In Depth: 15 best Android Wear faces

Best Android Wear Watchfaces - introduction

One of the best features of Android Wear is the ability to quickly switch the style of your smartwatch by changing faces with a few swishes of the finger.

Now that Android 5.0 Lollipop is making its way to Android Wear devices, it is easier than ever to personalise your smartwatch.

The update brings loads of new face designs to the Google Play store, which can be downloaded direct from the store of via the Android Wear app.

There are some amazing designs already available on the store, but there are also some clunkers. Make sure you don't make a fashion faux pas with our updated list of the 15 best Android Wear faces.

1. PAC-MAN Watch Face

£0.63 ($0.99, around AU$1.19)

If you're a fan of retro games, then you'll love the official PAC-MAN watch face which features nostalgia-laced graphics of ghosts, power-pellets and fruit. PAC-MAN himself weaves around the clock as it tells the time.

It's a fun theme that shows that official companies are willing to put the effort in to Google Wear watch faces, though it's perhaps not one to wear when going for important interviews or court appearances.

2. Planets Watchface

Free

This impressive astronomical watch not only displays the time on your wrist, but also the current positions of planets in our solar system.

Both educational and stylish, the Planets Watchface has been designed for smartwatches with round faces such as the Moto 360, as well as rectangular watches.

3. Odyssey Premium Watch Face

£0.79 (around $1.24, AU$1.50)

A fair few Android Wear watch faces try to combine classic watch aesthetics with smartphone features, but none do it quite so well as the Odyssey Premium watch face.

Along with the classic-looking analogue watch face, you also get battery indicators for both the watch and your smartphone, weather information, time for a second timezone and date information. Best of all it manages this all without looking cluttered.

4. Raw Vegan Blonde Watch Face

Free

There are a growing number of artists that are turning their hands to designing watch faces for Google Wear. The Raw Vegan Blonde Watch Face has been created by designer Amber Locke and is based on a vegetable art theme.

Each day of the week brings a new elegant pattern. This is a watch face that puts style before functionality, but does it incredibly well.

5. BE@RBRICK Watch Face

Free

The BE@RBRICK Watch Face might not be to everyone's taste, but it is a good example of what we can expect with Android Wear faces. A 3D parallax effect and vibrant design helps it stand out.

Not only that, but it implements a shake-your-wrist feature which tells you the date when you move your wrist in a certain way.

6. Xogram Watch Face

Free

Another watch face from a designer, this time it's Hugh Turvey's unique X-ray imagery that takes pride of place on your wrist with the Xogram Watch Face.

The watch face rotates through 24 of Hugh Turvey's art pieces, so every hour you get a new style. If there's an image that you particularly like, you can make it permanent.

7. ustwo Watch Faces

Free

Why settle for one watch face when you can have ten stylish designs with a single download? The ustwo Watch Faces app offers just that with a collection of fine looking watch faces for Google Wear.

These include Air, which is a minimalist designed based on vintage aircraft, Domino, which has a design based on dominos falling, and Invert, which has two customisable colour battling it out on your wrist.

8. Nails By Mei Watch Face

Free

The bright and vibrant Nails By Mei Watch Face features hand drawn art by nail artist Mei Kawajiri. The watch face comes with 12 unique designs that correspond to the time of day.

The art is based on Mei Kawajiri's nail art designs, and gives a stylish and unique look to any smartwatch it's installed on.

9. Surfline - Watch Face

Free

If you're a surfer always on the lookout for the ideal time to drop what you're doing and head to the sea, then the Surfline watch face for Android Wear is a must.

Not only does it have a stylish design, but it uses live data from Surfline to display tide times, surf heigh, wind speed and wind direction, right on your wrist.

10. Shadow Clock Watch Face

Free

Smartwatches are the hot new thing when it comes to telling the time, but the Shadow Clock watch face harks back to one of our first time-telling inventions – the sundial.

This striking design has been created by typographer and designer Craig Ward and uses shadow, light and tone to reveal the time. As the day turns into night, light and shadow shifts to reveal the time.

11. Rich Watchface

Free

Rich Watchface isn't just a stylish leather-effect Android Wear face; it also contains a lot of information and features in its minimalistic design, including a handy battery indicator. It also has energy efficient themes that dim the screen to help preserve battery life while still looking good.

A number of different colour schemes are included for free with additional themes available to buy later, allowing you to customise the look of your Android Wear smartwatch with ease.

12. Behance Watch Faces

Free

Behance Watch Faces brings community created artworks to your smartwatch, decorating your timepiece with beautiful, elegant and unique designs from a wide range of artists.

Behance is an online platform for showcasing and discovering new digital artists, and the carefully curated artwork looks amazing. If you want your Android Wear smartwatch to stand out from the crowed, then this is the app for you.

13. InstaWeather for Android Wear

Free

Always stay one step ahead of the weather with InstaWeather for Android Wear. It comes with mutluiple faces and radar maps that not only tell the time but give you a 24 hour weather forecast with temperature and participation information.

You can choose from a number of designs including minimalistic forecasts, an LCD face and an analogue watchface. You can also configure rain notifications to let you know when the storm clouds are approaching.

14. Clocki - Wear Watch Face Pack

£1.25 ($1.85, AU$2.42)

If you're an indescisive sort who can't settle on just one watch face design, then the Clocki - Wear Watch Face Pack could be just up your street with 12 distinct and attractive watch faces that you can pick and choose from.

Each watch face looks different from the last and includes digital and analogue designs, and some will also give you weather and temperature information as well.

15. Facer Watch Face

£0.79 ($1.17, AU$1.53)

If you haven't found an Android Wear watchface that's for you, why not make you own? Facer Watch Face features design and editing tools to help you make your own custom watchfaces. You can import images and custom fonts, choose different time formats, date layouts and weather conditions as well.

Facer Watch Face also gives you access to thousands of free watchfaces for you to install. You can use them as inspiration and edit and remix already created designs.

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