The 20 best Apple Watch faces

More than likely, your watch face is the most viewed screen on your smartwatch. Why not make it harder working? Whether you want at-a-glance stats, a favorite photo, or an adorable animation, there are plenty of looks to consider. Choose your favorite, then protect your look (and your device really) with a screen protector and Apple Watch case. To help, we round up the best Apple Watch faces available.

The best Apple Watch faces

Apple gets a bit of flack for not opening its devices to third-party watch face developers. For example, users won’t find as many options as Pixel Watch faces. Fortunately, the wearables giant offers numerous native options to debut on your device. Every device, from the Apple Watch SE 2 to the Series 9, can access a huge selection of customizable watch faces. Apple Watch Ultra  and Ultra 2 users can even access an exclusive pick for wayfinding. Whatever model you’re sporting, find the perfect watch face to match your style.

Modular

With six potential complications, this choice is for anyone wanting a data-packed watch face in a well-organized format. Choose what info you want to feature, then customize the background or text color.

• Customizable: Color and background
• Complications: 6
• Pricing: Free

Infograph

One of the most sporty-looking picks available, Infograph packs well, a ton of info. The watch face allows for up to eight complications so that you can keep eyes on everything from your activity stats to your local UV index.

• Customizable: Color
• Complications: 8
• Pricing: Free

Activity Analog

Apple’s infamous rings are the focal point of this pick, so you can check your move, step, and stand progress at a glance. The watch face also allows for three additional complications.

• Customizable: Color and style
• Complications: 3
• Pricing: Free

Playtime

A quirky, dynamic art piece that reacts to your taps, Playtime features funny animated numerals and the option to include confetti-like details. You can customize the background color, though black makes the characters pop best. 

• Customizable: Color
• Complications: 0
• Pricing: Free

Photos

Keep favorite vacation snaps at arm’s length with a Photos watch face. Users can add up to 24 photos, which the watch face will cycle through automatically, changing photos each time you raise your wrist. The face also allows for two complications and the ability to add color filters to your album. It’s particularly striking on Apple’s beefy Ultra model.

• Customizable: Color filters, content, time position
• Complications: 2
• Pricing: Free

Portraits

To display your loved ones (including pets!) opt for the Portraits watch face. You can choose from multiple font styles and layer the time behind or before your subject. You can also add two additional complications and, if desired, a color filter. 

• Customizable: Color, style, content, and font
• Complications: 2
• Pricing: Free

Typography

A simple but attractive font-based watch face, Typography features three style options: Modern, Classic, or Rounded, with either Roman, Arabic, Arabic Indic, Devanagari, or Chinese symbols. You can use this watch face with either four or twelve numerals, though only the latter option allows for an added complication.

• Customizable: Color, dial, style, and symbols
• Complications: Style dependent
• Pricing: Free

Stripes

Color-blocking is completely customizable with the Stripes watch face. Choose the number of stripes you want, hand-pick every single stripe color, and select the angle of your pattern. You can even pick between a fullscreen or circular design. The watch face allows four complications with a circular design but zero with the fullscreen option.

• Customizable: Style, stripe number, and stripe colors
• Complications: Style dependent
• Pricing: Free

Metropolitan

A classic, albeit basic, watch face, Metropolitan offers plenty of color customization, four different dial designs, and room for four additional complications. It’s a solid pick for a traditional look.

• Customizable: Color, style, and dial
• Complications: 4
• Pricing: Free

Contour

Built to highlight the extra real estate of Series 7 and newer devices, this watch face pushes all the action to the edge of your screen. Utilizing a custom font, Contour warps the number of the clock as time passes to notate the current hour. The result is a minimalist, unique watch face.

• Customizable: Color, style, and dial color
• Complications: 2
• Pricing: Free

Nike Bounce

Branded Nike watch faces are now available to all compatible Apple Watch users thanks to watchOS 9. Nike Bounce is the company’s simplest option with numbers that react to your movement. You can customize either the color of your digits or the background color.

• Customizable: Color and background
• Complications: 0
• Pricing: Free

Nike Digital

Nike Analog offers slightly more customization than Nike Bounce, with room for three complications in addition to its permanent Nike Run Club App shortcut. Users can also choose from multiple colors and clock face styles. 

• Customizable: Color
• Complications: 3
• Pricing: Free

Unity

One of the most meaningful and beautiful designs available, Unity Lights represents Afrofuturism or the “exploration of the African diaspora through science, technology, and self-empowerment.” Both watch hands emit light to illuminate the background elements as they move around the clock face. Users can choose a black or black, red, and green background and add up to four complications.

• Customizable: Color, dial, and style
• Complications: Style dependent
• Pricing: Free

Breathe

Inspired by Apple’s Breathe tool in the Mindfulness app, the pulsing graphic of the Breathe watch face follows an 8.5-second rhythm to guide users to take a deep, calming breath every time they lift their wrist. The face is available in four different styles with room for three complications.

• Customizable: Style
• Complications: 3
• Pricing: Free

Solar Graph

A personal favorite, this watch face is stunning in its simplicity. The watch face uses your location to create a graphic visual of the sun’s arc across the horizon. It also allows for two additional well-placed complications.

• Customizable: No
• Complications: 2
• Pricing: Free

Astronomy

Anyone interested in space and celestial orbits will love the updated Astronomy watch face. With room for two complications, the design features either the Earth, moon, or solar system and dynamically reacts to turning your digital crown.

• Customizable: Color and style
• Complications: 2
• Pricing: Free

World Time

For full-time travelers or anyone working across multiple time zones, World Time displays all 24 of the globe’s time zones in a single design. It also highlights major cities and the sunrise and sunset wherever you are currently. The map in the center depicts which part of the world is experiencing day or night. If that isn’t enough information, users can also add four additional complications in each corner. 

• Customizable: Analog or digital time
• Complications: 4
• Pricing: Free

Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse

This watch face doesn’t need much introduction. Disney fans will love adding a classic character to their wrist. Choose between Mickey or Minnie and a full-color or black-and-white look. The design also allows for three complications.

• Customizable: Color and character
• Complications: 3
• Pricing: Free

Gradient

Introduced back when the Apple Watch Series 6 landed, Gradient remains a popular pick. Pick your favorite hue and watch the tones of the face shift as time passes. In its round style, the face allows for four complications.

• Customizable: Color, style, and dial
• Complications: Style dependent
• Pricing: Free

Snoopy

One of our favorite additions via watchOS 10, the Snoopy watch face, offers users a playful, nostalgic option. Each time you raise your wrist to wake, Snoopy will act out in a new animation, including some scenarios involving Woodstock. Iconically, Snoopy sleeps atop his red house when the watch isn’t in use.

• Customizable: Style and color
• Complications: 0
• Pricing: Free

How to change your Apple Watch face

To swap faces, swipe left or right from your current face. To add a new face, long-press on your current face and swipe through the choices previously added to your device until you get to the plus sign. Tap the icon, then use your digital crown to scroll through the available options. If you prefer to work on a larger screen, you can also add and customize watch faces from the watch app on your paired iPhone. Open the app and tap Face Gallery.