Apple has officially released watchOS 26, introducing four new watch faces and other enhancements alongside the launch of the iPhone 17 and Apple Watch 11.
According to Apple’s release notes, the new watch faces include Exactograph, Flow, Waypoint, and Hermès Faubourg Party. The Exactograph face is described as “a modern re‑imagination of a traditional regular watch that separates out hours, minutes, and seconds for more precise timekeeping.” The Flow face “uses Liquid Glass numerals that refract a fluid orb of color that responds to your wrist movements.”
The Waypoint watch face functions as “a live compass that shows where you are in relation to saved locations in (Apple) Maps or points of interest,” and is exclusively available on the Apple Watch Ultra. The Hermès Faubourg Party face “features animated shorts that appear based on the time of day or your movements, with a series of characters,” and is exclusive to the Apple Watch Hermès.
In addition to the new faces, the existing Photos watch face has been updated with a Liquid Glass design.
The Flow and Exactograph faces will be available to all Apple Watch users who upgrade to watchOS 26, including Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Ultra generations, and the Apple Watch SE 2. The update began rolling out on Monday, September 15, with beta users already having access.
watchOS 26 was first announced at WWDC and introduces a new Liquid Glass design language, an AI-powered Workout Buddy, Live Translation, a Notes app, and other improvements.
The company stated that the new operating system brings “plenty of changes coming down the pipeline,” emphasizing both aesthetic and functional upgrades for Apple Watch users.
