Considering switching to a Santos. Thoughts?

[Seoras]

I'm on the cusp of buying a Santos De Cartier.

So, my Apple Watch (and 61 straps!) will be laid to rest.

I'm just not sure whether to do it or not?

I love the customisability of the Apple Watch, also little things like unlocking my Macs, Apple Pay etc, but I have always just loved the Santos.

What do you think?

Take care.

Yeah same here. I have a SS Series 4 and before that a Series 1.
I was going to buy a S10 or Ultra2 but I was fed up with the way WatchOS10 ruined the UI/UX on my S4 and that it put me off Apple Watch.
22 years ago I bought a automatic Swiss watch.
It's stainless steal with gold and back then cost me about 2000Euros.
Since Apple watch launched it's been lying in a drawer unused.
As the battery is going on my S4, and I got fed up with the UI/UX, I started wearing the Swiss Automatic again.
Now I find I prefer it to the Apple Watch and I don't feel the need to get a replacement.
The only problem though for me is that I write Apps for a living and I have 2 watch apps.
The S4 is unsupported and the Xcode Watch simulators don't cut it.
So I might get a 2nd hand one or the cheapest one there is at the moment.
The only thing I find I miss is the timers but it was the timer app UI/UX that was made worse by OS10.

 

[Night Spring]

The only thing I find I miss is the timers but it was the timer app UI/UX that was made worse by OS10.

I was initially a bit confused by the new timer UI, but once I discovered I could pin my most used timers at the top, it's so convenient and I love it.

 

[stanza.richi]

Cool, you’ve gotten used to the weight of those bulky AWUs, right? Now, you’re doing all the charting, prescription stuff, and research work on your iPad Pro and Mac, huh? Apple has also integrated HealthKit from the Apple Watch and iPhone, so patients can share their Apple Watch health data with clinicians like you. You can even export it to your iPad and Mac. Have you heard of it before?

By the way, how often do you wear both watches and your Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a daily basis?

Unfortunately, here in Italy, all hospital’s softwares are windows-based and are used for almost everything: charting, prescription and similar 😩 so I use my iPP most for personal purposes, just for research works and studying.

I know that AW could be useful to evaluate patients. a friend of mine developed a work using smartwatches to estimate improvement after lumbar spine surgery, but it is a little bit difficult to obtain a good compliance from middle-age patients here 😅

Well I think that most of my life is, now, with both watches. I use my AW only while sleeping and during physical activities. No watches while showering. Only mechanicals during holidays.

 

[xxFoxtail]

Reading some of the comments in this thread (and a previous thread from a few months back), I think I decided to try a week without my Apple Watch. I have my old mechanical watch that I only wear on special occasions. I’ve been wanting to wear it full time again, just couldn't get over not wearing the smartwatch.

Talking with my partner (and also ChatGPT a little bit), I kind of realized it's a bit of an addiction filling those rings, competing with friends and family, mindlessly opening apps on it, and it overall just being another screen I need to worry about. I need, and kind of want to step back from it for a little bit, possibly permanently.

It definitely has its uses, and I’m certainly going to miss some of the little things in this trial. I’m not going to miss all the endless data collecting, feeling like I need to immediately respond to every notification coming through and being constantly connected.

As a digital minimalist, I see the Apple Watch in two different perspectives. One, I could leave my phone at home and use the AW as a "dumb phone." I’m already pretty good about doomscrolling and social media usage, so this really wouldn't affect me as it would others. The second, the AW being an extension of the iPhone making me feel like I’m always connected even more than I was before it. Making it a worse device with this mindset.

It's already a daily habit to stay very active. I average around 10k steps per day, along with an indoor or outdoor bike workout. So I don’t see myself becoming lazy because of this.

But yeah, that's my perspective on this. Instead of the AW working for me, I’ve been feeling more like a slave to it in some ways. It's hard to describe. I’m sure there's some settings I can change up for this, but I’d rather just quit cold turkey for now.

