I own mechanical watches and had the hardest time switching to an Apple Watch.
But one thing sold me on it. Apple Pay. It’s so convenient to be able to wrist tap things without whipping out my phone. I can pay for things in 1 second. With express transit I can tap to ride subways and buses.
I gave up the status of a mechanical watch wearer for this convenience. And the status is often more limited than we think — I realized no one except other mechanical watches enthusiasts really notice what watch I was wearing. You can wear a Vacheron Constantin and realistically 99% of people you meet will not know what it is and likely will not notice it.
When I started on a plan of ramping up my walks to half marathon distances, I knew I didn’t want to have to carry a wallet with me. I had Apple Pay already, which gave me the idea, but I was due a new watch so I got the cellular version, so if I got caught in a storm or tweaked a knee I could call someone to pick me up.
I still wish they got better battery life with each new version. You can chew up that whole battery in about 2:30 by running the workout app, music, and Bluetooth headphones. Half the reason I bought a HRM was to improve the battery life.
And sure enough the time I actually did tweak my knee, I had to stop listening to music and the workout app to conserve the battery long enough to ask for a ride and get somewhere that I could be picked up. By the time they arrived my watch was dead.
Yes battery is definitely a limitation. I’m able to get 15-16 hours on my Series 7 between charges. That works for me because I just charge it when I shower and it takes no time.
I wonder if for your use case a Watch Ultra might work better? It has a bigger battery.
That said, I agree with you that the battery could be better. Other smart watches have battery lives measured in days. (That said, they also do less)
But one thing sold me on it. Apple Pay. It’s so convenient to be able to wrist tap things without whipping out my phone. I can pay for things in 1 second. With express transit I can tap to ride subways and buses.
I gave up the status of a mechanical watch wearer for this convenience. And the status is often more limited than we think — I realized no one except other mechanical watches enthusiasts really notice what watch I was wearing. You can wear a Vacheron Constantin and realistically 99% of people you meet will not know what it is and likely will not notice it.