Customers upgrading from Apple Watch Series 11 to Apple Watch Series 12 are noticing design changes, namely a larger bezel and a Digital Crown that sticks out further.

The Apple Watch Series 12 has a new Health Sensing system, which replaced the rear sensor stack with a larger surface area. That seemed to be the only significant external design change until customers got their hands on them.

According to various posts on Reddit, customers are noticing minute differences between Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Series 11. With a non-black background, bezels are noticeably larger on the new model. The Digital Crown appears to protrude more, possibly due to case curvature.

The display change likely relates to needing more internal space for new health features. The case increased by 1mm in one direction for both aluminum and ceramic cases. Without a change to the active display area, that means larger bezels. You'd only notice side-by-side.

Some speculate Apple could release an Apple Watch 13 with a larger display in 2028. Users also noted new models don't appear to support handwashing detection. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 shipped Friday.