 

[Night Spring]

But yeah, that's my perspective on this. Instead of the AW working for me, I’ve been feeling more like a slave to it in some ways. It's hard to describe. I’m sure there's some settings I can change up for this, but I’d rather just quit cold turkey for now.

Do you have AOD on? If so, consider turning it off. You could go a step further and turn off Raise Wrist to Wake. That way, Apple watch is just a data collecting device on your wrist.

Not sure if that helps with your feeling addicted to filling the activity rings, but if spending too much time looking at the watch is a problem, I think turning off AOD is something to try.

 

[Seoras]

I was initially a bit confused by the new timer UI, but once I discovered I could pin my most used timers at the top, it's so convenient and I love it.

No, it wasn't that. It was being able to pause and restart the timer that WOS10 make unusable for me. I think the UI was focused too heavily on the newer and larger displays at the expense of the older smaller ones like mine.
That made me feel like I'd spent a lot of money on something that, if it wasn't the latest and greatest, would be ignored and forgotten. WOS9 was perfectly fine and I wish I'd never updated it to 10.
The Swiss automatic might not have anything but time and date but it has outlasted everything I have ever bought from Apple and still looks great and not dated.
Johnny Ive said, back when the Apple Watch launched, "Switzerland is f----d". I think he got that badly wrong.
Apple makes stuff that looks dated within a few years. Switzerland makes stuff you hand down through generations.
There might be an emerging trend with others, like myself and the OP, going back to Swiss watches.

 

[goldmac2006]

Unfortunately, here in Italy, all hospital’s softwares are windows-based and are used for almost everything: charting, prescription and similar 😩 so I use my iPP most for personal purposes, just for research works and studying.

I know that AW could be useful to evaluate patients. a friend of mine developed a work using smartwatches to estimate improvement after lumbar spine surgery, but it is a little bit difficult to obtain a good compliance from middle-age patients here 😅

Well I think that most of my life is, now, with both watches. I use my AW only while sleeping and during physical activities. No watches while showering. Only mechanicals during holidays.

Many healthcare facilities in the states use Windows, but some also use macOS. Have you considered Parallels Desktop for macOS? Since ARM Macs can’t run Boot Camp, many Mac users with M1, M2, M3, or M4 Macs love using Parallels Desktop to run Windows virtual machines. This allows them to use software that’s not supported on Mac, like Solidworks, Inventor, and certain charting software.

By the way, I still see iPad Pros being used for charting and logging patient data. My eye doctor uses her rose gold 6th-generation iPad for this purpose. She even uses it to control HomeKit lights in the exam room and display eye charts. It’s her private practice, so she has all Apple stuff in there.

Really? Do you have the information that the Apple Watch can correct posture and balance after lumbar/spinal surgery? I’ve never heard of that before. I’d love to know how it works. Of course, some older people may not be used to 21st-century technology like Apple Watches and iPhones. Old fashioned people aren’t the type for this. Haha!

You don’t wear any watches while showering? That’s the time I charge my Apple Watch too! I never touched my regular watches again after getting my first Apple Watch in 2017.

 

[Night Spring]

No, it wasn't that. It was being able to pause and restart the timer that WOS10 make unusable for me. I think the UI was focused too heavily on the newer and larger displays at the expense of the older smaller ones like mine.

Hmmm, sorry if you mentioned it before and I missed it, but which watch do you have? I have an S8, and I don't have any problem with pausing/resuming the timer on watchOS 11. I find it especially easy to do from the Smart Stack.

Yes, it's true that Apple watch is an electronic gadget that would eventually be outdated and no longer supported. That's why I always buy the aluminum models and don't pay extra for the steel/titanium/whatever models. And by the time my watch is no longer supported, I feel like I've gotten my money's worth.

I suppose there's a place for things that get handed down from generation to generation. I have some pieces of jewelry handed down to me from my grandmother -- and I have no occasion to ever wear them. They've just been collecting dust in my drawer. In the end, what I find most precious is my memories of the times I spent with her.

 

[geta]

Reading some of the comments in this thread (and a previous thread from a few months back), I think I decided to try a week without my Apple Watch. I have my old mechanical watch that I only wear on special occasions. I’ve been wanting to wear it full time again, just couldn't get over not wearing the smartwatch.

