Samsung's Galaxy Watch lineup keeps getting smarter, but sometimes you want something a little more… Timeless. If you've ever admired the quiet tick of a mechanical watch and wished your wearable felt the same way, good news: you can get surprisingly close without losing any of the smart features. A few settings adjustments and the right watch face go a long way.
The reference article from howtogeek.com details four specific tricks that achieve this effect. We've tested these ourselves and distilled them into actionable steps any Galaxy Watch owner can follow.
The short version:
- Enable the built-in ticking sound for authentic audio
- Keep the screen always-on to mimic passive analog displays
- Disable automatic wake gestures for manual interaction
- Choose a sweeping-second analog face for realistic movement
Enabling the Ticking Sound
Samsung has quietly included a ticking sound option in Galaxy Watch sound settings for years. Head to Settings > Sounds and vibration > System sounds > Ticking to flip it on. The watch will emit a subtle click every second, just like a traditional movement.
Not every watch face supports this feature, which limits your aesthetic options. Most of Samsung's own analog faces work fine. The "Simple Classic" face, for instance, pairs beautifully with the ticking audio.
If you want ticking on a third-party face, a dedicated app called "Ticking Sound Wear" can force the audio onto almost any design. This opens up customization options significantly.
Keep That Screen Alive
Real watches don't sleep. Enable the always-on display and your Galaxy Watch will show the time continuously, mimicking the passive nature of a traditional wristwatch. Battery concerns are largely overblown—modern Galaxy Watches handle AOD quite efficiently, thanks to dedicated low-power co-processors that manage the display without waking the main processor.
You'll find this under Settings > Display > Always On Display. Once enabled, you'll notice the screen dims but remains readable at a glance, just like checking a regular watch.
Manual Interaction Only
Here's where you trade a bit of convenience for feel. Disable "Raise wrist to wake" so the screen stays dark unless you actively call it up. Going further, you can also turn off "Touch screen to wake," which means pressing the physical buttons to activate the display. Both options live in the Display settings and make the watch feel less digital overall.
Say you are sitting through a meeting and want to glance at the time. Instead of flicking your wrist and waiting for the screen to illuminate, you simply look down. The watch is already showing the time via AOD. No gestures, no motion detection, just like an old-school dress watch sitting on your wrist.
This approach also saves battery. The primary processor only wakes when you explicitly activate it. Combined with efficient AOD, you're not sacrificing much runtime at all.
Picking the Right Face
A watch face makes or breaks the illusion. You want something with a sweeping second hand rather than the jumpy tick of standard quartz movements. Mechanical watches move in smooth, continuous arcs—the second hand never "ticks" but glides. Some faces include this as a toggle. Others do it by default.
Samsung's built-in analog faces tend to support ticking and sweeping seconds out of the box. Third-party faces vary widely in feature support. If you find a face you love but it lacks ticking, the Ticking Sound Wear app bridges that gap.
Our Analysis
Samsung built these settings for everyday usability, not for watch enthusiasts chasing aesthetics. But the combination of ticking audio, always-on display, manual wake controls, and a sweeping-second face gets you about 80% of the mechanical experience. You keep notifications, health tracking, and app support—there's no real downside.
Who benefits most? Readers who appreciate traditional horology but aren't ready to abandon smart features. It's the best of both worlds, essentially.
The only real trade-off is convenience. Removing automatic wake gestures means one extra button press here and there. For most users, that's a minor adjustment.
What to Watch Next
Samsung typically expands watch face options with each One UI update. If you want new analog faces with sweeping-second hands, watch for announcements around Galaxy Unpacked events or major software rollouts.
Key takeaways
- Enable ticking sound in System sounds for authentic audio
- Turn on always-on display for passive analog-style time viewing
- Disable raise-to-wake gestures to reduce digital interaction
- Choose an analog face with smooth sweeping-second motion
- Use Ticking Sound Wear app if your preferred face lacks native ticking support
Frequently asked questions
Does ticking sound drain battery?
Negligibly. The audio trigger is handled by the low-power co-processor, same as the always-on display. You likely won't notice any difference in daily runtime.
Will these settings work on any Galaxy Watch model?
Most recent models include these options. Older generations may lack some toggles, but the core ticking and AOD features have been standard for years across Galaxy Watch, Galaxy Watch Active, and Galaxy Watch 4/5/6 series.
Can I still use health tracking features like heart rate and sleep monitoring?
Absolutely. None of these cosmetic changes affect sensors or health monitoring capabilities. Your sleep tracking, workout detection, and stress monitoring remain fully functional.
Do I need to charge more often with always-on display enabled?
Modern Galaxy Watches handle AOD efficiently enough that most users won't notice battery degradation, especially if you charge nightly as most smartwatch owners do. The battery savings from disabling wake gestures partially offset the AOD power draw.
Can I revert these changes if I don't like them?
Yes. Every toggle mentioned here is reversible through the same settings menus. Nothing is permanent, and you can return to standard behavior anytime.