Apple has separated its three time-based categories into separate apps on Apple Watch. This allows you to quickly access the specific feature of the timer, alarm, and stopwatch you want with just a few taps.

Apple Watch Timer_Alarm_Stopwatch
While most of it is self-explanatory, we've got some tips for how to get the most out of each of these apps so they work the way you want, when you want.

Timer

The Timer app on Apple watch makes it possible for you to set a timer right from your wrist so you don't have to search out your iPhone to activate or even turn off the alert when time is up.

Apple Watch Timer
Tap the Timer app icon on Apple Watch to open it. Then rotate the Digital Crown to adjust the time. When ready, tap the Start button.

You can switch between a timer that goes from zero to 12 hours and a timer that goes from zero to 24 hours by firmly pressing the display screen.

Alarm

The Alarm app on Apple Watch is completely separate from the iPhone, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Alarms will not sync between devices. However, if you are wearing Apple Watch when an alarm goes off on your iPhone, you will receive an alert and be able to dismiss or snooze it.

Apple Watch Alarm

To set an alarm on Apple Watch:

  1. Open the Alarm app on Apple Watch.
  2. Firmly press the screen to call up the add (+) symbol.
  3. Change the time and repetition. Name the alarm using Dictation. Turn on or off the snooze feature.
  4. Toggle the alarm on or off when you want to activate it.

To delete an alarm, tap it. Then, scroll to the bottom and tap Delete.

Stopwatch

The Stopwatch app on Apple Watch is robust with multiple options for tracking your fitness routine and other activities you might want to use a stopwatch with.

Apple Watch Stopwatch
There are four different types of stopwatches. To access the different types, firmly press on the screen to call up the four stopwatch icons.

Analog:
The Analog display shows the seconds on a minute clock face. Tap the green button to start the stopwatch. Tap the white button to set a new lap or reset the data. Tap the red button to stop the stopwatch.

Digital:
The Digital display shows the minutes, seconds, and milliseconds as digital data. Tap the Start button to start the stopwatch. Tap the Lap button to set a new lap. Tap the Stop button to stop the stopwatch. Tap Reset to clear the data.

Graph:
The Graph display shows the information on a graph based on how much more or less time each lap uses. Follow the instructions for the Digital display to control the Graph display.

Hybrid:
The Hybrid display shows the most important features of all three. The analog clock face shows the minutes, seconds, and milliseconds, as does the digital data. The graph shows your progress as it pertains to the previous lap. Follow the instructions for the digital display to control the Hybrid display.

With the Timer, Alarm, and Stopwatch apps on Apple Watch, you can quickly and easily access the same features available within the iPhone's Clock app, but without having to navigate through so many sections. Each app is specially designed to optimize its most important features.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Top Rated Comments

keysofanxiety Avatar
130 months ago
Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arran Avatar
130 months ago
Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"
It does a lot more than many people realize.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cdm283813 Avatar
130 months ago
If you hate MR so much, why don't you just go elsewhere to complain?
Maybe he did not see the previous article on how to do that.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyTrimble Avatar
130 months ago
Next week's article: "How to use the home button on the iPhone"
I found this to be a useful article. If you hate MR so much, why don't you just go elsewhere to complain?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Arran Avatar
130 months ago
Well, I didn't know you could force-touch on the timer.

Good article.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Benjamin Frost Avatar
130 months ago
Well, I didn't know you could force-touch on the timer.

Good article.
It suggests that force touch is fundamentally not a good idea, as you can't ever know what it is used for; the very opposite of a transparent user-interface, ironically, given the invisibility of its appearance.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...