Talking with my partner (and also ChatGPT a little bit), I kind of realized it's a bit of an addiction filling those rings, competing with friends and family, mindlessly opening apps on it, and it overall just being another screen I need to worry about. I need, and kind of want to step back from it for a little bit, possibly permanently.

It definitely has its uses, and I’m certainly going to miss some of the little things in this trial. I’m not going to miss all the endless data collecting, feeling like I need to immediately respond to every notification coming through and being constantly connected.

As a digital minimalist, I see the Apple Watch in two different perspectives. One, I could leave my phone at home and use the AW as a "dumb phone." I’m already pretty good about doomscrolling and social media usage, so this really wouldn't affect me as it would others. The second, the AW being an extension of the iPhone making me feel like I’m always connected even more than I was before it. Making it a worse device with this mindset.

It's already a daily habit to stay very active. I average around 10k steps per day, along with an indoor or outdoor bike workout. So I don’t see myself becoming lazy because of this.

But yeah, that's my perspective on this. Instead of the AW working for me, I’ve been feeling more like a slave to it in some ways. It's hard to describe. I’m sure there's some settings I can change up for this, but I’d rather just quit cold turkey for now.

Out of curiosity, what did Chat GPT said that convinced you to stop using your Apple Watch?

As for being connected 24/7 and becoming a slave to it, this is what these devices do plus collecting data about you, but they mask this under health and productivity…

 

[xxFoxtail]

Out of curiosity, what did Chat GPT said that convinced you to stop using your Apple Watch?

As for being connected 24/7 and becoming a slave to it, this is what these devices do plus collecting data about you, but they mask this under health and productivity…

This might be a lengthier comment. There were a couple things... These were listed as bullet points in a longer list, but these stuck out to me -

Dependency - If you feel like you "need" it all the time, that might be a sign it's taking up too much mental space.

Tracking causes obsession or stress rather than motivation.

Simplifying your tech - If you’re aiming to reduce the number of devices you own and maintain, getting rid of it could be a step in that direction.

It also gave me the regular ideas about how I can minimize Apple Watch usage - like turning off non-essential notifications, limiting health metrics (no automatic heart rate or oxygen checking), and keeping a simple watch face without complications. I then asked it if I should just go cold turkey with my old analog watch for a week. And told me how to approach this - mainly paying attention to what I miss (do I actually miss any of these features, or was it just habit?), and to pay attention to any benefits, like feeling less distracted, less pressured by data, and more present in life.

I then let ChatGPT know that I almost caved and almost ended the experiment after a couple hours after seeing my incomplete fitness rings on a widget on my iPhone, which I promptly deleted. I should note that I "paused the rings" for a while in the past, so I’m aware I can do that.

It definitely sounds like a strong habit, maybe even bordering on addiction, but more than that, it's a psychological attachment to tracking and completion. The Apple Watch rings are designed to be gamified, triggering a dopamine response when you close them. Seeing them incomplete likely triggered that itch to "fix" it.

It asked how I was feeling after removing the widgets. I let it know I felt guilty. Which it let me know that makes sense as I’m feeling like I'm failing a system I was once committed to. And instead of feeling guilty, try reframing it as I’m choosing freedom from unnecessary tracking. I’m trusting myself to stay active without external validation. And I’m breaking a habit that was controlling me.

That's pretty much the gist of it. This comment is mostly about the fitness and health tracking side of it. Basically, in my current mindset, it feels like I need to step back from it for at least a short period of time to assess for my own sanity and mental health and decide on whatever changes I need to make. And I’m fully aware I’m probably sounding a bit crazy and obsessive here too.

I've never used ChatGPT as a shrink before, but it actually gave me some solid advice. There was some more in the chat, mostly irrelevant to this post.

