clean dial, while the full-screen version leaves less room for information. It’s also less playful than Apple’s more modern faces.
Numerals Duo – best bold digital Apple Watch face
Numerals Duo fills almost the entire screen with oversized hours and minutes, like Flow, making it one of Apple’s easiest faces to read at a glance. You can change the colors, numeral system, and choose between Filled, Hybrid, and Outline styles.
Why it works: The huge numbers give it some personality without making the time difficult to find. My multi-colored Hybrid version is especially playful, but a simpler two-color setup can look much cleaner.
Limitations: There are no complications, so you lose quick access to weather, fitness data, and so on. It is also unapologetically digital, which may not appeal if you prefer a more watch-like design.
Snoopy – best character Apple Watch face
Snoopy brings the Apple Watch to life with short animations featuring Snoopy, Woodstock, and the clock hands. The scenes change throughout the day, while different color options give the face a slightly different feel.
Why it works: The animations are really charming and varied enough to stay fun beyond the first few days. My “ARF!” scene pictured above captures the playful side of the face particularly well.
Limitations: There are no complications, and some animations briefly make the time harder to read. The Snoopy face might work best as a weekend-only option.
Flux – best dynamic digital Apple Watch face
Flux is my daily-driver face, combining oversized numerals with a block of color that rises from the bottom as each minute passes. You can switch between different colors and Western Arabic, Eastern Arabic, or Devanagari numerals.
Why it works: It is simple, bold, and immediately readable, but the constant movement stops it from feeling static. The numerals also shift into a new shape whenever the minute changes. Really cool face.
Limitations: Flux has no complications, so it only tells you the time. The unusual numeral shapes can also take a little getting used to, particularly with some color combinations.
Color – best minimalist analogue Apple Watch face
Color is a clean, flexible analogue face that can be dressed up with bright shades or kept deliberately understated. You can choose between circular and dial layouts, including a full-screen version, and then add complications or a monogram.
Why it works: It keeps the focus on the time while still leaving room for a useful shortcut or two. My full-screen version uses a single Camera Remote complication, but the circular layout can carry much more information.
Limitations: It lacks the personality of Apple’s more animated faces, and adding too many complications quickly undermines its simplicity.
Timelapse – best scenic Apple Watch face
Timelapse turns your watch into a tiny moving cityscape, with options including London, New York City, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Mack Lake. My pick is the London version, because it’s where I live, complete with Westminster and a small weather complication.
Why it works: The shifting background gives it more atmosphere than a static photo face, while the time stays easy to spot. It also feels a little more personal when you choose a location you know.
Limitations: The selection of scenes is quite limited, and readability can vary depending on the frame. There is also likely to be a higher battery drain, and it offers far less customisation than Apple’s Photos face.
Artist – best art-led Apple Watch face
Finally, Artist turns the screen into a tiny changing portrait, with the time worked directly into the illustration. Tapping the face produces a new combination, so it rarely looks exactly the same twice.
Why it works: It feels more like a small piece of digital art than a traditional watch face. The shifting faces and colors give it plenty of personality without relying on animation. A slightly offbeat, cool pick.
Limitations: There are no complications, and some combinations are easier to read than others. It is also the least practical option here if you mainly use your watch as an information hub.
How to add and customise Apple Watch faces
The easiest method is through the Watch app on your iPhone.
Open the Face Gallery, choose a design, then adjust its colors, style, numerals, and complications before tapping Add to Watch.
The available controls vary a lot: Flow mainly offers visual tweaks, while Infograph lets you change almost every piece of information on-screen, and so on.
You can also make changes directly on the watch. Touch and hold the current face, tap Edit, then swipe through the available options and turn the Digital Crown to make your selections.
How to pick the right Apple Watch face
The best place to start is with what you actually want to see when you raise your wrist. That might be nothing more than the time, or it could include your next appointment, Activity rings, weather, and a shortcut to your most-used app.
Complications are useful, but from experience, more is not always better. Too much information can make things feel cluttered, especially if you have a smaller model like my Apple Watch SE.
It’s also worth setting up a few faces for different situations. You might use Infograph during the working day, switch to something fitness-focused for a workout, then move to Snoopy at the weekend.
Finally, test each face outdoors and at a quick glance – a color combination that looks great in the Watch app may be much harder to read on your wrist.
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