Apple may finally let you have ultra watch face on your regular watch
For years, Apple Watch owners of standard Series models have quietly seethed over the exclusivity of premium watch faces like Wayfinder and the Modular Ultra, features seemingly reserved for the pricier Ultra lineup. Now, it appears Apple is finally listening. A significant design tweak is in the works for watchOS 27, bringing a simplified version of the coveted Modular Ultra face to the masses.
A familiar look, sharply refined
According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, Apple is testing a new watch face that borrows heavily from the Ultra’s signature Modular Ultra aesthetic, but with a deliberate streamlining. The core visual DNA remains – a large clock dominating the top two-thirds of the display – but the design has been ruthlessly edited for everyday wrists. Gone is the central complication, and the row of three smaller complications above the time has been removed, eliminating the visual clutter of the Ultra version.
The original Modular Ultra, as many Ultra users know, is a data powerhouse, cramming in a large clock, a bezel ring of live data, three small complications, and a prominent central complication. It’s a dense, deliberate design intended for the rugged capabilities of the Ultra. This new variant, however, prioritizes elegance and usability over sheer information density. The result is a bold, Ultra-inspired look that’s significantly more suitable for the smaller displays found on the standard Apple Watch Series.
The shift represents a subtle but significant change in Apple’s approach to watch face design. It's a move away from the walled-garden strategy that has frustrated many Series owners, offering a taste of the Ultra experience without the hefty $799 price tag.
But the implications stretch further than just aesthetics. This streamlining aligns perfectly with the expected focus of watchOS 27: AI features and general software polish. It suggests a broader trend towards optimizing the user experience, making even the entry-level Apple Watch feel more premium.
Expect to see this new face unveiled at WWDC in June, with a public release likely coinciding with the arrival of new Apple Watch hardware this fall. And as Apple continues to subtly trickle down design elements from the Ultra line, the distinction between the Series and Ultra models may become less a matter of hardware and more a matter of feature selection – a win for consumers across the board.