Huawei has announced the Watch Ultimate, one of the closest matches to an Apple Watch Ultra in a few kew respects.
However, it looks nothing like an Apple Watch, adopting the same diver’s watch style casing seen in older Huawei watches like the Watch GT 3 Pro.
There are two key versions of the Huawei Watch Ultimate, dubbed Voyage Blue and Expedition Black. Their abilities are matched, but their bezel designs are a little different, as are their prices.
These watches will not be sold in the US, but the Expedition Black model will cost 749 Euro or £700. The Voyage Blue Watch Ultimate will cost 899 Euro, £800. The blue version includes a titanium strap, explaining much of the price disparity.
Both versions have a ceramic bezel and a “zirconium-based liquid metal material case” Huawei claims is 2.5 times harder than stainless steel.
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Underwater diving ability is the Huawei Watch Ultimate’s real show-off point. It is rated for diving use at 100m, and has undergone ISO 22810 and EN13319 testing. Huawei says it can take 24-hour submersion at a depth of 110m.
The Apple Watch Ultra is certified for diving at a depth of 40m, even though it has 100m conventional water resistance.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate also has diving software built-in. It has a gauge for accurate depth measurement, and will signal if your rate of ascent is too quick. Stats it will calculate include CNS, NDL and PO2.
A Huawei Watch Ultimate can’t hook up with air tanks to display tank pressure and remaining air time, as a Garmin Descent Mk2 can, though.
It offers four dive modes: scuba dive, technical scuba dive, free dive and gauge.
The Watch Ultimate also introduces an Expedition mode, which logs your journey, so you can retrace your steps if needed.
Outside of the unusually high built quality and dive-ready features, the Huawei Watch Ultimate will feel similar to the Huawei Watch GT 3 Pro in use.
Its battery lasts up to two weeks off a charge, and has a sharp, bright OLED screen that can output up to 1000-nit brightness.
The Huawei Watch Ultimate will be available in the UK and Europe from April 3.
