For those of us who aren’t into smartwatches, it’s easy just not to buy one. It’s an extra device to charge, small, sometimes easy to lose, and depending on how you use one there’s no guarantee its battery will last as long as the iPhone’s battery. I consider myself a very light Apple Watch user, which is why I bought a secondhand Series 2 this week off of eBay. Best part is, it can still pair with a current iPhone.

There was a point in time when I was very hopeful and optimistic over smartwatches – this was back in 2015 to 2018 when I had my first few smartwatches: a Moto 360 First Gen at launch, and later an Apple Watch Series 3 after I had switched back to iPhone in 2017. The Moto 360 was a rush of excitement followed by major disappointment less than 6 months into ownership; the part which the watch band springs clip into.. is made of plastic. New in July, broken by December.

After owning and using some for many years, a conclusion dawned upon me: As much as I love technology, the concept of a computer on my wrist, essentially wearing the future.. I only ever viewed this like any other watch – as a passive device.

Essentially all I did was check time, see notifications, occasionally use it for Apple Pay, and other things which don’t require much interaction. The less steps, the more likely I’d do it on the watch. Would much rather interact with the Apple Watch iPhone app for extensive interactions.

What sparked the idea to get this

Missing my old Series 3 from back in the day, and not wanting to overspend. Knowing the functional value of of an Apple Watch, that I’d get the most out of an old one with a refurbished battery just as much as a new one (but with more money saved), I settled on this one.

Basically a drop-in replacement for what I had, save for a silver Milanese loop versus a color-matched space gray one like the one I had before. It doesn’t matter, because it’s in good shape. It does need a new battery, though. Thankfully a new battery plus new screen adhesive was only $14.48, making the watch effectively $55.57 altogether. Not bad for an Apple-made time telling device that pushes notifications, and is compatible with my iPhone Air running iOS 26! Compare that to a new Apple Watch SE, which runs for $299.99.

Waiting for the new battery

The battery couldn’t make it off the charger at all while it was syncing, but now it can be worn for brief stints of about 15-45 minutes. At least it’s working, in good shape, and compatible, it’s really all that matters. Once this new part is in, I’m sure it’ll last a while just like my old Series 3 did! This is indeed a Low End Apple Watch for 2026, as it is a Series 2. Despite being released all the way back in September 2016, this still has use being on my wrist a whole decade later.