Zirconium-based liquid metal
Luxury watch fans may already be familiar with this alloy, but Huawei says this is the first time it has been used in a smartwatch. Liquidmetal is actually the commercial name for a series of alloys, developed by Caltech, and these usually include zirconium, nickel, copper, titanium, and aluminum.What this all means in practice is that the case of the Huawei Watch Ultimate is 4.5 times stronger and 2.5 times harder than stainless steel, while also being lighter and comparable to titanium weight-wise. Another strong positive of zirconium-based alloys is that they’re very corrosion-resistant. Which leads us to the next crucial feature of this watch.
100-meter dive-level water resistance
What’s even more interesting is that the Huawei Watch Ultimate comes with audio capabilities, even though it’s rated at 10 ATM. That’s been achieved with 16 water-resistant structures, and the zirconium-based alloy, mentioned above, can withstand salt water to make the Watch Ultimate a real diver’s watch.
There are four different diving modes – scuba diving, technical scuba diving, free-diving, and gauge diving. Diving at such depths requires careful planning to avoid decompression sickness (a life-threatening condition, in which bubbles form in your bloodstream during rapid decompression), and the Huawei Watch uses Bühlmann decompression algorithms to monitor your ascent and suggest a safe pace. There are also over 20 reminders to keep you safe down there.
Expedition Mode, because not everyone wants to go to the bottom of the ocean
The extra button activates Expedition mode, and you automatically morph into Bear Grills…not. All jokes aside, Huawei has organized all outdoor-focused features and activities under this new mode, at the touch of a button.
This mode features helpful things such as the “Return Safely” tool. This mode maps your journey using Dual-Frequency Five-System GNSS positioning and can lead you back to where you started using either a straight line to your starting point or markers that you can set along your route.
There’s also a specially designed display mode called Dark Light, meant for nighttime adventures and designed to be easy on your eyes (using primarily dark red light).
Huawei Watch Ultimate Display
Speaking of the display, it’s a 1.5-inch LTPO AMOLED that can get to 1,000 nits of brightness. Above the display sits a sapphire glass cover, with a nano-ceramic bezel around it. Now, LTPO in smartwatches is a bit different than the technology used in smartphones. We believe that in the case of the Huawei Watch Ultimate, the display can go up to 60 Hz and down to 30 Hz or 24 Hz. Stay tuned for more information on that.
Other than that, you can expect all the bells and whistles found in the Huawei Watch GT3 line, such as enhanced CE MDR-certified ECG analysis, all-day heart rate monitoring, all-day SpO2 monitoring, and stress monitoring. The watch uses Huawei’s TruSeen 5.0+ and TruSleep 3.0 to monitor your body’s vitals and sleep. Last but not least, the Huawei Watch Ultimate can last up to 14 days on a single charge, and the fast charging tech onboard can fill up the battery from 0 to 100% in just 60 minutes.
Price and availability
There are two variants to choose from – Voyage Blue and Expedition Black. Both watches look gorgeous, to be honest, and the blue version reminds us of the all-time classic, the Omega Seamaster, which is not a bad place to draw inspiration from.
Ultimate Voyage Blue’s strap is made of a titanium alloy, while the Expedition Black comes with a Hydrogenated Nitrile Rubber (HNBR) strap. Both watches feature an additional extra-long HNBR strap for scuba diving.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate will be available in the UK & Europe starting April 3, from the Huawei Store and selected retailers (pricing to be announced).
You can actually win one!
