Thanks to Google’s consistent efforts, the Wear OS ecosystem has improved by leaps and bounds. I have been using the Google Pixel Watch 2 since its launch in October 2023, and I could not have been happier. With more developer support than ever, plenty of watch faces are available to help spice up the watch’s look. Over the last year, I have tried several watch faces on my Pixel Watch 2, but I always go back to a select few.
All the watch faces I mention below will also look great on other Wear OS smartwatches, especially ones with a circular display. Almost all of them are customizable, so you can set the complication to provide quick access to the data you want. Most of the watch faces are made using the Watch Face Format, so they are battery-friendly and will work on Wear OS 5 without issues. Check out my favorite Pixel Watch 2 Wear OS watch faces below.
1 Gradient
Smart use of gradient colors
Gradient combines the black AMOLED-friendly background with gradient colors to deliver a clean yet functional watch face. The bold digital clock uses a gradient color, seamlessly switching to using it as an outline border in always-on display mode.
You can choose from 10 gradient colors for the digital clock, and 29 theme options for the watch face itself. Five customizable complications are neatly and evenly laid out, ensuring my Pixel Watch 2’s display does not look too cluttered.
Gradient is my go-to watch face on the Pixel Watch 2, which I always return to. This is thanks to its digital clock style, which puts the time in the center, ensuring it always stands out among a hoard of other information.
2 Fit Dashboard
A dashboard for your fitness activity
True to its name, the Fit Dashboard watch face puts all your key health metrics upfront. This includes your step count, the distance you have walked, your heart rate, and more. Unlike some other watch faces, all the information is spread out, making it easy to read.
You can choose from up to seven customizable complication slots, with gradient bars depicting the battery level and steps goal. I like how the watch face neatly displays big calendar entries in one corner without cluttering the watch face.
The Always-on display is also customizable, with the watch face providing four options: You can set it to display only the time or a dimmed state of your customized configuration.
3 Universalis Digital
Bold and customizable
Universalis Digital uses a colored outer ring to add a twist to the typical AMOLED-friendly watch face with a black background. The bold digital clock and the spacious layout provide ample room to display all the necessary information, such as step count, heart rate, and remaining battery percentage. In total, there are seven customizable complications.
The watch face comes with 30 color combinations for the outer ring, accent color, and time, so you can personalize it as you like. The highlight of the Universalis Digital watch face is that the colored outer ring remains visible on the always-on display, albeit in a dimmed state.
An analog version of the Universalis watch face is also available if that’s more your style.
4 Galaxy Ultra Watch Face
Ultra in every way
I like the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra’s default watch face for its detailed yet clean layout. Thankfully, I don’t need to ditch my Pixel Watch 2 and upgrade to Samsung’s newest smartwatch just for this. As the name suggests, the Galaxy Ultra watch face brings the same look to my Pixel Watch 2 (and other Wear OS smartwatches).
This “Galaxy Watch Ultra inspired watch face” features seven customizable complications, and you can even personalize the accent colors to your liking. Admittedly, the watch face will shine on wearables with bigger displays, like the 45mm Pixel Watch 3 or the Galaxy Watch 7 (45mm). It feels cramped on the Pixel Watch 2’s small screen, but I still don’t mind using it.
5 Concentric
One of the best stock watch faces
Concentric comes preloaded on the Pixel Watch 2 and is among my favorite stock watch faces. It stands out for its unique design, where the entire second dial rotates. In always-on display mode, the second dial hides itself, with only the digital hour and minute dials being visible for a clean look.
I prefer Concentric’s half-dial layout, though, as it adds three customizable complications. This allows the watch face to show more than time, increasing its usefulness.
If you want a more customizable watch face similar to the Concentric watch face for your non-Pixel Wear OS watch, check out Pixel’s Half Concentric watch face.
6 Retro Digital PER003 Signatra
A retro yet informative watch face
All the watch faces mentioned in this list feature a black background. This helps with battery life, as all Wear OS watches use an OLED screen. But continuously using watch faces with a black background can get boring fast. So, I switch to the Retro Digital PER003 Signatra watch face every few weeks.
It sports a retro digital design, a throwback to the Casio watches of the bygone era. The developer has added a twist to the retro layout by smartly placing all important data above and below the digital clock. The watch face only provides two customizable complications, but there are plenty of color, pattern, and frame options for you to pick from for the watch face.
7 Radii
Sometimes, simple is the best
Radii stands out for its simplistic design, which the developers claim takes inspiration “from the dynamics of a planetary system.” It shows the time, date, and the watch’s battery life via a bar. That’s it; there are no complications to provide quick access to certain tasks. The customization options are also limited — you can only select the background, foreground, and accent colors.
Admittedly, I only use Radii on certain occasions, like when on vacation and when I am not looking to monitor my step count, heart rate, or other notifications.
The watch face has not received an update in nearly 10 months, and it would be great if the developers released a new build with more customization options.
Customize the watch faces to give your Wear OS watch a unique look
And there you have it. These are my favorite Wear OS watch faces that I regularly cycle between on my Pixel Watch 2. The best part about almost all the watch faces listed above is how customizable they are. You can tweak their layout, color combination, accent color, and other aspects to get a unique look.
Thankfully, the Play Store is now filled with great watch faces. So, even if you don’t agree with my choices above, you will find plenty of other options for your watch.
