The watch face ranks as one of the key features of Apple Watch, and watchOS 26 brings significant enhancements to watch faces in three primary areas. Here’s what’s fresh.
## #1: Brand new watch faces
As is common with major updates to watchOS, Apple’s latest version introduces a collection of [brand new watch faces](https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/09/watchos-26-adds-four-brand-new-watch-faces-including-an-ultra-exclusive/).
watchOS 26 presents four new faces in total. According to Apple’s release notes:
– **Exactograph** is a contemporary reinterpretation of a classic regulator watch that differentiates hours, minutes, and seconds for improved time accuracy.
– **Flow** features Liquid Glass numerals that bend a liquid orb of color in response to the movements of your wrist.
– **Waypoint** serves as a real-time compass, showing your position relative to saved locations in Maps or points of interest (Available on Apple Watch Ultra).
– **Hermès Faubourg Party** comprises animated shorts that emerge based on the time of day or motions featuring various characters (Available on Apple Watch Hermès).
It’s always exciting to have additional watch face selections available, and I’m particularly fond of the new Flow and Waypoint faces introduced this year.
## #2: Enhancements to existing faces
Several watch faces you’re already familiar with received updates in watchOS 26 as well.
The Photos face, regarded by Apple as its most popular choice, [received two enhancements this year](https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/29/watchos-26-upgrades-apple-watchs-most-popular-face-in-two-ways/):
1. Liquid Glass time
2. Featured photos option
In keeping with the system-wide Liquid Glass aesthetic, there’s a new ‘Glass’ color option for the face’s clock that allows more of your photo to shine through. Selecting ‘Featured’ as your image source guarantees that many of the best photos in your library will be displayed.
In addition to the Photos face upgrades, Apple has also incorporated ticking seconds functionality with the always-on display into [many more faces](https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/09/watchos-26-more-apple-watch-faces-using-series-10s-upgraded-display/).
Always-on seconds functionality was introduced last year with Apple Watch Series 10, but only a limited number of watch faces supported it at the time. Now, it has expanded to a wider range of hardware and software.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11 both support ticking seconds in always-on mode, and the roster of compatible faces [has significantly increased](https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/09/watchos-26-more-apple-watch-faces-using-series-10s-upgraded-display/).
## #3: Watch face ‘hints’
Upon installing watchOS 26 on your Apple Watch, you may start to notice a distinctive UI element on your watch face.
A new feature called ‘hints’ will show up at the bottom of your screen, resembling a Liquid Glass complication.
Hints provide recommended apps and actions, linking them to the Smart Stack.
Here’s how they function, [according to Apple](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/06/watchos-26-delivers-more-personalized-ways-to-stay-active-and-connected/):
> In watchOS 26, the Smart Stack refines its prediction algorithms by integrating additional contextual data, sensor data, and user routine data to generate Smart Stack hints, which serve as proactive prompts for useful actionable suggestions. Crafted from Liquid Glass, Smart Stack hints will appear on the display as soft visual signals. For instance, a hint for Backtrack might pop up when a user is in a secluded area without connectivity, or a hint for a Pilates session may surface when a user arrives at a studio at the usual hour.
The Smart Stack has previously provided suggested data and actionable prompts, but you would need to scroll through your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown to access them manually.
By placing these suggestions directly on the watch face, Apple aims to make them more visible and, hopefully, more useful.
Which new watch face features from watchOS 26 have you been enjoying on your Apple Watch? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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