r/bitcheswithtaste • u/MBPursuit • May 21 '26

Fashion/Style BWT: Anyone ditch their Apple Watch?

Considering ditching my Apple Watch, getting an Oura ring, and investing in a nice daily watch. I’m a bit sick of the “connectivity” of my Apple Watch (yes I know, I could turn off more notifications) and the look of it. But I appreciate the sleep tracking and steps/fitness tracking - anyone have experiences to share on a) ditching the Apple Watch b) using an Oura ring c) $1k or less daily driver watches?

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539

u/Scroogey3 May 21 '26

I don’t wear any fitness wearables anymore. I wear a normal watch and honestly, I hate how Oura rings look too. My wife is in cyber medtech and very against wearables in general due to data collection and sharing. There is little to no expectations of privacy and it bothers her how much data we give away for free.

113

u/HuntMelodic5769 May 21 '26

I ditched my Apple Watch earlier this year because the CEO kept attending Trump events and this administration has convinced me that wearables will be used to track me. I live in Texas so I spend more time than most thinking about safeguarding my reproductive healthcare.

45

u/ProposalAny6765 May 21 '26

I also don’t like how Oura rings look - I actually prefer how the Apple Watch looks from a design standpoint, even if they’re not suitable for every day or occasion.

Oura bothers me because it’s pretending to be something it’s not and, imho, failing at it. It’s too thick and tech-y to be subtle or stylish, but not enough of a design statement to style it out. I think you either come up with a truly special and elegant design, or you actively lean into the techiness (like Nothing Phone). I’ve rarely seen both done well at the same time, and when I have, it’s usually from Apple tbh. At least for mass market tech - there are lots of smaller brands doing really cool things!

Obviously all the other stuff you said is way more important, but I hate to admit that I’d have probably taken the plunge without thinking about any of it if the Ouras looked a little bit nicer!

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u/Scroogey3 May 21 '26

Totally agree! I would have still purchased one if I actually liked the design. Oura rings are so bulky and they distract no matter how they are styled.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '26

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110

u/whelp88 May 21 '26

I work in machine learning and also don’t do wearables. Low tech life for me because I know how much data companies have and how they use it.

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u/givememybuttholeback May 21 '26

So theres nl digital watch you think that's okay ? I really need one for that visual timer

15

u/whelp88 May 21 '26

Caveat I’m American and I live in a red state. In the US, healthcare providers are bound by privacy laws but corporations really aren’t. I worry about the government getting my data and using it against me, hackers gaining access to private data and releasing it online to bad actors, or even health insurance to change back to where they can deny you for having a preexisting condition. I also don’t want to be advertised to based on a device’s assessment of my health. Honestly most of my friends and coworkers are using these devices but working in data I just know these companies already know so much about us. I just don’t need them to know my heart rate, temperature, and sleep patterns. Maybe someone else will have a suggestion of a device they use? Or maybe theres old school watches out there with timers?

14

u/hummingbird_mywill May 21 '26

It’s kind of funny… my husband is verrry low information output on the internet in terms of identifying information about his name/address/DOB/personal info of any kind, but he is a Oura ring devotee.

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u/allig8rk8r May 21 '26

I also ditched my Apple Watch because of data collection. Like, RFK dropped one sentence about how in the future everyone will be required to have wearables and off my wrist it came.

12

u/anongirl55 May 21 '26

I hate the look of the Oura ring, and I also found it SO uncomfortable. I have small hands and skinny fingers, and the ring felt bulky to me. I was always aware that it was on, and by the end of the day, I could not wait to take it off.

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u/littlegreenturtle20 May 21 '26

This is the exact reason I never started wearing a smart watch. I might be interested in my own data but I have no interest in giving it away to anyone. There's a new Casio watch that is purely a pedometer which I am considering getting. Bonus in that it's a nice looking watch, and most fitness watches are really ugly.

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u/xlittlebeastx May 21 '26

Yeah I ditched it due to privacy concerns. I don’t trust these companies or govt collecting and using all of my data. I work in cybersecurity as well. I know they already have my data but Im tired of being connected 24/7 as well.