 

[geta]

This might be a lengthier comment. There were a couple things... These were listed as bullet points in a longer list, but these stuck out to me -





It also gave me the regular ideas about how I can minimize Apple Watch usage - like turning off non-essential notifications, limiting health metrics (no automatic heart rate or oxygen checking), and keeping a simple watch face without complications. I then asked it if I should just go cold turkey with my old analog watch for a week. And told me how to approach this - mainly paying attention to what I miss (do I actually miss any of these features, or was it just habit?), and to pay attention to any benefits, like feeling less distracted, less pressured by data, and more present in life.

I then let ChatGPT know that I almost caved and almost ended the experiment after a couple hours after seeing my incomplete fitness rings on a widget on my iPhone, which I promptly deleted. I should note that I "paused the rings" for a while in the past, so I’m aware I can do that.


It asked how I was feeling after removing the widgets. I let it know I felt guilty. Which it let me know that makes sense as I’m feeling like I'm failing a system I was once committed to. And instead of feeling guilty, try reframing it as I’m choosing freedom from unnecessary tracking. I’m trusting myself to stay active without external validation. And I’m breaking a habit that was controlling me.

That's pretty much the gist of it. This comment is mostly about the fitness and health tracking side of it. Basically, in my current mindset, it feels like I need to step back from it for at least a short period of time to assess for my own sanity and mental health and decide on whatever changes I need to make. And I’m fully aware I’m probably sounding a bit crazy and obsessive here too.

I've never used ChatGPT as a shrink before, but it actually gave me some solid advice. There was some more in the chat, mostly irrelevant to this post.

Sounds like you finally understand what these devices really do and their real use… congrats!

 

[goldmac2006]

...

Hey man, I still really want you to keep wearing your Apple Watch. Everyone misses seeing your awesome Apple Watch photos and your positive energy in the Apple Watch pictures thread. Let’s make this comeback a reality and never consider leaving the Apple ecosystem. I also miss your compliments on all my Apple Watch photos.

However, if you still want a Cartier, feel free to wear it on your other wrist whenever you want. You can also keep the Series 10 on your left wrist. There’s nothing to regret leaving behind your Apple Watch. I’ve even supported y’all’s claims about double-wristing an Apple Watch and a regular watch.

You still have a collection of all these bands that you kept buying during your weekly Apple Store visits. Don’t waste them. Instead, use them and if you’re unsure about which band to wear, ask Siri for a random color or check Bandbriete’s band suggestions, which randomly selects bands based on the collection you’ve logged. I do that too and it’s better instead of buying duplicate bands by mistake.

Additionally, it would make no sense to stop wearing it since you can’t unlock your Macs anymore without using Touch ID, and unlocking iPhone if Face ID doesn’t detect your face, there’s no handoff, and you can’t easily check your notifications without picking up your iPhone frequently. Honestly, the biggest purpose of wearing an Apple Watch is health monitoring. To recap: We recently had a thread in the Apple Watch section where a fellow user was saved by the heart health capabilities of the Apple Watch (ECG and heart rate monitoring + Vitals). That user’s organs would have shut down if they hadn’t gone to the hospital immediately without knowing these features could be so helpful.

Out of all the things I’ve seen since I joined, I still say that please don’t leave your Apple Watch behind. You’ll regret it.

 

[CyberDavis]

Still looks like the same crap watch everyone else is wearing. I wouldn’t wear mine out of the house unless it was at the gym for tracking reasons. Turning off notifications is one way, but everyone I see is so addicted to their screens they’re missing the whole world and reality around them. Apple banks on it! Tim Crook banks on it! AAPL shareholders bank on it!

What I would like is a device that doesn’t tell time, doesn’t give me crap notifications, no display and just tracks my health. Like an Apple Ring. But Tim was so busy pursuing everything from cars to augmented reality that he never stopped to think what people wanted was a better way to get the same results.

Stop wearing Omega or Rolex or Seiko for an Apple Watch! No thanks. OP has the right idea. A bunch of money hungry top 1% get rich by selling crap watches that last a few years and are meant to go in the trash.

Style wise I like my AWU, and using different bands gives me many options.
But it is personal choice, if someone likes the AW fine, if they don’t them equally fine.
But a personal dislike doesn’t make it cr🤬p.

