What you can change on your Apple Watch clock
Your Apple Watch clock face is the first thing you see when you raise your wrist. You can change its appearance, the information it displays, and how it behaves — all without touching your phone. The customization happens directly on the watch itself, through the watch face gallery and the settings menu.
The watch comes with built-in faces like Modular, Chronograph, and Solar. Each one lets you add complications — small widgets that show weather, calendar events, activity rings, or battery percentage without opening an app. You can also set different faces for different times of day, or swipe between multiple faces you've customized.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold the current clock face on your watch to open the customization menu, then swipe left to see other faces or tap the plus sign to add a new one.
- Tap a complication slot (the small boxes on your face) to choose what information appears there — weather, calendar, activity, or dozens of other options.
- You can create multiple custom faces and swipe between them; each face remembers its own complications and color settings separately.
- Some complications update in real time, while others refresh when you raise your wrist or open the watch face gallery.
- Changes made on the watch sync to your iPhone's Watch app, but you can also customize faces through your phone if you prefer a larger screen.
How to open the clock face customization menu
Start with the watch face currently showing on your screen. Press and hold the display — not a button, but the face itself — until the screen dims slightly and a menu appears at the bottom. You'll see options to edit, add a new face, or access settings.
Tap Edit to change the current face. The watch will highlight the complication slots (usually small boxes or circles) that you can customize. Swipe left or right to move between different areas of the face, or tap directly on a complication to change what it shows.
If you want to see other clock faces instead, tap the plus sign or swipe left from the edit menu. This opens the face gallery, where you can browse all available faces, preview them, and add new ones to your rotation.
Adding and removing complications
A complication is any piece of information displayed on your clock face — the date, weather, your next calendar event, activity progress, or battery percentage. Most faces have between two and four complication slots. Tap any slot to see what options are available for that position.
The watch shows you compatible complications for each slot. Scroll through the list and tap the one you want. Some complications are built-in (like Calendar or Weather), while others come from apps you've installed. If an app doesn't appear in the list, it may not support complications, or you may need to update it.
To remove a complication, tap its slot and scroll to the top of the list, where you'll find an empty option. Tap it to clear that slot. You can also swipe left on a complication in the list to delete it quickly.
Changing colors and appearance
Most clock faces let you adjust the color scheme. While in edit mode, swipe up or down on the face itself to cycle through available color options. Some faces offer dozens of variations; others have just a few. The changes appear in real time as you swipe.
Some faces also let you adjust other visual settings — the thickness of the watch hands, the style of numbers (Arabic, Roman, or none), or the background image. These options appear in the edit menu below the complication slots. Tap each setting to see what choices are available.
If you're customizing through your iPhone instead, open the Watch app, go to Clock, and tap the face you want to edit. You'll see the same color and style options, but on a larger screen.
Creating multiple faces and switching between them
You can have up to 10 custom clock faces on your watch at once. Each one remembers its own complications, colors, and settings. To add a new face, press and hold the current one, tap the plus sign, choose a face from the gallery, customize it, and tap Add.
Once you have multiple faces, swipe left or right on the clock display to move between them. The face you use most often will stay in the same position, so you can quickly return to it. You can also set a face to appear automatically at a certain time of day — for example, a minimal face in the morning and a detailed one during work hours.
To delete a face, press and hold it, swipe left, and tap the trash icon. You'll always have at least one face, so the watch won't let you delete your last one.
Syncing customizations between your watch and phone
Changes you make on the watch sync automatically to your iPhone's Watch app within a few seconds. This means if you customize a face on your wrist, you'll see that same face in the Watch app on your phone.
You can also customize faces through your iPhone if you prefer. Open the Watch app, tap Clock, select a face, and adjust colors, complications, and settings. These changes will appear on your watch the next time it syncs — usually within a minute if both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network or if your watch is connected to your phone via Bluetooth.
If a complication isn't updating on your watch, check that the app providing it has permission to run in the background. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Privacy, and make sure the app is listed there. Some complications also need location access or internet connection to update properly.
Troubleshooting common customization issues
If you can't press and hold the clock face to edit it, make sure you're pressing on the display itself, not on the Digital Crown (the knob on the side). The press should feel firm and last about two seconds. If nothing happens, try again — sometimes the watch needs a moment to respond.
If a complication you want doesn't appear in the list, the app providing it may not support complications, or it may not be installed on your watch. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Available Apps, and install the app on your watch. Then try adding the complication again.
If a complication stops updating, force-close the app providing it. On your watch, press the Digital Crown to see all open apps, swipe to find the app, and swipe up on it. Then open the app again. If the problem continues, restart your watch by holding down the side button until you see the power-off slider, then turn it back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a photo as my clock face background?
Yes. Some watch faces, like Photos and Memories, use images from your iPhone's photo library as the background. When you customize these faces, you can choose which album or photo to display. The watch syncs the image from your phone automatically.
Why is my complication showing old information?
Complications update when you raise your wrist, open the watch face gallery, or when the app providing the complication refreshes in the background. If it's still stale after a few minutes, the app may not have permission to update. Check the Watch app on your iPhone under Privacy to confirm the app can run in the background.
Can I customize the clock face on my locked watch?
No. If your watch is locked with a passcode, you'll need to unlock it first. Press and hold the display, enter your passcode when prompted, and then you can edit the face. This is a security feature to prevent others from changing your settings without permission.
What happens to my custom faces if I update watchOS?
Your custom faces and complications are preserved during watchOS updates. The watch stores them separately from the operating system, so you won't lose any customizations. After the update, your faces will look and work the same as before.
Can I share a custom clock face with someone else?
You can't directly send a face to another person, but you can describe your setup and they can recreate it on their own watch. If you've customized a face through the Watch app on your iPhone, you can take a screenshot of the customization screen and share that image as a reference.