How to Create Date and Time Complications for Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is a great smartwatch, but it’s not the best timepiece. While Apple does provide rudimentary date and time widgets, you might want to create your own complication that goes well with your setup.

Take the Infographic watch face, for example. It’s probably the best Apple Watch face because you get to use eight complications at the same time and it shows the time in analog. But if you want to see the time in a digital format, you can only put it in one place, and even then, it shows the seconds count as well (which can be quite distracting).

Create a Complication Using Watchsmith App on iPhone

You can create your own digital clock complication quite easily using the free Watchsmith app. Below, you can see the difference between the default time complication (left) and the one that we will create using the Watchsmith app (right).

As you might have noticed, the default Time complication is hidden behind the analog watch hands. The custom complication adjusts automatically.

Watchsmith is a custom complication maker app. It’s from the developer of Widgetsmith, which you can use to create custom home screen widgets for iPhone.

RELATED: How to Create Custom Widgets on iPhone

First, download, and open the Watchsmith app on your iPhone. Here, make sure the “All Watch Faces” option is selected from the top. You can now browse all available complication options.

In this example, we’re going to use the “Infograph Top” complication to create a single complication that shows both the date and the time. If you want, you can use a different kind of complication as well.

Tap the “Add Complication” button. Now, tap the “Circle” complication icon.

From the next page, tap the “Default” button.

Here, scroll down and choose the “Hour & Minute” option from the “Time” section.

Using the next following sections, you can customize the font, the top color, the bottom color, and the background color respectively. We’re going with the “Red” top color, “Decimal” font, “White” bottom color, and “Black” background color.

Once you’re done customizing, tap the “Back” button.

Tap the “Save” button from the top.

Now, tap the “Bezel Text” option.

Here, tap the “Default” button to customize the bezel text.

From the “Style” section, choose the “Day & Date” option, then tap the “Back” button.

Now, tap the “Save” button from the top.

Your complication is now ready.

Add a Customized Complication to Watch Face

It’s now time to shift to your Apple Watch. Add or switch to the Infograph watch face and tap and hold the watch face. Here, select the “Edit” button to enter the watch face customization screen.

Swipe left to go to the “Complications” section and then tap the “Infographic Top” complication.

Here, use the Digital Crown to go to the “Watchsmith” app section and choose the complication we created in the section above.

You’ll now see the compilation on the editing screen. To save the watch face, simply press the Digital Crown.

And that’s it, your complication is now ready. Every time you lift up your wrist, you’ll now see the date and time at the top of the Infograph watch face.

As we mentioned at the top, the Widgetsmith complication will automatically move the digits so you can still read the time when the hour or the minute hand is above it (as you can see in the screenshots below).

New to the Apple Watch? Get the most out of it using our tips and tricks!

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