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watchOS 26 adds four faces to Apple’s catalog: Exactograph, Flow, Waypoint, and Hermès Faubourg Party. However, the headline needs a qualification: Exactograph and Flow are the broadly available faces, Waypoint requires an Apple Watch Ultra, and Hermès Faubourg Party requires an Apple Watch Hermès. The original watchOS 26 release arrived on September 15, 2025.
The four new watchOS 26 faces at a glance
| Face | What it does | Availability | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exactograph | Separates hours, minutes, and seconds into distinct displays in a regulator-style layout. | Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 26 | Traditional-watch styling and clear separation of time components |
| Flow | Uses Liquid Glass numerals and a fluid colored orb that responds to wrist movement. | Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 26 | Animated, minimalist design |
| Waypoint | Acts as a live compass showing your position relative to saved Maps locations or points of interest. | Apple Watch Ultra | Outdoor orientation and saved-location awareness |
| Hermès Faubourg Party | Shows short animated scenes and characters that vary with time of day or movement. | Apple Watch Hermès | Hermès design, animation, and collectability |
Apple’s release notes provide the official descriptions and restrictions: Apple watchOS 26 feature notes.
Exactograph: a regulator-inspired way to read the time
Exactograph is the most traditional of the four. Instead of presenting hours, minutes, and seconds through one conventional group of hands or numerals, it gives each time component its own display. That makes it a modern interpretation of a regulator watch, where separate indicators were historically used to improve reading precision.
The design is about information hierarchy rather than better timekeeping. It does not make the Apple Watch more accurate; it changes how the existing time is presented. It is a good choice if you want a watch-like face without filling the screen with activity, weather, or calendar data.
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
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Apple also lists Exactograph among the faces receiving 1Hz seconds support in always-on mode on Apple Watch Series 10 and later. That requirement applies to the seconds behavior, not to watchOS 26 compatibility as a whole.
Flow: Liquid Glass as an animated watch face
Flow is the clearest expression of watchOS 26’s Liquid Glass visual language. Its numerals refract a fluid colored orb, and the orb responds to movement as you raise or turn your wrist.
This is primarily an ambient and visual face. It favors motion, color, and a clean composition over maximum complication density. Choose it if the character of the face matters more to you than having every piece of information visible at once. The exact customization and complication controls can vary by the current watchOS 26 face editor, so check the options shown on your watch before assuming it can reproduce a complication-heavy layout.
Waypoint: an Ultra-only live compass
Waypoint is designed for outdoor context. It shows your position relative to places saved in Maps or selected points of interest, keeping directional awareness on the watch face instead of requiring you to open a separate navigation view.
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
Apple identifies Waypoint as available on Apple Watch Ultra models. It should not be treated as a replacement for full turn-by-turn navigation: Apple’s description is a live compass relationship to saved locations and points of interest. Its practical usefulness will depend on the locations you save, location and compass access, and the map and connectivity conditions on your particular setup.
If you do not own an Ultra, installing watchOS 26 cannot unlock Waypoint. An Ultra is worth considering only when its broader outdoor hardware and features fit your needs, not for this face alone.
Hermès Faubourg Party: animation for Hermès owners
Hermès Faubourg Party is an edition-specific face rather than a standard face distributed to every Apple Watch. It presents a series of characters and brief animations that change according to the time of day or your movements.
The appeal is visual identity and collectability, not information density. It is available on Apple Watch Hermès models, and a standard Apple Watch cannot obtain it through a software update. Buying an Hermès model solely for one animated face would be a luxury decision rather than a practical watchOS upgrade.
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- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
The Photos face also changed, but it is not a fifth new face
watchOS 26 substantially redesigns the existing Photos face. Liquid Glass numerals are positioned to reveal more of the photograph, and the face can shuffle images based on Featured content in the Photos app.
Apple also redesigned the face gallery, grouping faces into collections to make discovery easier. These are improvements to an existing face and to the browsing experience; they are separate from the four wholly new faces.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compatibility: installing watchOS 26 is not the same as getting every face
Apple’s watchOS 26 security documentation lists support for Apple Watch Series 6 and later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and all Apple Watch Ultra models. watchOS 26 was released on September 15, 2025; see Apple’s watchOS 26 security and availability notes.
- Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, and SE (2nd generation): can install watchOS 26 when otherwise eligible, but cannot use Ultra-only Waypoint unless the watch is an Ultra.
- Apple Watch Ultra models: can use Waypoint, subject to the normal watchOS 26 and feature requirements.
- Apple Watch Hermès models: can use Hermès Faubourg Party; the face is not included on standard editions.
- Series 10 and later: receive the listed 1Hz seconds behavior in always-on mode for supported faces and apps.
Other watchOS 26 capabilities can have separate model, iPhone, language, or regional requirements. Compatibility with the operating system does not guarantee feature parity.
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- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
How to add Exactograph or Flow
Using the iPhone Watch app
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap Face Gallery.
- Select Exactograph or Flow. On an eligible watch, choose the relevant Ultra or Hermès collection for restricted faces.
- Choose the available colors, styles, and complications.
- Tap Add.
Using the Apple Watch
- Press and hold the current watch face.
- Swipe through the face gallery or tap the + button.
- Select the face you want.
- Adjust the controls shown by the face editor.
- Tap Add, or set it as the current face when prompted.
Labels and available controls can vary by language, model, and the current watchOS 26 build.
Which face should you choose?
- Choose Exactograph for separated hours, minutes, and seconds, a regulator-inspired appearance, and a more information-oriented presentation.
- Choose Flow for Liquid Glass styling, movement, and a minimalist visual experience.
- Choose Waypoint if you own an Apple Watch Ultra and regularly use saved locations or outdoor orientation.
- Choose Hermès Faubourg Party if you already own an Apple Watch Hermès and value animation or brand-specific design.
- Choose the updated Photos face if personal images matter more to you than adopting a completely new layout.
Animated faces can be less suitable when instant, glanceable information is your priority. Exactograph can look elegant but may be less useful than a complication-heavy face for weather, calendar, activity, or battery details. Flow’s practical value depends on the customization options offered on your device.
The “four faces” count refers to the original watchOS 26 release
Apple’s four-face announcement describes the base watchOS 26 release. Later point updates expanded the catalog; Apple’s watchOS 26.5 notes identify Pride Luminance as a later addition. Therefore, “four new faces” is accurate for the original launch, not a count of every face available across the complete watchOS 26 update series.
Do you need a new Apple Watch?
No. Exactograph and Flow are software features for compatible watchOS 26 models, so an eligible existing watch can use them after updating. A new Apple Watch is necessary only when you specifically need newer hardware, an Apple Watch Ultra for Waypoint, or an Apple Watch Hermès for Faubourg Party. No subscription is required for the faces themselves.
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