watchOS 27 has not added any new Apple Watch faces yet, and that is okay. Sometimes the best watch face is one that has been around for a while, reconfigured to match the way you actually use your Apple Watch. I have been spending time with a much simpler version of Modular Ultra, and it has become my favorite way to glance at the time.

My philosophy with the Apple Watch is simple: less is more. I do not want to be flooded with notifications, complicated data, or visual noise. The watch works best when it gives me one or two important pieces of information and stays out of the way the rest of the time. That philosophy extends to the watch face. A face that tries to show everything often ends up showing nothing clearly.

For years, Apple has offered a wide range of faces for different tastes. There are playful faces, minimalist faces, analog faces, digital faces, and faces that look like a cockpit display. With so many options, it can be tempting to fill every slot with a complication. But the best face for you is not always the busiest one.

Key facts

• watchOS 27 has not introduced any new Apple Watch faces as of this writing.
• Modular Ultra remains exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra and supports both simple and dense layouts.
• A minimalist configuration with time, temperature, and Activity rings creates a calmer face.
• The full-capacity mode can show six compact complications, a medium complication, and bezel data.
• Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at $699, while a refurbished Ultra 2 is available for $589.

A minimalist approach to Apple Watch faces

I use my Apple Watch as a timer, a notification filter, a fitness tracker, and a quick way to check the weather. I do not need it to replace my phone. In practice, that means I want the watch face to answer three questions at a glance: What time is it? What is the temperature? And have I closed my rings? Everything else can live a tap away or in Control Center.

That is why I have been drawn to a stripped-down version of Modular Ultra. The face has a large digital clock with seconds, a small amount of weather data, and my Activity rings. The rest of the face is empty, and that negative space is exactly what I love about it.

Why Modular Ultra stands out

Modular Ultra is exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra line. It was introduced alongside the original Apple Watch Ultra in 2022 and remains one of the most flexible faces in watchOS. It takes the familiar Modular design language used on other Apple Watches and expands it with edge-to-edge elements, a taller layout, and a special bezel slot for extra information.

The face is designed to be extremely dense if you want it to be. You can pack it with complications, training data, and environmental readings. But you can also remove almost everything and let the large time display take center stage. That flexibility is rare, and it makes Modular Ultra effective for both minimalists and data lovers.

On Apple Watch Ultra 3, the face benefits from improved hardware. The always-on display can keep showing the seconds hand or digital seconds when your wrist is down, which makes the watch feel more alive and precise. It is a small change, but it makes a big difference when you are timing a workout or simply watching the minutes pass.

A closer look at the toned-down configuration

My current setup starts with the time in a large size with seconds visible. This is the visual anchor of the face. The seconds keep the face feeling active, but because everything else is understated, it does not feel busy.

The bottom-left complication shows the current temperature along with the high and low for the day. This gives me useful context without forcing me to open the Weather app. The top-right complication currently displays my Activity rings. It is a great morning check: I can see how far I have already moved, how much exercise I have done, and whether I have been standing enough.

That top-right slot is not permanent. I sometimes swap it for the UV index, especially in summer. Keep the face familiar but change the one complication that matters most for the season.

The other four small complication slots are blank. Leaving them empty creates a pleasing balance between the upper right and lower left areas of the display. It also helps the remaining information feel more important. When a face does not have clutter everywhere, your eyes know exactly where to look.

Modular Ultra still supports a data-heavy layout

If your needs are different, Modular Ultra can show way more data. In its full-capacity configuration, the face supports six compact complications in addition to the main time display. There is also room for a medium complication below a smaller clock, which is perfect for a calendar view, a weather condition, or a music now-playing snippet.

On top of all that, the bezel area can be set to show seconds, depth, elevation, or training load. This makes Modular Ultra one of the most powerful Apple Watch faces available. The depth setting is especially useful for divers. The elevation setting fits hikers. Training load is great for runners and cyclists. In a single face, Apple managed to create a tool that adapts to many activities.

I think it is great that Modular Ultra can display so much information. It is nice to know the face can become a full dashboard when I need it. For my day-to-day needs, however, I get more value out of the toned-down version. The empty spaces give my eyes a rest, and the few complications that remain stand out more clearly.

The quirks that make it interesting

Every Apple Watch face has small quirks, and Modular Ultra is no exception. In the restrained mode, the red notification dot sits in an unexpected place. Because the face is designed to accommodate a top-middle complication slot, the dot is not centered when that slot is unused.

At first, that placement may seem odd. But I have grown to like it. It is a little weird and different, and it gives the face a character that you would not find with a perfectly centered notification marker. We often expect watch faces to behave in very standard ways, but the best digital products can have tiny imperfections that make them feel personal.

Rumors have pointed to at least one new face coming later in the watchOS 27 cycle, and a popular existing face is expected to get new options in a future update. Until that arrives, though, current faces still offer plenty of room for customization. watchOS 27 may not have delivered a new face on day one, but the software still makes it easy to create something that feels new to you.

Apple Watch Ultra options and availability

If you want to try Modular Ultra, you need an Apple Watch Ultra model. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is currently available from $699 (regular price $799) on Amazon. Apple’s refurbished store also carries the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $589. Older Ultra models may be available through third-party resellers, and they continue to receive watchOS updates for several years.

For people who already own an Apple Watch Ultra, watchOS 27 may not offer a new face, but the platform still provides a deep set of customization tools. You can rearrange complications, change colors, and create multiple watch faces for different moments of the day. A dedicated Workout face, a workday dashboard, and a weekend minimal face can all live side by side.

Which watch faces are you loving these days? Share your thoughts in the comments. There is no right answer, but it is always interesting to see how different people configure the same hardware.

Source: 9to5Mac News