Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

Apple Watch set for major redesign with new health monitoring features in 2024

Apple Watch redesign - and new features - set for 2024

By

A person wearing an Apple Watch while working out.
Karolina Grabowska / Pexels

Apple will halt sales of some of the most popular Apple Watch models, including the Series 9 and the Ultra 2 versions. This announcement comes as a surprise to many (but not to all), with the most obvious question being — why? Given that the Apple Watch Series 9 was just released in September of 2023, it seems sudden to be placing a ban on sales just months later. After a ruling by the US International Trade Commission in October that found the blood oxygen feature of the watch violated medical company Masimo’s patent. Following this ruling, President Joe Biden was given 60 days to review the ruling before a ban went into effect.

Recommended Videos

As a preemptive measure, Apple has decided to stop sales of these Apple Watch models ahead of the game. So what does this mean if you were next in line to purchase a shiny new Apple Watch? This announcement means you may need to wait a while to get your hands on the newest model. However, this ruling may just work out in your favor — as the Apple Watch is set for a huge redesign in 2024 with lots of new health features to get excited about.

Apple watch black leather
Bullstrap

What we know

Just in time for New Year’s Resolutions, the 2024 Apple Watch will reportedly feature new ways to track and monitor your health — blood pressure monitoring and sleep apnea detection features.

Related: 
Upgrade your daily routine with the best smartwatches for men

Blood pressure monitoring

The blood pressure (hypertension) feature will allow users to monitor their blood pressure right from their wrist, something that previous Apple Watch models cannot do. While this feature is not intended to replace heading to the doctor for a traditional blood pressure check, this feature will allow users to monitor trends in blood pressure regularly that may indicate a health problem. The blood pressure will track trends only and not provide specific measurements such as in a standard blood pressure measurement tool.

Sleep apnea detection features

Although many of the past Apple Watch series have included sleep tracking, the 2024 model is expected to add even more exciting sleep-tracking features. The new Apple Watch will offer sleep apnea detection features that will measure sleep patterns alongside breathing patterns throughout the night. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes a person to periodically stop breathing, often without knowing, during sleep. The ability of the new Apple Watch to detect and monitor this condition could help many people identify the condition. Mild cases of sleep apnea often go undetected until they worsen, requiring an overnight sleep study monitored by healthcare professionals for diagnosis.

Apple’s updates to health monitoring features with the newest Apple Watch continue to adapt to the changing desires of customers, seeking to gain more control over preventative health. While it’s disappointing that sales of the current Apple Watch have been halted, we think these exciting health features will be worth the wait. The new watches are expected to be released around September 2024, alongside the newest iPhone models.

Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
Contributor
Emily is a freelance journalist with a focus on food, travel, health, and fitness content. She loves to travel to new…
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches
From fire to clay: anOrdain's porcelain revolution brings accessible artistry
anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches

AnOrdain, a Glasgow-based company, built a loyal following—it made excellent hand-enameled watch dials and offered clear customer service. The Scottish maker then moved into a new material: porcelain. The company introduced its Model 2 Porcelain collection after three years of focused study. This collection gives customers a way to experience anOrdain's handmade dial art.
Work with porcelain began in 2022. At that time, anOrdain saw a need to broaden its selection. The company also wanted to keep its standards for handmade products high. Instead of buying porcelain dials from others, the company chose to learn this old art itself. AnOrdain's team spent three years with master potters from Stoke-on-Trent—a town known as a center for English pottery—learning how to make watch dials from English clay.
Making porcelain dials requires different methods than working with enamel. AnOrdain’s well-known grand feu enamel dials use glass powder on metal discs, which are baked at 840°C. But the new porcelain dials use English clay. Workers paint them with glass-like coatings and fire them at much higher temperatures, up to 1300°C. To achieve the black finish seen in the collection, the company experimented with many glaze mixtures, finally using a high amount of iron oxide.
After this hot firing, each dial shows slight differences. Small dips and dots appear as a sign of the handmade process. AnOrdain says these natural variations mean no two porcelain dials look the same. This celebrates the human touch in making fine watches.
The Model 2 Porcelain keeps the well-liked size and look of anOrdain’s enamel collection, but with some updates. The 39.5mm steel case holds the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, which performs well. The hands have been significantly improved. White glowing material now fills loops that were previously empty, finished with fine gold frames. The seconds hand is more striking, with a bright red outer coat and a white tip.
Production capacity is small—anOrdain can finish about 30 pieces each month. The price is $2,440, which is $750 less than the enamel versions, even though they use the same cases and movements. The current wait time is six months, and customers can buy only one watch each. The Model 2 Porcelain shows anOrdain's commitment to preserving traditional crafts in modern watchmaking. It also offers affordable luxury through transparent dealings with customers.

Read more
Breitling honors Scott Carpenter with platinum watch
Orbital legacy: Breitling's platinum tribute to space exploration pioneer
Breitling scott carpenter platinum watch

Sixty-three years after Scott Carpenter circled Earth, a custom Breitling Navitimer sat on his wrist. The Swiss maker now honors him with a platinum watch, which has a limited run. The Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary observes the American pilot's 100th birthday—it also recalls the story of the first Swiss watch to leave Earth's air.

On May 24, 1962, Carpenter became the second American to circle Earth. He flew as part of NASA's Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. A special Navitimer was on his wrist. Breitling altered it for space travel. The work began with a personal letter from Carpenter—he requested specific changes. He wanted a wider bezel for gloved hands and a stretch metal band for his space suit. Most notably, he asked for a 24-hour dial. In orbit, sunrise and sunset happen every 90 minutes. A regular 12-hour display does not show time well there.

Read more
TAG HEUER returns to the Formula 1 Circuit with a bold new era
TAG Heuer reignites its racing legacy at Monaco Grand Prix 2025
TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph

As part of its role as the official timekeeper of the newly renamed Formula 1 TAG Heuer Grand Prix de Monaco, TAG Heuer has released three new watches. The triumphant return has the Swiss watchmaker doubling down on its legacy of premium luxury and motorsport precision. These three new pieces continue a rich tradition of excellence by encompassing the essence of Monaco’s racing spirit.

TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph x Gulf

Read more