Ginza Alpinist and Matching Custom Football Shirts.

@Fieldwalker you know it...

I wore the apple watch for about 4 years (series 0) then got into watches and bought 3 apple watches in 2022, returned all three, series 7 (didn't like the design, i had gotten bored of the apple watch by this point), ultra twice, loved it both times but...

1 - i get a weird read mark on my wrist where i wear apple watches that doesn't happen with regular watches, and i sleep in whatever watch i go to bed in. 

2 - when i think of the people i most admire... they dont wear smart watches. , I dont mean this in a disrespectful way. I am easily distracted and I'm really trying to learn to focus like a buddhist monk, be present whenever im with my daughter and listen to my body when i work out. 

3 - I recently took a trip back home to Ghana the apple watch would have been super convenient and handy but all i had was my seiko 5 gmt, i jogged with it, swam in the ocean all the above, it did the job, didn't die on me and didn't need charging. There's a lot of piece of mind in this. 

4 - I have so much tech it hurts me to have another thing i need to upgrade every 3 years. Ultra is really expensive for how long it will last compared to mechanicals (factoring servicing), compared to a g-shock it's not even worth thinking about. 

Alternatives i've researched

whoop - i dont like subscription models 

Oura Ring - still contemplating but still conflicts with point 2. 

I even stopped using my heart rate monitor and instead I go by rate of perceived exertion which i check against my pulse old school. The metrics are great, but i'm a lifetime gamer who had to give up games because i realised i'm massively addicted to dopamine, new watch, youtube video, forums, games ect... 

Apple watch ultra is amazing for a hike, but when I wear my mechanical watch or a simple g shock i dont spend the whole hike looking at my wrist, I will often check a map but that forces me to engage my brain and take in the surroundings, I still have my phone as backup. 

You already have the apple watch so perhaps use it just for sports tracking your workout and just make an estimate for your daily steps ect.

OR double wrist and turn off all the notifications, screen wake, ect...

My personal solution: 

I leverage my game addiction and i made a simple spreadsheet in numbers, when i work out i track weight, sets, reps, rate of perceived exertion and time. with this data i can have a simple graph that represent the rings i personally care about. 

Caveat: 

I dont own a car, and i dont need to get more steps in per day, i workout 5-6 days with or without the watch, the watch took all the work out of tracking things and it tracked more data than I personally need but loved to nerd over. I realised though it's better to make a workout plan that suits you however simple it is or download one online than wear the watch unhappily simply because it gives you a boost.  However that boost is great as initial (1-3 years) motivation alternatively you could do this by getting a calendar and marking every day you train and don't break the chain. 

I personally love the apple watch and what it represents but for me personally at this point in my life and with my goals though i appreciate all the conveniences and how much MORE it helps me do, I am actually in the market of learning to do LESS better. 

Hope it helps. 

Look at that lovely powder not yet bearing the tracks of school children. Enjoy!

I say put it in the bug out bag or gift to someone who is addicted to their phone.

African black pepper sauce/chilli/death by gastro. 

interesting i would have thought it a fluke but 2 watches seems unlikely to be a fluke, but yes in the uk high variance in temp inside and outside/over the course of the day. 

Yea but if i did that i would have to stop chasing the dragon lol.