Apple Watch users will soon bid farewell to five more watch faces as Apple phases them out in the upcoming watchOS 26 update. The company has a history of retiring older designs with major software updates, and this time, Fire and Water, Gradient, Liquid Metal, Toy Story, and Vapor are on the chopping block.
This follows last year’s removal of four faces—Siri, Analog Chronograph, Explorer, and Numerals—in watchOS 11. While Apple has introduced new designs like Flux, Reflections, Pride Harmony, and Unity Rhythm, the latest update focuses on streamlining rather than expanding the selection.
A Creative Process Now Lost
Some of the discontinued faces were crafted through practical studio effects rather than digital design. In a past interview with Hodinkee, Apple designer Alan Dye explained the hands-on approach:
“We could have done this digitally, but we actually shot all of this in a studio. It reflects how our design team works—bringing together art directors, color experts, graphic designers, and even model makers who built structures we later set on fire.”
Despite the artistic effort behind these faces, Apple continues its trend of removing older options. The company has not announced new watch faces for watchOS 26, suggesting fresh designs may debut alongside new hardware in September.
For now, users can only hope their favorite analog displays—like those with live-updating seconds—remain untouched.
