Huawei Watch Ultimate 2 Luxury With Depth

The Watch Ultimate 2 is a rare animal out there in smartwatches: a luxury device that not only looks expensive, but is actually built for serious adventure. With a zirconium-based liquid metal case, ceramic accents, and sapphire glass, it straddles boutique watchmaking and performance gear in a manner few rivals dare attempt.

It is also unapologetically large. If you crave a subtle fitness band, this is not it. If you’re looking for an extravagant showstopper that can easily transition from the boardroom to a boat deck — and deep down, way down there: your Ultimate 2 has got more than mere bravado.

Design That Means Business, Built For Durability

Available in two thick sizes (approximately 47.5mm and 48.5mm) and weighing around 80g sans strap, the watch has ample wrist presence.

And the build choices aren’t just for show: zirconium-based liquid metal is resistant to scratching and deformation better than standard stainless steel, while the ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal preserve the face looking fresh over time.

Huawei includes premium strap options, such as a titanium bracelet and soft fluoroelastomer band, as well as an extension for wetsuits. The aesthetic is clearly an homage to high-end dive watches, but the finishing quality and tolerances are more luxury than utilitarian tool.

A Display For Sun And Sea With Extreme Visibility

The 1.5-inch LTPO OLED reaches a searing 3,500 nits — that’s enough light to make data legible in direct sun and underwater, where glanceability counts. Colors are lush, text is sharp, and the refresh rate adjusts on the fly to keep motion smooth while conserving power for ambient use.

HarmonyOS runs smoothly with the rotating crown and multi-button setup, complete with snappy animations and logical menus. The asterisk is ecosystem depth: third-party app choice remains slightly behind watchOS and Wear OS, and certain smart home tie-ins or NFC payments are more territory-dependent. You will notice the giant hole in the world of Apple or Google apps.

X-Tap Health Tools (A.K.A. How Am I Going To Count All Those Steps?)

Huawei’s X-Tap sensor stands out. Touch a finger to the case, and you can take a one-minute health snapshot of heart rate, SpO₂ (which measures oxygen in your blood), ECG and HRV, as well as arterial stiffness. However, a respirometric test activated after an instructed cough is surprisingly informative for rapid health monitoring.

In side-by-side tests against a chest-strap monitor and a finger pulse oximeter, readings were consistently tight for heart rate and oxygen saturation. Hey, it is not a medical device, but the frictionless capture and on-device explanations are a pretty compelling argument for regular real-world use.

Training Tools And Trustworthy Dual-Band GPS

The workout suite is about as comprehensive a round-up of modes as you could ask for, with profiles for running, cycling, pool and open-water swimming common to the category, alongside niche extras like pro golf metrics and expanded outdoor modes. And route imports, breadcrumb backtracking and offline maps make the watch a credible trail companion.

Dual-band GNSS (L1/L5) rapidly locks and cleanly tracks. Routes on urban runs and wooded hikes matched an Apple Watch Ultra 2 within a meter or two, and signal retention under tree canopy was impressively strong. For endurance athletes or hikers, that consistency is more important than headline speeds.

Features With Serious Ambition For Divers And Depth

With a 20 ATM rating, both IP68 and IP69-rated protection, and a maximum depth of 150 meters for diving – the Ultimate 2 is much more than recreational. It has depth and temperature logging, ascent-rate monitoring, and a sophisticated sonar-messaging system for easy underwater communication (and an SOS mode).

The ascent prompts are in line with recommendations made by entities like the Divers Alert Network, which advocates conservative ascents to minimize risk. Huawei’s system isn’t cast as a full decompression computer like the dedicated devices from Garmin’s Descent line or Suunto, and we wouldn’t expect it to be used for serious dive planning at depth, but for recreational divers and freediving practice there is some appeal in having this information on-wrist.

Smartwatch Basics Done Differently, With eSIM Perks

With independent eSIM support, calling from your wrist has never been easier – even in the absence of a smartphone or a physical SIM card. AI noise reduction technology ensures that you’re heard, no matter where you are: whether walking on a noisy street, conducting a business meeting at work, waiting in crowded line-ups or when simply alone with nature. Music storage, notification processing and local playback give you only the basics without needing your phone in tow.

It’s the same old compromises: smaller app stores compared to the Big Two, and regional variation in features — particularly contactless payments. If what you do on a daily basis relies on deep third-party integrations, you will feel potentially constrained by HarmonyOS despite its fluid core experience.

Battery Life And Charging For Real-World Use

For a device so rich in features, longevity is notably strong! Huawei quotes up to about 4.5 days when paired with an Android device, and about 3.5 days with iOS in normal use, extending up to 11 days in more limited settings. Divers will get approximately 18 hours underwater — or about 12 with sonar messaging in use. Mixed use in the real world arrived just shy of four days before the magnetic wireless puck was required.

Verdict And Where It Fits In The Premium Adventure Set

For £799, a risk, you say?
The Watch Ultimate 2 would be considered a luxury outlier, but does enough through materials, execution and niche capability to justify its price. It’s too large for little wrists and its app store isn’t class leading, yet the build quality (including a titanium bezel), X-Tap health suite and reliable GPS stand out from the pack; as does its ambitious dive toolkit.

If you’re looking for a high-end flagship that manages to look and feel premium, here’s a more refined option than many adventure timepieces. The Watch Ultra 2 from Apple still wins for software depth, app support and broader entertainment features, while the Galaxy Watch Ultra is a bit more flexible as it’s got Wear OS behind it, but neither rivals what Huawei has done with the whole underwater experience on offer here (nor its luxe finishing). For those wild souls who demand both luxury and capacity, the Ultimate 2 is one hell of a statement.