...

My personal taste for mechanical watches is more Tag Heuer. I don’t like the Santos style, but I maybe wouldn’t have worded it so strongly!😂😂

...

I’ll be honest I don’t think the Santos is a good looking watch, but like many things it’s personal choice and fortunately we have plenty of options.
Me I’d choose either a Tag Heuer (I own two) or an Omega, maybe Tissot, but I also own a Victorinox.

But if someone likes Cartier or something else then fair play to them.
I’m not going to have a go at someone for wearing a brand of watch I don’t like anymore than I’d criticise their clothes or car.😀👍

 

[jz0309]

Sounds like you finally understand what these devices really do and their real use… congrats!

well, then there is this:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dont-be-stupid-and-ignore-the-heart-warnings-writing-this-from-the-hospital-right-now.2449500/

 

[Howard2k]

well, then there is this:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dont-be-stupid-and-ignore-the-heart-warnings-writing-this-from-the-hospital-right-now.2449500/

Still not a watch

 

[uller6]

Style wise I like my AWU, and using different bands gives me many options.
But it is personal choice, if someone likes the AW fine, if they don’t them equally fine.
But a personal dislike doesn’t make it cr🤬p.


My personal taste for mechanical watches is more Tag Heuer. I don’t like the Santos style, but I maybe wouldn’t have worded it so strongly!😂😂


I’ll be honest I don’t think the Santos is a good looking watch, but like many things it’s personal choice and fortunately we have plenty of options.
Me I’d choose either a Tag Heuer (I own two) or an Omega, maybe Tissot, but I also own a Victorinox.

But if someone likes Cartier or something else then fair play to them.
I’m not going to have a go at someone for wearing a brand of watch I don’t like anymore than I’d criticise their clothes or car.😀👍

Thanks for the reality check, it's too easy to let internet hyperbole come out! Sorry @The Cockney Rebel, I didn't mean to Sun you so hard! You do you, and if it makes you happy, get the watch! Life is too short to care about what other people think.

 

[jz0309]

I'm on the cusp of buying a Santos De Cartier.

So, my Apple Watch (and 61 straps!) will be laid to rest.

I'm just not sure whether to do it or not?

I love the customisability of the Apple Watch, also little things like unlocking my Macs, Apple Pay etc, but I have always just loved the Santos.

What do you think?

Take care.

so, its been a week, you have gotten quite some feedback (some good, some not so good imho).

Have you made a decision?

 

[CyberDavis]

...

To be fair the AW might pickup a heart or other issue before you’ve realised, not all symptoms and problems are as obvious.
Being able to see changes in heart rate, cardio health etc might be the prompt for someone to realise it’s not just a cold.
For me if the AW saves one life then that’s good enough.
😀👍

 

[Expos of 1969]

Personally I do not like the look of the Santos, but that is neither here nor there. I have a Hamilton Khaki Automatic which you may find unsightly. Does not matter at all.

If you do buy a new watch, I recommend keeping the Apple Watch as well unless you really need whatever cash the sale of it may bring. In addition to my Hamilton I have an Apple Watch SE 2 and an inexpensive Casio. They all have their uses and and I wear them accordingly, never more than one at a time though.

It is a matter of personal taste, finances and interests. Whatever your ultimate decision, enjoy your watch or watches!

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

so, its been a week, you have gotten quite some feedback (some good, some not so good imho).

Have you made a decision?

I will get one at some point.

Thanks for your input.

 

[geta]

To be fair the AW might pickup a heart or other issue before you’ve realised, not all symptoms and problems are as obvious.
Being able to see changes in heart rate, cardio health etc might be the prompt for someone to realise it’s not just a cold.
For me if the AW saves one life then that’s good enough.
😀👍

Good for you if you trust a gadget to run your life and monitor your health condition. 👍

 

[xDKP]

I wear my AWU most days, but also my Speedy or Explorer for the office, dinner with or when feeling like it. Plenty space in a collection for both - no matter what you choose it it nice to be able to swap depending on your mood