Less is more when it comes to how I use the Apple Watch. The best experience, for me, requires few notifications and intentional focus on what I want out of the device. This approach applies to Apple Watch faces too. While there are no new watch faces in watchOS 27 yet, I’ve been loving a scaled-back version of a very information-dense option.

Key facts

• watchOS 27 does not include new Apple Watch faces yet.
• Modular Ultra is exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra and can be heavily customized.
• The author’s minimal setup features large time with seconds, temperature, and activity rings.
• In its fullest form, Modular Ultra can show six complications, a medium complication, and bezel data.
• Apple Watch Ultra 3 keeps seconds visible even in always-on mode.

A more modular, less ultra version of Modular Ultra face

Modular Ultra, exclusive to Apple Watch Ultra, is one of those faces that can look super different based on how you configure it. It is designed for people who want data at a glance, but it also works beautifully when you strip most of that data away.

My approach prioritizes the time in large size with seconds visible. This is especially nice on Apple Watch Ultra 3, which always displays the seconds, including in always-on mode. The combination of a big, legible clock and live seconds makes the watch feel precise and connected to the present moment, without turning your wrist into a miniature billboard.

The bottom left complication is current temperature with low and high. The top right complication currently displays my activity rings, though I change this slot sometimes based on interest. I swap it out for UV index sometimes. That flexibility is part of the appeal: a single watch face can adapt to your current priorities, whether you are training outdoors, heading to a meeting, or simply trying to stay mindful of your daily movement.

The other four small complication slots are blank. I like the opposite corner balance and what the negative space offers. This is a deliberate design choice. A face crowded with numbers and graphs can become noise, especially if you are someone who checks the time dozens of times per day. By leaving those slots empty, each element that remains has more visual weight, and the watch face feels calmer.

You can configure Modular Ultra with way more data

As an example of what Modular Ultra is capable of display, I’ve also configured a version that shows its full capacity. It can show six compact complications, a medium complication under the smaller clock, and bezel data that can include seconds, depth, elevation, or training load. That makes it one of the most information-rich watch faces Apple has ever created.

For divers, the depth data in the bezel is particularly useful because it turns the face into a compact dive computer. Hikers and climbers can use elevation data to track their current altitude at a glance. Athletes can call up training load to measure how hard their body has been working. The seconds in the bezel are also useful for timing tasks, whether you are cooking, resting between sets, or waiting for a parking spot to open up.

Beyond the bezel, the six compact complication slots can be filled with things like timers, calendars, weather conditions, heart rate, world clocks, and more. The medium complication under the smaller clock can host a much larger data field, such as a three-day forecast or a full activity ring summary. In short, Modular Ultra can become a tiny command center on your wrist.

I think it’s great that the Modular Ultra face can display so much information. For my day-to-day needs, I just get more out of the toned-down version. That is a key lesson for any Apple Watch owner: just because a face can show every possible data point doesn’t mean you need to fill every slot. The best watch face is the one that actually serves how you live.

The one weird quirk that this face has in the restrained mode is the red notification dot placement. Because it’s positioned to accommodate a top-middle complication slot, the dot isn’t centered in how I use the watch face. Most watch faces put the notification dot neatly at the top center of the display, but Modular Ultra shifts it ever so slightly to the left or right depending on the configuration. That’s actually just one more thing I like about the layout: it’s a little weird and different.

This kind of personality is hard to find in a wearable. We spend so much time staring at small rectangles that any hint of irregularity makes a device feel more human. The placement of the red dot is not a flaw; it is a signature of the face’s intended design.

Why watchOS 27 fans are waiting for new faces

Apple has not introduced new watch faces in watchOS 27 yet, but that does not mean the update lacks watch-related improvements. The company has focused this cycle on making existing faces more useful, refining complications, improving the Smart Stack, and expanding the ways you can customize the always-on display. For many users, the biggest change in watchOS 27 will not be a brand-new face, but rather the ability to get more out of the faces they already use.

There has been speculation that a rumored new face could still arrive in a later point release. Apple has done this before, adding faces to iOS and watchOS updates throughout the year rather than saving everything for the fall. If that happens, it would give watchOS 27 another shot of excitement. Until then, the community is finding creative ways to make classic faces feel fresh again.

The lack of new faces is not necessarily bad news. It forces us to revisit what is already there and think carefully about what we actually need from a watch face. It also highlights how much untapped potential exists in faces like Modular Ultra. Very few users ever explore every possible configuration, and even a face that has been available for a couple of generations can feel new when you change the layout.

If you have an Apple Watch Ultra or are thinking about buying one, Modular Ultra should be high on your list of reasons why. It remains exclusive to the Ultra lineup, and it is arguably the most distinctive digital face Apple has made. The combination of a large time display, bezel data, and ample complication slots gives it a look that is instantly recognizable.

How to set up a minimal Modular Ultra face

Creating my preferred version of Modular Ultra is simple. Start by selecting the face in the Apple Watch app on iPhone or directly on the watch. Choose a large time style that includes a second hand or digital seconds readout. On Apple Watch Ultra 3, the seconds remain visible even when the wrist is down, which makes the watch feel alive at all times.

Then assign the bottom left complication to Weather, using the current temperature with low and high format. Assign the top right complication to Activity, specifically the activity rings. If you prefer, you can use the UV index complication in that slot during the summer months or whenever you are spending more time outdoors.

Leave the remaining four small complication slots blank. This creates an asymmetric look that draws the eye to the time first, then to the temperature, and finally to your activity progress. The empty space gives the watch face room to breathe, and it also makes the complication slots that do contain data stand out more clearly.

You can adjust this setup based on your own habits. If you are a frequent traveler, put the world clock in one of the empty slots. If you are training for a race, add a workout complication. The point is not to follow my exact configuration, but to adopt the same philosophy: choose a few high-value data points and let the rest go.

Which watch faces are you loving these days? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Source:9to5Mac News