I’m too scared to take the new Apple Watch Series 10 off – I’ve been secretly testing it and I’d pass up a Rolex any day

I CAN hardly imagine a life without my Apple Watch.

Yes, I know that sounds dramatic. But honestly, I think I’m more obsessed with it than my phone.

So I was delighted when I got the chance to secretly try out the new Apple Watch Series 10 before it’s released to the public.

I abandoned regular watches years ago. The Apple Watch has too many clever tricks that I’m just not willing to give up.

The Series 10 keeps the best of those features, and bundles in some very welcome changes to boot.

First off, it’s really very thin.

In fact it’s around 10% thinner than the Series 9, which wasn’t exactly beefy.

And Apple says that despite that slimming-down, it still offers the same 18-hour battery life.

I struggled to run it down in a single day, charging only before bed (so I can take advantage of the sleep tracking).

Inside is a new S10 processor that helps to deliver this battery performance – and keep the watch profile very svelte.

It does the usual tricks: tracks your movement, heart rate, and (of course) tells the time.

You can use it to make Apple Pay purchases, and even phone calls.

It’ll answer questions via Siri, and potentially even save your life with Crash Detection and Fall Detection.

And the Translate app will translate conversations for you in foreign languages.

All of this is made even better thanks to the newly-gigantic display.

Apple reckons it’s about 30% bigger than the screen on the Series 6, and just under 10% larger than the Series 9 display.

It means tapping small buttons, typing, and reading have never been easier on the Apple Watch.

The screen has also been upgraded with a wide-angle OLED display so you can see it better from off-angles.

It’s a nice perk, and is a stark contrast to the tiny and dim early Apple Watch models.

The watch now also refreshes every second in Always-On Mode, so you can see a ticking seconds hand without having to “wake” the watch up.

Charging is faster than ever. Apple says you get about eight hours of use from a 15-minute charge.

And you can get to 80% in 30 minutes.

It feels rapid, and doesn’t even require a new charger – the change is inside the Apple Watch.

I-TIME?

There are some big app changes too.

There’s already an enormous roster of Health app features, but the watch can now also track sleep apnea.

I wasn’t able to properly test this as it takes a while for the trend to be registered (and it only pops up if you have sleep apnea, which I do not).

But sleep apnea is very serious, affecting more than a billion people according to Apple.

Sleep apnea is when breathing stops during sleep, and it can ultimately lead to increased risk of hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiac problems.

Many people might have sleep apnea and not even realise.

But they may soon spot it, because the Apple Watch uses its built-in accelerometer (normally used for tracking steps) to check for tiny wrist movements that signal disrupted night-time breathing.

You can check your stats at any time in Health > Breathing Disturbances, potentially inspiring you to go speak to a doctor.

More niche is the addition of Custom Workouts for swimming in the pool, with a new depth gauge and water temperature sensor now available.

You can view all of this data in the Depth app, which automatically opens when you dunk your watch.

There’s also a new Tides app that will be handy for surfers, as well as those people who jump in the cold sea very early in the morning. I’m not one of those people, but I’m happy for them all the same.

More useful is the ability to play audio through the built-in speaker.

This was only available for phone calls previously, but now supports Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and more.

It’s a nice touch, especially if you want to quickly finish up listening to something without plugging headphones in.

Phone calls on the watch are now better too.

They support new Voice Isolation to shut out loud sounds around you, helping you come across crystal clear during calls.

In my testing, it seems to block out wind and traffic noises with very little difficulty.

The only downside is that for U.S. shoppers, there’s no Blood Oxygen sensing.

It’s linked to a legal dispute that means that the Series 10 – while technically capable of delivering the feature – is no longer allowed to.

For Brits, it’s no issue: you can use Blood Oxygen tracking just like always.

The watch is available in a wide selection of colors, with plenty of fancy, sporty, and/or stylish bands to choose from.

I like the speckled Nike bands that are made from old recycled Apple Watch straps, but the choice is almost endless.

WATCH THIS SPACE

It’s very difficult to dislike the Apple Watch.

Probably the main complaint would be that people don’t want to be inundated with notifications on their wrist.

But Apple gives you so much control over what comes through to your wrist that it’s really a non-issue.

Battery life is totally fine for daily use, the screen looks incredible, and the health-tracking features are genuinely useful and always improving.

You might not want to fork out $399 / £399 for a watch, especially one that might be “out of date” in six years (not a problem for regular watches).

But the features are so powerful that the money and lifespan feel like fine trade-offs.

I can track every calorie I burn, which has been wildly helpful in my own journey to trim the fat.

And it can tell me if I’m having heart rhythm issues, or even call an ambulance if I’m in a crash.

With life-preserving features like that, it’s almost priceless.

It’s not just that I don’t want to take the Apple Watch off – it’s that I daren’t take the risk of not wearing it.

The Apple Watch has moved on from being a fun wrist-borne gadget to what I’d consider a health essential. A Rolex might look nice and hold its value, but let’s be honest: it probably won’t save your life.

And besides, if you don’t want to spend big on this new model, older (and similarly powerful) Apple Watch alternatives are available with tempting discounts now that the fresh version is here.

The Sun says: The Apple Watch is an easy and stylish way to upgrade your wrist with fun and powerful tech features. But it’s the life-preserving features on board that make this too good to pass up. 5/5 for the UK, and 4.5/5 for the U.S. due to the missing Blood Oxygen monitoring.

The new Apple Watch Series 10 is available from £399 / $399 and is out on Friday, September 20.

All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed.

Always do your own research before making any purchase.